Theatre Preview: The History Boys, Bedlam Theatre

THERE’S a chance to see Alan Bennet’s The History Boys at the Bedlam all this week, as Edinburgh University Theatre Company (EUTC) turn their attention to the multi-award-winning play.

Bedlam Theatre, Bristo Place, until Saturday, 7.30pm, £6, www.bedlamtheatre.co.uk

The History Boys took the theatre world by storm when it opened on London’s West End in 2004, launching the career of James Corden to name but one.

Set in the 1980s, the play follows eight bright young lads on the brink of adulthood, full of hopes and dreams of reaching the heady heights of Oxbridge; a world away from their state grammar school in Sheffield.

The boys are eager to learn and their teachers are dedicated to their education; the eccentric old teacher Hector preaches knowledge for its own sake, while the headmaster has brought in a new supply teacher, Irwin, who teaches the boys the things they need to know about how to best pass the entry exams and interviews.

The boys however, are soon caught up in the dispute over how, what and even why their teachers should teach them.

Based at the Bedlam Theatre, the Capital’s only entirely student-run theatre, EUTC present more than 40 shows a year. The cast of The History Boys includes Ailis Duff, Charlie Hanks, Sacha Timaeus, Connor Jones, Craig Methven, Will Hearle, Joe McArdle, Barnaby Findlay, Jonathan Ip, Joe Shaw, Jack Kinross and Jonathan Oldfield.

The production is directed by Sarah Mcguinness and Abby Jackson.