The English Literature Play 2021-22

About the play

Four boys face the tricky transition to adulthood in Ella Hickson's riot of a play. The Class of 2011 are about to graduate and Benny, Mack, Timp and Cam are due out of their flat.

Stepping into a world that doesn't want them, these boys start to wonder whether there's any point in getting any older.

How will they find the fight to make it as adults? Before all that they're going to have one hell of a party. It's hot and there'll be girls. Predict a riot.

Ella Hickson's play Boys was first performed at the HighTide Festival, Halesworth, Suffolk, in May 2012, before transferring to the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton, and Soho Theatre, London.

For the English Literature Play 2022, Boys is being brought to life by a team led by fourth year student Isabella Forshaw with the support of theatre publisher Nick Hern Books. It is the winner of the University of Edinburgh English Literature Department Play Award. 

Read our interview with Isabella on why she chose Boys as this year's English Literature Play

Meet the cast and crew on Instagram: @boysplayedinburgh

About the English Literature Play Award

Each year the department of English Literature makes an award of up to £1000 to a literature student staging a live performance of a play text related to the English Literature degree programmes. If you're a student interested in applying for funding next year, keep an eye out for applications opening in autumn 2022.

Are you interested in studying with us?

We teach over 30 single and joint MA undergraduate honours programmes in English and Scottish Literature and a full range of taught and research-led postgraduate programmes, from one-year masters degrees to PhDs in English Literature and Creative Writing.

Find out more about English Literature at Edinburgh