Edward's Boys

“Your work is the most sustained attempt to re-imagine what we think boy companies could do – and it will really rewrite the academic theatre history books.”

Emma Smith Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Oxford

Our Company Profile

About Edward’s Boys

Since 2005 Edward’s Boys (of King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon, a state grammar school, also known as K.E.S. and “Shakespeare’s School”) have been performing rarely-seen plays from the repertoire of the early modern boys’ companies.

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Director

Perry Mills was, until July 2023, Deputy Headmaster at King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon (generally known as “Shakespeare’s School”). For most of his career he has been a Head of English and Drama, and is a very experienced leader of workshops for teachers and students on a variety of related topics.

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Donations to the Company of Edward’s Boys

Edward’s Boys are proud to be part of King Edward VI School, a state school which tries to offer extra-curricular opportunities that are not only comparable to, but often surpass, those that are available in the independent sector.  Unfortunately, we do not receive funding for these activities. The company survives primarily on ticket sales.

We have made the decision to make our film archive available online free of charge for the simple reason that we believe passionately in education. If you take advantage of this unique opportunity, please consider supporting the company’s work by making a donation via this website. Thank you, in advance.

Perry Mills
(On behalf of Edward’s Boys)

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Critical Acclaim for Edward’s Boys

Edward’s Boys is a remarkable theatrical experiment that has become required viewing for anyone interested in early modern drama. Voyaging far beyond Shakespeare, the Boys’ productions are rare gems that are somehow both a rich resource for scholars of gender, performance and theatre history, and a great night at the theatre. The company gives us an expansive early modern stage world, full of insights about how theatre depicted gender through the boy.

Professor Clare McManus Northumbria University, Newcastle

They are our modern day “Little Eyases” as the companies of boy performers were referred to in Hamlet. But in fact the exercise is much more than that, and should I think be seen, as it deserves to be, in the wider context of Shakespeare study and performance worldwide…for me as a Shakespeare director, with particular interest in the repertoire of these contemporaries, these productions have proved invaluable… Forgive me for going on at length, but I think the school is producing something rather miraculous, and I suspect it is too easy for that to go unsaid.

Gregory Doran, Artistic DirectorRoyal Shakespeare Company

Those who were privileged to see the little eyases of KES playing The Dutch Courtesan will really understand what Shakespeare was talking about: the common stagers in the Courtyard behind the new science block have good cause to be rattled.

Professor Jonathan BateUniversity Oxford

More than any other theatre company, including the best of the professionals, Edward’s Boys are in the vanguard of exploring the theatrical style of Thomas Middleton and other contemporaries of Shakespeare… They are clearly leading the way in the exploration of early modern plays using an all-boys cast. Those of us privileged to see these productions are learning about a key aspect of the production of plays in Shakespeare’s period. We are also seeing excellent productions of plays that are insufficiently performed, and, above all, enjoying some memorable evenings in the theatre.

Professor John JowettThe Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham

The productions of Edward's Boys are a miracle of scholarly and theatrical praxis. Under Mills'; artistic vision, and through the company's performances, we’re able to see and understand so much more about the complex history of early modern English theatre… Edward Boys creates truly memorable and thrilling theatre.

Professor Brandi K. AdamsArizona State University, US