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

I love the Edward’s Boys for their willingness to take leave of reality and
abandon themselves to the magic of the theatre. That they are young and male
hardly makes a difference, for they can perform whatever is called for in terms
of age, gender, class, ethnicity, even size. With great energy and skill, often
musical as well as dramatic, they discover the wit, pathos, irony in even the
most abstruse lines. Of course, behind their performances is the genius of Perry
Mills who breathes contemporary life into these largely forgotten early modern
plays, turning the many hard challenges they pose into opportunities for
strikingly imaginative solutions.

Professor Margreta de GraziaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Edward’s Boys must be the bravest company in the world of early modern theatre. They fearlessly take on dramatists who have been ignored by other theatre companies, demonstrating how much early modern creativity and excitement we all overlook. Their work is a peculiar fusion of scholarly breakthrough and theatrical joy: miss them if you dare!

Dr Andy KessonUniversity of Roehampton

Edward’s Boys show us what boys’ companies can do — which is to say, anything. Their productions are not excellent ‘for children’ or ‘for amateurs’ – they are excellent by any standards. They draw energy from two vital sources: first, painstaking attention to the text, which enables each actor to understand his lines and communicate clearly with the audience; second, the ensemble ethos of the boys and their director, Perry Mills. Mills has created a culture in which the boys teach and learn from each other, releasing the exuberant will to perform in each one to great creative effect. Edward’s Boys audiences learn something about boys’ companies and early modern drama, but they also relish pure theatrical gold.

Professor Elisabeth DuttonUniversity of Fribourg

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

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