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

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

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 Grazia

Edward’s Boys’ revivals of plays by the likes of Lyly, Middleton and Marston have informed and transformed my thinking about early modern drama and children’s company plays in particular. No modern revivals can give us concrete answers to our questions about the plays or their performance style, but over the last few years Perry MIlls’ lucid and imaginative productions have asked the very best kinds of questions.

Professor Lucy MunroKings College, London, Keele

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