Blue Stockings follows the story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage – written by director and writer, Jessica Swale.
The production stars over 20 of our talented Sixth Form students exploring university life in Cambridge in 1896, when fountain pens were novel, Einstein was a teenager and only male students were allowed to graduate…
1896. Girton College, Cambridge.
Tess, Celia, Carolyn and Maeve join the ranks of the Cambridge university students, as some of the few girls admitted to the university before the turn of the 20th Century. However, when their male counterparts graduate, these women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a ‘blue stocking’ – an unnatural, educated woman. They are denied degrees and go home unqualified and unmarriable…
The four girls are determined to win the right to graduate. But little do they anticipate the hurdles in their way: the distractions of love, the cruelty of the class divide or the strength of the opposition, who will do anything to stop them. The play follows them over one tumultuous academic year, in their fight to change the future of education.
Recommended for a minimum age of 10+
Content Warnings: Misogyny, Moments of violence.
We are hugely excited to announce that Blue Stockings and West End playwright Jessica Swale will be joining us for an exclusive pre-show Q&A ahead of our Sixth Form production’s opening night. Blue Stockings was Jessica’s debut play in 2013, where its performance at the Globe won her an Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright nomination, and she has since been wowing London audiences with her much-loved adaptation of Paddington.
We are honoured that Jessica is coming along to our production, where Lower Sixth students James Bradburn and Sapphy Oboh will host a Q&A session before the Thursday performance.
