Written by an experienced senior examiner and teacher, and endorsed by WJEC, this vibrant student book provides invaluable support in an accessible and engaging style for all three components of the specification, including: All aspects of devising and performing and on rehearsal techniques. / Creating a portfolio of supporting evidence and on choosing suitable extracts from a text. / Evaluating and helping improve students' own devised performance. / Understanding key theatre practitioners and genres, with suggested practical activities / Focused introductions to the set plays. / Support and advice for technical students who choose set, lighting or sound design.

Premiered at the National Theatre and winner of both the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Play, Alan Bennett's The History Boys confronts issues of education, sexuality, and peer pressure through a group of boys preparing for their Oxbridge exams. Written specifically for Key Stage 4 students, this GCSE Student Guide offers a critical commentary on the text through an overview of the play and extensive analysis of themes, characters, contexts, dramatic technique, critical reception and related works. In addition, there is a section on how to write about the play, a glossary of dramatic terms and new interviews with Alan Bennett and the play's original director, Sir Nicholas Hytner. Throughout the guide are suggestions for activities and exercises pitched at the GSCE student, making this an indispensable resource for anyone studying the play at this level.