RADS brings Jessica Swale's powerful play 'Blue Stockings' to The Georgian Theatre Royal from Wednesday 6 to Saturday 9 November, capturing a pivotal moment in the history of women’s education.
Set in 1896 at Girton College, Cambridge, Blue Stockings tells the story of the first women in Britain to pursue higher education and the formidable challenges they faced.
Girton College was the first institution to admit women, and the Girton students excelled alongside their male peers. Yet, when graduation day came, the men received degrees, while the women were sent home without qualifications. These “blue stockings”—a term used to describe educated women—returned unqualified, often facing societal stigma that labeled them as "unnatural" and "unmarriageable."
The play follows Tess Moffat and her classmates, determined first-year students with ambitions to win the right to graduate. Through an intense academic year, they encounter barriers ranging from romantic entanglements to the harsh realities of class and fierce opposition from those who believe women do not belong in higher education. Their journey becomes a fight to change the course of educational history, challenging notions of love, ambition, and equality.
Blue Stockings premiered professionally at Shakespeare’s Globe in London in 2013.
Tickets from £16 - £18.