The Winslow Boy

by Terence Rattigan

performed by BTG February 1979

A Play

What begins as a small incident ultimately grows into a "cause célèbre" nearly shaking the foundations of the government. The incident is simply that of a youngster in an English government school who is expelled for an alleged theft. As a matter of fact, the youngster was entirely innocent but practically all the evidence was against him. The boy's family, in particular his father, proceed to contest the decision of the school and challenge its right, as a government run institution, to damage the reputation of a boy without sufficient legal safeguards. The issue which began as a private matter involves the right of official agencies to impose their authority on the individuals of any democracy and, as the play moves relentlessly forward, we see in effect, citizens of a democracy challenging the forces of bureaucracy, thus keeping alive the issue of the basic rights of the individual.

Produced by Kathy Godfrey