It is 1896, and Girton College, Cambridge, home to the country’s first female students, is an object of annoyance and derision to the rest of the university. The year’s intake of new women face economic difficulty, the distractions of men and radical politics, and the jaw-dropping prejudice that blights every aspect of academic life.  Meanwhile, there looms the prospect of a controversial vote to decide: should these ‘blue-stockings’ be allowed to graduate?

Developed by the National Theatre Studio and receiving its world premiere at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, this glorious play is a moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.  This published text of Blue Stockings explicitly honours Malala Yousafzai and “all those who dedicate their lives to our education”.