SCOTTSBORO BOYS Will Play The Young Vic, Beginning October 18

The Young Vic and Catherine Schreiber will present the U.K. premiere of Kander and Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys, directed by five-time Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman.

The Scottsboro Boys has music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, and a book by David Thompson. The limited engagement begins on Friday, October 18, 2013 at the Young Vic, with an official press opening set for Tuesday, October 29, 2013. This production comes to London three years after its raved-over 2010 New York premiere (also directed by Ms. Stroman), which was nominated for a staggering 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Director.

The Scottsboro Boys tells the true story of nine young black men, aged between 12 and 19, travelling on a train through Scottsboro, Alabama in 1931 in search of a new life. By the end of their journey, their lives had been changed forever by the devastating effect of a single lie. Two white women falsely accused the nine of rape. Even though one of the women later recanted her accusation and in spite of a total absence of evidence, the boys were convicted. Their subsequent trials and appeals, lasting seven years, deeply divided the nation. The Scottsboro boys had a powerful effect on American history and on the Civil Rights Movement. Their trial led to the passage of two pivotal Supreme Court rulings, including the right to proper legal representation and the right to trial by a jury of one's peers, specifically ensuring that black people could no longer be excluded from juries. But back in 1931, behind the screaming headlines, nine young men were desperate to prove to the world that they were human beings and that they mattered.

The landmark legal battle is once again making headlines with the recent announcement that - all these years later - the Alabama Legislature is acting to grant posthumous pardons to the Scottsboro Boys.

The Scottsboro Boys will play the following performance schedule: Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm / Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2:30pm.

Tickets, priced at £10, £19.50, £25, £35, will be available to the general public beginning February 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. (GMT). They can be purchased via www.youngvic.org or by calling 020 7922 2922. Note: pricing for preview performances (October 18-28) will be £10, £15, £19.50.

Casting will be announced shortly.