Plays about boys are in the zeitgeist right now, and specifically, awful posh boys. In the last 12 months alone, Sydney stages have had performances of Posh by Laura Wade at the Old Fitz, All Boys by Xavier Hazard at KXT, and Trophy Boys by Emmanuelle Mattana at the Seymour Centre – three plays that expose how environments of privilege embolden teenage boys to abuse their power and mistreat girls.

Now, Trophy Boys is back, opening the Sydney leg of its second national tour at Carriageworks before moving to Riverside Parramatta, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Trophy Boys. Photo © Ben Andrews

Directed by Marni Mount, the play satirises academically elite private schoolboys. The 70-minute comedy runs in real time, depicting the tense hour of prep before the senior boys of Imperium College compete against their rival girls’ school.

The twist? The four boys are performed by female and non-binary performers in drag, a choice that leads to rich observational humour by a charismatic ensemble.

The boys are tasked with debating against the merits of feminism. As...