5,500 young people performing at theatres across the UK as part of National Theatre Connections’ 30th anniversary

To celebrate 30 years of Connections, the National Theatre’s annual landmark nationwide youth theatre festival, 5,500 young people from over 270 youth theatre companies and schools across the UK are performing new plays on stages in every corner of the UK. Connections champions youth theatre nationwide, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting contemporary writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.

From now until 12 May young people are taking to the stage to perform one of ten new plays specially commissioned for young people at one of 33 leading regional theatres, from Theatre Royal Plymouth to Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and Aberystwyth Arts Centre to Lyric Belfast Theatre. Ten youth groups will be selected to perform their play on the Dorfman stage at the National Theatre Connections Festival in June, representing the vast amount of talent across the UK.

Marking the milestone 30th anniversary of the programme, these young people join over 125,000 people nationwide who have taken part in Connections over the past three decades, including esteemed alumni such as David Oyelowo, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Callum Scott Howells and Keira Knightley. Former playwrights include Jack Thorne, Chris Bush, Lenny Henry, James Graham and Alice Birch.