National Theatre Connections: 30th anniversary celebrations

Young people aged 13-19 from all corners of the North East will take to the Newcastle Theatre Royal stage as part of this year’s National Theatre Connections programme.  

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Connections is the National Theatre’s annual landmark nationwide youth theatre festival that champions the talent of young people across the UK. 

From Mon 7 – Fri 11 Apr 2025, the Theatre Royal will host the regional festival, which consists of performances from schools, colleges and performing arts groups, including Newcastle Theatre Royal’s own Youth Company: Performances include: 

• Mon 7 Apr: Bright Minds Youth Theatre, Sunderland Empire (Fresh Air by Vickie Donoghue), and Newcastle College Performance Academy (Normalised by Amanda Verlaque.).  

• Tue 8 Apr: The Witham Youth Theatre, Teesdale, (You 2.0 by Alys Metcalf,) and Jarrow High School (Fresh Air.). 

• Wed 9 Apr: River Tees Secondary Academy (Fresh Air), and Gateshead College (Ravers by Rikki Beadle-Blair.). 

• Thu 10 Apr: Stockton Riverside College (Normalised) and Carmel Performing Arts, Darlington (Their Name is Joy by May Sumbwanyambe.). 

• Fri 11 Apr: Page2Stage, Stockton-on-Tees, (You 2.0) and Newcastle Theatre Royal Youth Theatre (Fresh Air.). 

The iconic theatre in the heart of Newcastle’s Grey Street is one of 33 venues across the UK joining this year’s celebrations with over 5,500 young people from 275 companies and schools having the chance to perform on professional stages. Following the Regional festivals, there will be a festival at the National Theatre in June.  

To celebrate the vast range of talent on display across the nation this spring, ten youth theatre groups will be invited to perform their version of one of this year’s plays at the National Theatre from 24-28 Jun, reopening its Dorfman stage. The Connections Festival will spotlight the power of youth theatre nationwide by bringing groups together for a final celebratory moment of the anniversary year.  

Over 125,000 young people nationwide have taken part in Connections over the past three decades, giving young people first-hand experience in all aspects of staging and performing a new play. Esteemed alumni include David Oyelowo, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Callum Scott Howells and Keira Knightley. Each year, ten new plays are commissioned that explore contemporary themes relevant to young people, creating a cannon of over 235 scripts specifically for young people to perform. Previous playwrights include Alice Birch, Chris Bush, James Graham and Lenny Henry. Connections also takes place internationally, with festivals being hosted in seven countries spanning three continents.  

Phil Hoffman, Creative Development Producer at Newcastle Theatre Royal, said: “We are immensely proud to join National Theatre Connections this year for the 30th anniversary. As a hub for creativity, this partnership helps us in our aim to inspire local talent at the same time as championing theatre and creativity for all.  

“Talented young actors from all over the North East will perform plays with challenging and diverse themes and characters. The plays offer young audiences an opportunity to build their relationship with theatre and performance. Opening a world of creative possibilities and theatre for all. We look forward to showcasing the productions this April”.   

Kirsten Adam, Head of Young People’s Programmes at the National Theatre, said, “We are delighted to be celebrating the landmark 30th anniversary of National Theatre Connections with theatres across the UK. Whether this is the first rung on the ladder to a glittering career on the stage, or the mechanism that builds confidence in a young person to go on and embrace challenges later in life, youth theatre is the foundation that allows young people to flourish and develop. We can’t wait to witness the talent and creativity that these seven groups will bring both on and off stage this Spring”.