NATIONAL THEATRE CONNECTIONS
I had the pleasure of producing National Theatre Connections between 2011 - 2015.
Connections began over 20 years ago when teachers and directors told the National Theatre that they wanted exciting and challenging new plays for young actors. Since then the NT has commissioned and published more than 200 plays for Connections, giving young people aged 13-19 across the UK and Ireland access to the very best new writing for theatre.
Connections gives young people experience of professional theatre-making. Their experience mirrors that of a company producing a new play in any theatre in the country. They create marketing campaigns, design sets and costumes, operate lighting and sound boards, stage-manage their performances. Every year each company has the experience of performing in a leading regional theatre, at one of the Connections festivals around the country.
Each year the Connections team travels the length and breadth of the country to support and encourage the participants – the drama teachers and youth theatre directors who take on the challenge of staging a new play, and the young theatre companies. I was thrilled by the skill, creativity, commitment and passion that go into each production, often on a shoestring budget and a rehearsal schedule carved out around school commitments.
nationaltheatre.org.uk/connections
I produced and help commission the following plays:
2011
Bassett by James Graham
The Beauty Manifesto by Nell Leyshon
Children of Killers by Katori Hall
Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman adapted from the novel by Malorie Blackman
Frank & Ferdinand by Samuel Adamson
Gap by Alia Bano
Gargantua by Carl Grose
Shooting Truth by Molly Davies
Those Legs by Noel Clarke
Too Fast by Douglas Maxwell
2012
Victim Sidekick Boyfriend Me by Hilary Bell
Socialism Is Great by Anders Lustgarten
So You Think You're A Superhero? by Paven Virk
Prince of Denmark by Michael Lesslie
The Ritual by Samir Yazbek
Little Foot by Craig Higginson
Journey To X by Nancy Harris
The Grandfathers by Rory Mullarkey
Generation Next by Meera Syal
Alice By Heart by Steven Sater & Duncan Sheik
2013
The Guffin by Howard Brenton
Mobile Phone Show by Jim Cartwright
What Are They Like? by Lucinda Coxon
We Lost Elijah by Ryan Craig
I'm Spilling My Heart Out Here by Stacey Gregg
Tomorrow I'll Be Happy by Jonathan Harvey
Soundclash by Lenny Henry
Don't Feed the Animals by Jemma Kennedy
Ailie and the Alien by Morna Pearson
Forty-Five Minutes by Anya Reiss
2014
A Letter to Lacey by Catherine Johnson
Angels by Pauline McLynn
A Shop Selling Speech by Sabrina Mahfouz
Hearts by Luke Norris
Heritage by Dafydd James
Horizon by Matt Hartley
Pronoun by Evan Placey
Same by Deborah Bruce
The Wardrobe by Sam Holcroft
Tomorrow by Simon Vinnicombe
2015
Drama, Baby by Jamie Brittain
Hood by Katherine Chandler
The Boy Preference by Elinor Cook and performed
The Edelweiss Pirates by Ayub Khan Din
Follow, Follow by Katie Douglas and performed
The Accordion Shop by Cush Jumbo
Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent
Hospital Food by Eugene O'Hare
Remote by Stef Smith
The Crazy Sexy Cool Girls' Fan Club by Sarah Solemani