More Information
Please note that some of these productions contain strong language.
This year we were delighted to host the National Theatre’s Connections Festival here at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Eight youth companies from across East London and Essex will present some of the best plays for young audiences.
The National Theatre Connections festival is a celebration of young people, theatre-making and the importance of access to the arts. Each year, ten new plays are commissioned for young people to perform, bringing together some of the most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.
Below is the schedule for this year's NT Connections festival at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE, YOUR TICKET ADMITS YOU TO BOTH PERFORMANCES AND SEATING IS UNRESERVED.
TUE 02 APR - 7PM
Stratford School Academy, Variations by Katie Hims
City of London Academy Islington Players, Flesh by Rob Drummond
WED 03 APR - 7PM
Urswick Youth Theatre, Chaos by Laura Lomas
TRSE Youth Theatre+, Chaos by Laura Lomas
THU 04 APR - 7PM
Barking & Dagenham College Company, Flesh by Rob Drummond
Oaklands School, Salt by Dawn King
FRI 05 APR - 7PM
Lister Community School, Salt by Dawn King
TRSE Youth Theatre+, Chaos by Laura Lomas
SAT 06 APR - 7PM
Hackney Shed Collective, Terra/Earth by Neil Leyshon
The Petchey Academy, Salt by Dawn King
Synopses
VARIATIONS
by Katie Hims
Thirteen-year-old Alice wishes her life was completely different. She wakes up one morning to find that her life is different. In fact, it's so different that all she wants to do is get back to normality. But how does she do that?
A play about family, string theory and breakfast.
SALT
by Dawn King
Life is never plain sailing, but when a new government initiative comes into place offering young people the chance to train and learn skills overseas, droves of teens jump at the chance to secure their future. Once on board the transport ship, the promises of the glossy advert seem a far cry from what lies ahead.
A play about generations, choices and hope.
CHAOS
by Laura Lomas
A girl is locked in a room. A boy brings another boy flowers. A girl has tied herself to a railing. A boy doesn’t know who he is. A girl worries about impending catastrophe. A woman jumps in front of a train. A boy’s heart falls out his chest. A butterfly has a broken wing.
Chaos is a symphony of dislocated and interconnected scenes. A series of characters search for meaning in a complicated and unstable world. Bouncing through physics, the cosmos, love and violence, they find order in the disorder of each other.
FLESH
by Rob Drummond
A group of teenagers wake up in a forest with no clue how they got there. They find themselves separated into two different teams but have no idea what game they are expected to play. With no food, no water and seemingly no chance of escape, it’s only a matter of time before things start to get drastic. But whose side are people on and how far will they go to survive?
This is a play about human nature, the tribes we create and cannibalism.
TERRA
by Nell Leyshon
Choreography by Anthony Missen
A group of classmates is torn apart by the opportunity to perform their own dance. As they disagree and bicker, two distinct physical groups emerge and separate into opposing teams.
When a strange outsider appears – out of step with everyone else – the divide is disrupted. A contemporary narrative dance piece about individuality, community and heritage.
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