Local young people aged 13-19 will take to the stage at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate as part of this year’s National Theatre Connections programme, the National Theatre’s landmark annual nationwide youth theatre festival.
From Tuesday 21 to Sunday 26 April, Royal & Derngate will host performances from 18 schools and youth theatre groups from across the region, including Northampton School for Bosy, Wollaston School, Rushden Academy, Kettering Science Academy and NMPAT, with Halesowen College, Hatton Youth Theatre and Cambridge School of Visual and Performing Arts among those coming from further afield.
Plays being performed include Britney’s Lock, Sycamore Gap, Wildfire Road, Fishville, The Animals and Cloud Busting. Royal & Derngate Young Company will reprise their performance of Britney’s Lock as the closing performance of the festival.
Royal & Derngate is one of 33 theatres across the UK championing the voices and talent of local young people with over 5,000 participants from 270 companies and schools having the chance to perform on professional stages. Regional festivals take place at partner theatres nationwide from 4 March to 4 May, with the groups performing at a local venue first.
To celebrate the vast range of talent on display nationwide this spring, eight youth theatre groups will be invited to perform their version of one of this year’s plays at the Connections Festival held at the Lowry, Salford from 25-28 June.
Kirsten Adam, Head of Participation at the National Theatre, said, “We are so excited to have Royal & Derngate taking part in this year’s National Theatre Connections, providing the opportunity for hundreds of young people from across the area to showcase their talents on their stage. Youth theatre is a foundation stone in young people’s development, allowing them to build their understanding of the world and develop key skills such as confidence and self-expression. We cannot wait to see this year’s participants’ imagination and creativity flourish during this year’s Connections festivals.”
To book tickets to Connections in Northampton, visit www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.
For more information about Connections 2026, visit the National Theatre Website.
