Full Description
National Theatre Connections 2026 draws together eight new plays for young people to perform, from some of the UK's most exciting and popular playwrights.
These are plays for a generation of theatre-makers who want to ask questions, challenge assertions and test boundaries, and for those who love to invent and imagine a world of possibilities.
The plays offer young performers an engaging and diverse range of material to perform, read or study. Wrestling with themes like the Youth Custody Service, conspiracy, the climate crisis, exam pressure, grief and friendship, this collection lays bare a rich and complex terrain in which students can fully immerse themselves, explore and discover.
This 2026 anthology represents the full set of eight plays offered by the National Theatre's 2026 programme, as well as comprehensive workshop notes that give insights and inspiration for building characters, running rehearsals and staging a production.
Contents
Head of Participation Introduction
Connections Dramaturg Introduction
Connections 2026 Synopses
The Animals by Sean Buckley
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Britney's Lock by Alexandra Wood
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman (based on the novel by Malorie Blackman)
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Fishville by Afsaneh Gray
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth by Kirsty Housley
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Ride or Die by Florence Espeut-Nickless
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Sycamore Gap by Al Smith
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Participating Companies
Partner Theatres
National Theatre Connections Team
Performing Rights
