Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival. The programme is 30 years old and has a history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK. Our Make Some Noise Seniors will be stepping up to the plate and will be representing Thurrock in Connections Festival 2025. We will be […]
January - April 2025
Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival. The programme is 30 years old and has a history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK.
Our Make Some Noise Seniors will be stepping up to the plate and will be representing Thurrock in Connections Festival 2025. We will be provided with a play handpicked by the NT Team from this year’s selection, along with a mentor and a performance at our allocated Partner Theatre’s Connections Festival.
We are calling out to 14 – 19 years olds. This is such an exciting opportunity… If you are interested in performing, directing, costume design, stage management or behind the scenes roles express your interest below to find out more! 👇
Auditions are approaching, November 5th | 7pm – 8:30pm Check out the event info below.
Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nation- wide youth theatre festival. The programme is 30 years old and has a history of championing the talent of young people from across the UK.
Every year, Connections commissions new plays for young people to perform. The programme brings together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. In 23/24, they worked with over 250 youth companies from every corner of the UK. Connections is open to any company of young people aged 13-19, and up to 26 years old for groups with additional needs.
The Connections 2025 programme includes ten new play commissions each year, which have been closely developed with input from young people. The National Theatre carefully select plays for each participating group from 10 commissioned pieces and are currently in the process of pairing us with a Mentor Director to work along side our core team.
The Make Some Noise, Young Actor’s Company will band together, led by West End Director Scott Le-Crass to take on an array of creative responsibilities in a team effort. The group will use weekly rehearsals to explore Script work, interpretation along with stage management and backstage roles, lighting and stage design, costumes & props and tonnes more…
At the end of the rehearsal period it will be time for Connections Festival which will include one Home Performance and a performance at a Partner Theatre. We are pleased to say that our Connections experience will provide the opportunity to perform at not just one, but two Essex based theatres… the Thameside Theatre, Grays and Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.
After our Home and Partner performances that will round up our Connections experience however, we will be looking for more performance opportunities around that time. The National Theatre at this point will be selecting ten groups from around the country to perform their pieces at The National Theatre itself to conclude Connections for the year, in June/July 2025.
It is important to remember that this experience requires a certain level of commitment so we that we can create a fair, fun and reliable rehearsal space. As a member of the Young Actor’s Company of Make Some Noise you would be asked to be as present as possible at all necessary rehearsal dates and performances.
Auditions November 5th 2024 | 7pm – 8:30pm Arts Outburst Studios, Grays
Script Reading & Workshop End of December TBC Arts Outburst Studios, Grays
Rehearsals Tuesdays (weekly) starting January 14th Rehearsal times TBC Arts Outburst Studios, Grays
Dress Rehearsal TBC Arts Outburst Studios, Grays
Tech Rehearsal & Home Performance April 7th 2025 | 7pm Thameside Theatre, Grays
Tech Rehearsal & Partner Theatre Performance Between the 16th-20th April 2025 TBC Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch
** Please note, some exact dates are yet to be confirmed so we have been as accurate as we can at this time and will update participants as soon as we are able.
There a bunch of different ways to get involved, all of which are crucial to make a cohesive and successful piece of work to share.
On-Stage Roles include Performers of all kinds that will take on Characters to tell the story. Performers and understudies are expected to learn the lines of their part and their stage directions, off by heart ready for the performance. Off-Stage Roles include a huge variety. Assistant Directors will assist the Director in interpreting the play and reimagining ways of telling the story. Stage Design, Lighting, Music, Costume and Props are all areas that will need to be designed, created or sourced to compliment the storyline, stage directions and performance – all integral to a piece of theatre. Stage Management brings lots of opportunities to take responsibility for the mentioned areas, amongst other backstage duties such as communicating with the theatre team and some cases actively working along side them.
All roles are important in this huge team effort, we invite you to explore your interests!
We are really excited to announce that we will be working on Fresh Air by Vickie Donoghue, an exciting new piece, commissioned by the National Theatre specifically for Connections Festival 2024/25.
Students from a Pupil Referral group are made to go orienteering in what they discover is England’s most haunted woods. Stalked by eery ghost children determined to keep them there forever, they must learn to confront the here and now to unlock the key to their futures.
Interestingly, the play Fresh Air is based upon the area’s heritage. We’re really excited to be able to work on a piece that is so relatable to home and rich in local history!
Vickie Donoghue is a writer from Essex working across stage, screen and radio. Her plays include Mudlarks at The Bush Theatre; Tender – Loving Care at the New Theatre Royal Portsmouth; Aperture at the Royal Court Theatre; The Path at the HighTide Festival; The Electric for Paines Plough and The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; The Witch Finder’s Sister and The Flood at The Queens Theatre, Hornchurch; The Gift for BBC Radio 4; The Piper, a 10 part Podcast drama co-written with Natalie Mitchell for BBC Sounds.
Vickie was an Associate Artist at The Mercury Theatre and a Paines Plough playwright Fellow. She was longlisted for the Evening Standard Theatre Awards as Most Promising New Playwright and was shortlisted for the Royal National Theatre Foundation Playwright Award.
