Plays for Young People – serie

He suddenly looks different, less bent, less old, less broken, what a strange man. Is there some magic here? Is he a wizard? Old man . . . No that’s not right. Telemachus’ father left long ago to fight a war. Telemachus doesn’t remember him. Now the man of the house, he must step up to defend his father’s legacy and protect his mother from the suitors that lounge around the court.Meanwhile, the great Odysseus has been trapped by the goddess Kalypso for ten long years. Lost in his memories of past glories, he longs to return home.This timeless Greek myth has been reinvented by playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker to create a modern, rich and powerful new work about a son searching for his father and a father searching for himself that is, at the same time, an exploration of masculinity and the effects of war.My Father, Odysseus received its world premiere at the Unicorn Theatre, London, on 13 March 2016. It is ideal for young people over the age of 11.

An anthology bringing together a selection of Claire Dowie's plays for young people, which are ideal for performance with a large cast.The anthology includes the following plays and an introduction by the author.Why Is John Lennon Wearing A Skirt? (Stage2 version, large cast) portrays a 14-year-old girl who dresses like a boy and would rather play football than anything else. This version can be performed by a cast of up to 100.Arsehammers (Stage2 version, large cast) is about a boy’s relationship with his grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s (or "Arsehammers", as the boy hears it). He believes his grandad to have superpowers on account of his routine disappearances. A brilliant tale of living with, and understanding, mental illness. It has been reimagined for a cast of around 20.The Year of the Monkey (Stage2 version, large cast) shows a mother dreaming of injecting some excitement into her humdrum life. The play has been revised the play for around 25 young people.Hard Working Families (original version, large cast), which hasn't previously been published, is a satirical play with music that exposes the true impact that earning a living has on young people in modern-day society. It is a response to politicians' visions of 'ordinary people', set against the reality of earning a living and the way this impacts on young people's lives. It can be performed by a cast of up to 50.

I'd had a conversation specifically with Dan about ecstasy. It's one of the things you do as a parent, isn't it? Wear your helmet when you're out on your bike, you know, don't take drugs. To be honest, I was more worried about him being safe on his bike than at a party with his friends.The words of the title are the last ones spoken by sixteen-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs to his mother. One evening in January 2014, Daniel's parents thought he was going to a friend’s house. He actually attended an illegal rave and later died after taking MDMA.That fateful evening is told through the words of his school friends and family, divided into two hard-hitting acts in Mark Wheeller's verbatim play.I Love You, Mum - I Promise I Won't Die was commissioned by the charity set up in Daniel’s memory to raise awareness about the danger of party drugs. It is a fast-paced, tragic, vibrant piece of verbatim theatre, which should engage teenage readers, audiences and performers alike.

Drawing together the work of 10 leading playwrights, this National Theatre Connections anthology features work by some of the most exciting and established contemporary playwrights. Gathered together in one volume, the plays collected offer young performers between the ages of 13 and 19 an engaging selection of material to perform, read or study.Each play has been specifically commissioned by the National Theatre's literary department with the young performer in mind. The anthology contains 10 play scripts; notes from the writer and director of each play, addressing the themes and ideas behind the play; and production notes and exercises for the drama groups.This year's anniversary anthology includes plays by Suhayla El-Bushra, Anders Lustgarten, Robin French, Tim Etchells, Patrick Marber, Kellie Smith, Lizzie Nunnery, Harriet Braun and Alistair McDowall.

Theatre has a funny way of getting to the heart of who we are now and – particularly in the case of Connections – who we are going to be.Drawing together the work of nine leading playwrights, National Theatre Connections 2018 features work by some of the most exciting contemporary playwrights. Gathered together in one volume, the plays offer young performers an engaging selection of material to perform, read or study.From friends building bridges and siblings breaking down walls; girls making their voice heard and boys searching for home; and not forgetting a band of unlikely action heroes taking control of the weather.The anthology contains nine play scripts along with imaginative production notes and exercises, as well as a short introduction to the writing process for the tenth Connections play [ BLANK ] by Alice Birch.National Theatre Connections is an annual festival which brings new plays for young people to schools and youth theatres across the UK and Ireland. Commissioning exciting work from leading playwrights, the festival exposes actors aged 13-19 to the world of professional theatre-making, giving them full control of a theatrical production - from costume and set design to stage management and marketing campaigns. NT Connections have published over 150 original plays and regularly works with 500 theatre companies and 10,000 young people each year.

Black Nikki doesn’t think her dad is a racist … He just cares deeply about his community … But when a Zimbabwean family move in over the road, the dog won’t stop barking … The local kids start lobbing stones … And her dad starts laying down the law.Black is a hard-hitting play about racial tensions in the UK todayShe's Leaving HomeAt 15, Kelsey has her whole life in front of her and feels that she has everything she wants: good mates, a supportive family and big ambitions. But as the years roll by she slowly realises that leaving home to fulfill her dreams isn’t as easy as she first imagined.She’s Leaving Home was commissioned by Culture Liverpool as part of the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles seminal album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.With bracing insight into the worlds of two young women with very different struggles, Keith Saha’s Black and She’s Leaving Home force the issues of modern Britain to take centre stage. This edition was published to coincide with 20 Stories High’s national tour of Black in 2018.

National Theatre Connections is an annual festival which brings new plays for young people to schools and youth theatres across the UK and Ireland. Commissioning exciting work from leading playwrights, the festival exposes actors aged 13-19 to the world of professional theatre-making, giving them full control of a theatrical production - from costume and set design to stage management and marketing campaigns. NT Connections have published over 150 original plays and regularly works with 500 theatre companies and 10,000 young people each year.This anthology brings together 10 new plays by some of the UK's most prolific and current writers and artists alongside notes on each of the texts exploring performance for schools and youth groups. SaltLife 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.Class It’s school election time and while most of the school is busy enjoying their lunch break, a deadlock is taking place amongst the members of the school council. Bitter rivalries, secret alliances and false promises are laid bare. As a ruthless battle ensues, who will win and does anyone really care? A play about politics, populism and the ‘ping’ of a text message.The Sad ClubThis is a musical about depression and anxiety. It’s a collection of monologues, songs and duologues from all over time and space exploring what about living in this world stops us from being happy and how we might go about tackling those problems. ChaosA 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.StuffVinny's organising a surprise birthday party for his mate, Anita. It's not going well: his choice of venue is a bit misguided, Anita's not keen on leaving the house, and everyone else has their own stuff going on. Maybe a surprise party wasn’t the best idea? A play about trying (but not really managing) to help.FleshA 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?AgelessIn a not too distant future, Temples pharmaceutical corporation has quite literally changed the face of ageing. Their miracle drug keeps its users looking perpetually teenage. With an ever youthful population, how can society support those who are genuinely young?The Small HoursIt’s the middle of the night and Peebs and Epi are the only students left at school over half-term. At the end of their night out, former step-siblings Red and Jazz try to navigate their reunion. With only a couple of hours until morning, Jaffa tries to help Keesh finish an essay. As day breaks, Wolfie is getting up the courage to confess a secret to VJ at a party. Their choices are small yet momentous. The hours are small but feel very, very long. And when the night finally ends, the future is waiting – all of it.terraA 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.VariationsThirteen-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?

This abridged edition is designed for schools and has been adapted for 10 actors playing all of the roles. With a running time of just 90 minutes it is suitable for performance in non-theatre spaces, with minimal technical requirements.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time brings Mark Haddon's best-selling novel to life on stage, adapted by two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens. Winner of seven Olivier Awards including Best Play, along with the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Tony Awards for Best Play, this remarkable and exhilarating "theatrical masterpiece" originated at London's Royal National Theatre in 2012 before going on to transfer to the West End for multiple seasons, followed by its acclaimed Broadway run. The play has now been seen on five continents around the world with major productions ranging from Mexico, Australia, Canada, Seoul and Japan. This brand new edition of the play has been abridged specifically with schools in mind and published following a 12-week tour of 60 secondary schools in the UK. The play tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, who is fifteen years old. He stands besides Mrs Shears' dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

Four Scottish teenagers. Two interlocking stories. One ideology tears them apart. Talented kickboxers and A-grade pupils Fatma and Britney have been best friends for ever. That is until now. Britney’s views about everything are changing dramatically. She’s getting drawn into the alt right online. When Fatma is sent something sinister through the post it triggers a series of decisions that will destroy their lives and their teacher’s life for ever. Britney’s brother Jordan is pals with Quinn. Quinn is proud to be right wing. That is until he falls deeply into its darkness and finds he’s in over his head with a blade in his pocket. All four teenagers lives are changed forever - engulfed in the fallout of when damaging influence leads to damaging actions.This is an unflinching exploration of how young people today are prey to a range of extreme ideologies and how helpless people in their real lives are to stop them imploding.The Kids Are Alt Right is a cautionary tale of how social media and YouTube content can lead to actions and consequences that can never be undone.

In their exposé of Gen Z, The New York Times qualified its members as the “most diverse generation in American history". Recent Broadway hits have found a successful formula in productions showcasing the emotional turmoil of contemporary young people, yet the majority of these works represent predominantly white voices, both in terms of authorship and representation. Non-white characters tend to exist only in a world of colorblind casting rather than speaking to their distinct racial and cultural heritage.This anthology helps correct that balance and presents a unique offering of plays written for multicultural teenagers by diverse authors who have spent a significant part of their careers working closely with young people in urban settings. The playwrights - among them award winners such as Chisa Hutchinson and Nilaja Sun - have created texts that are dramatic and comic, satirical and earnest, touchingly real, and amusingly surreal. Varying in length and format, suitable for classrooms and youth groups of all sizes, the plays address such themes as ethnic and cultural identity; ancestry and assimilation; bullying and self-empowerment; disenfranchisement and alienation; parental pressure to over-achieve, youth activism and community-building; and the very real perils of daily school life in an era of gun proliferation.

Looking for a whizzpoppingly wonderful collection of plays for your whole class? Want some ready-made, delumptious lesson plans to accompany them? Biffsquiggled at the thought of how to stage these pieces?Well, look no further because this is a scrumdiddlyumptious selection of David Wood's plays; paired with all the information and materials you need to use them in class or on stage, edited by Paul Bateson, an experienced primary-level drama teacher. The plays create worlds that trigger children's imaginations as well as entertain them, make them think as well as make them laugh, and open their minds to new ideas and the power of storytelling through theatre. Plays included are: The Gingerbread Man The See-Saw Tree The BFG Save the Human Mother Goose's Golden ChristmasThis book also contains a new foreword by David Wood.

In a remote part of the UK, where nothing ever happens, a group of teenagers share a safe house for LGBT+ young people. While their shared home welcomes difference, it can be tricky for self-appointed group leader Birdie to keep the peace.The group must decide how they want to commemorate an attack that happened to people like them in a country far away. How do you take to the streets and protest if you’re not ready to tell the world who you are? If you’re invisible, does your voice still count? A play about love, commemoration and protest.Written fifty years on from the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England, this is a unique play for young people about the struggles and joys of being gay.Published alongside Stonewall Housing, a charity that works to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people live in safer homes, free from fear, where they can celebrate their identity and support each other to achieve their full potential. This new edition features a new Q&A with the author alongside teaching resources and information from Stonewall Housing.

Two migrants both alike in dignity in this city where we lay our dreams.Two men arrive in London looking for Shakespeare. They say they are from Balaika, Africa. They have passed through fire to be here and are determined for the great man to hear their stories.Alas, Shakespeare is dead! However, his theatre still stands. Soon they find themselves swept up and placed on stage in front of an expectant audience. Fame, fortune and love awaits ... But, can they survive the increasingly hostile environment?In triumphantly energetic Southern African style, two actors play men, women and immigration police to portray this funny yet moving story of love, friendship, and ambition.Published in Methuen Drama’s Plays For Young People series, this edition features resources for teachers and students, including an introduction by Sonia Massai, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Kings College London, and a contextual response to the play in production by the author.

It’s a simple idea, really. 1. Wear a uniform; 2. Protect who you love, what you care about; 3. Let nothing get in your way.Someone mugged Bruce’s mum and he is not having it. The shock is still visible in her trembling fingers, rippling out across the calm waters of their lives. He grabs his hoodie, his uniform, his cape and goes out to find the culprit. Smithy wants everyone to stay inside, Uhuru wants everyone out. Tanya thinks it’s boyish fun and games until, very suddenly, it isn’t.Inua Ellams's play questions the boundaries between our right to self-defense and taking the law into our own hands. Told with five roles spanning from young people to adults, it deals with themes that young people face today: the role of boundaries and what happens when someone 'crosses the line'; fear and the use of self-defense; and examining different perspectives on a situation.Originally commissioned by Synergy Theatre Project Cape premiered at London's Unicorn Theatre in 2013 and went on to tour schools, prisons and a young offender institution. This new edition, published within Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People series features notes for teachers and exercises for students for practical use in the classroom.

Five exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools theatre company with guidance for staging the plays either online or live in the space.Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times, these five plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages 8-25. These original and innovative plays are:Is This A Fairytale? by Bea WebsaterA new play that rips apart the traditional fairy tale canon and turns it on its head in a surprising, inventive and unconventional way. Ages 8+Hold Out Your Hand by Chris ThorpeA dynamic text asking questions about place, where we are now and the moment we are living through. Ages 13+The Pack by Stef SmithA playful and poetic exploration about getting lost in the loneliness of your living room and trying to find your way home. Ages 13+Ozymandias by Robbie Gordon and Jack NurseA contemporary story inspired by Percy Shelley’s 19th century poem of the same name, exploring power, oppression and racism through the eyes of young people. Ages 16+Bad Bored Women of the Rooms by Sabrina MahfouzA storytelling adventure through the centuries of women and girls who have spent a lot of time stuck in a room. Ages 18+The accompanying handbook includes step-by-step guidance on how to produce the plays either online or live in the space, and bespoke exercises and instructions on how to approach directing each play.

Nine teenagers flee North Korea, dreaming of a new life in the South. But the danger is far from over. With threats around every corner, perhaps the mysterious figure of Big Brother can help them? Or is he the very person they’re running from? As their lives hang in the balance, could the teenagers’ fate ultimately come down to a garish South Korean variety show? Inspired by a true story, this is the story of hope, escape and cultural difference.Originally commissioned as a play for the National Theatre Connections Festival 2018, this new single-text edition is published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People series. With a cast size of 10 plus an ensemble, its a perfect contemporary drama for young people to study and perform.

When Creon refuses to bury the body of Antigone's unruly brother, Antigone's anger quickly turns to defiance. Creon condemns her to a torturous death: she's to be buried alive.Acclaimed playwright Roy Williams takes Sophocles' play and, by placing it into a contemporary setting, brings this classic tale vividly to life.A timeless story about loyalty and truth, about how we make meaning out of life and death, and what in the end really does matter.Roy Williams's adaptation of Antigone received its world premiere at Derby Theatre, in a co-production between Pilot Theatre, Derby Theatre and Theatre Royal, Stratford East, before going on a national tour. This new, edited edition is published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Plays for Young People series, aimed at 16-18 year olds.

Nigeria, England, America, Jamaica; are you proud of where you're from? Dark skinned, light skinned, afro, weaves, who are your true brothers and sisters?When two brothers from different continents go down the street to buy a pint of milk, they lift the lid on a disunited nation where everyone wants to be an individual but no one wants to stand out from the crowd.A debut work produced at the Royal Court's Young Writers Festival, Gone Too Far! is a comic and astute play about identity, history and culture, portraying a world where respect is always demanded but rarely freely given.Gone Too Far! premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 2007 where it was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, 2008. It is published here in an abridged form as part of Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People series.

Niru is a young Bengali woman married to an English colonial bureaucrat – Tom.Tom loves Niru, exoticising her as a frivolous plaything to be admired and kept; but Niru has a long-kept secret, and just as she thinks she is almost free of it, it threatens to bring her life crashing down around her.Tanika Gupta re-imagines Ibsen's classic play of gender politics through the lens of British colonialism, offering a bold, female perspective exploring themes of ownership and race.This edition is published for the first time in Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People series, aimed specifically at students aged 16-18 to perform and study.

Seven exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools with guidance for staging the plays, and other creative responses, either online or live in the space.Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools' national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times: Volume 2, these plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages between 6 and 25.Spyrates 2 (Spies vs Pirates): Journey to the Forbidden Island by Robbie Gordon & Jack NuseFeaturing spies, pirates, robots, talking animals and everything in between, 'Spyrates' is an interactive, playful and imaginative adventure story. Ages 6+At First I Was Afraid… (I Was Petrified!) by Douglas Maxwell A feel-good comedy drama about a girl who keeps a diary of all her anxieties; but as she moves from Primary School to Secondary, from normal life to Lockdown, all of her worries appear to come true. Ages 11 +The Raven by Hannah Lavery A play full of adventure and an exploration of what shapes and what divides us, exploring issues of blended families, bullying, overeating, depression and isolation. Ages 11 +Thanks For Nothing by The PappyShowThis not a play, but a process. It explores what it means to be thankful in this world we live in today. It’s a mix of games, challenges and exercises for you to tell your own stories, in your own way. Ages 11 +Revolting by Bryony KimmingsA series of tasks and actions that make a narrative to be performed with props. We are agents of the revolution. How do we revolt? How do we not get into trouble? Where do we get power, and then how do we use it for good? Ages 13 +The Skirt by Ellen BannermanAn absurdist feminist fable for the next generation of feminists. Ages 16+ Write To Rave: Step Pon by Debris StevensonA play about the political power of a rave. Who has the right to rave, to dance and move freely? What is it to feel truly free in your own skin? It tells the story a queer group of humans trying their best to rave whilst the world tries it’s best to stop them. Ages 18 +The accompanying handbook includes an exploration of Wonder Fools' theatre-making process, step-by-step guidance in how to produce the plays either online or live in the space, and bespoke exercises and instructions in how to approach directing each play.

In 2014 local historian Catherine Corless made a discovery of baby bones and skeletons in the grounds of a mother and baby home in Tuam, County Galway, Ireland. Built on the grounds of an old workhouse that operated between 1921 and 1961 the discovery threw up questions about the goings-on across this and similar institutions across Ireland. Tanika Gupta's powerful drama is loosely based on these recent and historical events, drawing inspiration from Corless' discovery.Told through the eyes of Grace and her grandchildren, Bones is a play about loss, punishment of unmarried mothers and the legacy of the demonisation of women by Church and State, where the human and reproductive rights of women are undermined.Bones premiered at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2019.Bones is published in Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People Age 16+ series which offers suitable plays for young performers at schools, youth groups and youth theatres that have each had premiere productions by young performers in the UK.

This collection of three plays for young performers from multi-award-winning playwright Rory Mullarkey offers astutely relevant and powerfully theatrical pieces of drama. Each offering large and flexible casts for non-gender specific performers, they are perfect for performances and study by young performers aged 13-23. Presented in the style of eloquent contemporary verse, Flood explores the consequences of global warming and salvaging hope in the midst of despair. The play was originally commissioned by National Youth Theatre and was performed at Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation in 2018. The Grandfathers explores the personal experience of warfare and what it takes to train to fight for your country. The play was first performed as part of National Theatre Connections, 2012, before being revived at Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre's Shed. Through a collection of vignettes, On The Threshing Floor captures the speed, strangeness and confusion of living through pivotal moments of history. The play premiered at Hampstead Theatre and uses a large ensemble cast exploring themes of work, government and society. Popular with drama schools, youth groups and young people, this collection provides an excellent resource for those looking for large-scale and flexible plays to produce, perform and study.

A clique of Caribbean maroon warrior women, a general of Haiti and his right-hand man, an ex-enslaved couple reclaiming their land, a group of Black French Caribbean soldiers held captive in Portchester and their wives travelling across the Atlantic to be reunited with them. These are The Ancestors: manifesting in our world, in the hopes we can stop history repeating itself. But do we really hold the key? What dark forces are still currently at play?In October 1796 a fleet of ships from the Caribbean carrying over 2,500 prisoners-of-war, who were mostly Black or mixed-race, began to arrive in Portsmouth Harbour. By the end of that month, almost all of them were held at Portchester Castle, accompanied by their families. About 100 women and children were sent to live nearby.The Ancestors is a site-specific play by Lakesha Arie-Angelo that explores the grounds of Portchester Castle and the voices of Black revolutionaries imprisoned therein that history forgot. It was commissioned by the National Youth Theatre as part of Freedom and Revolution, a collaboration with English Heritage’s Shout Out Loud Programme and University of Warwick aimed at shining a new light on the lives of these prisoners with the participation of local young people.The Ancestors is published in Methuen Drama's Plays For Young People Age series which offers suitable plays for young performers at schools, youth groups and youth theatres that have each had premiere productions by young performers in the UK.

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Education Resource at the 2024 Music & Drama Education AwardsA first-of-its-kind anthology, Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists combines plays, toolkits, and an online guide to empower young people into activism.With award-winning plays from the UK’s most revolutionary female writers of colour, as well as bespoke multimedia learning guides, this collection offers young global activists aged 16+, as well as teachers and creatives at any level, the opportunity to diversify their education and enhance their understanding of politically driven plays, world politics and social justice.Unique in how it amplifies these selected award-winning plays by incorporating learning guides that accommodate different learning styles (be they visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinaesthetic), Beyond The Canon dares readers to take a deeper dive into the world of the play, be inspired by the themes and provocations and use the anthology to evolve into the ultimate activist. The plays include:Muhammad Ali and Me by Mojisola AdebayoA Museum in Baghdad by Hannah KhalilAcceptance by Amy NgWith resources like top tips on creating a safe space, practical drama challenges and games, interviews with the writers, research guides and activism test sheets, Beyond The Canon’s Plays for Young Activists will spark the imagination of any and all readers, likely inspiring the next Mojisola Adebayo, Hannah Khalil and Amy Ng.

It is the scale and range of creative collaboration inherent in theatre that sits at the very heart of National Theatre Connections.National Theatre Connections 2022 draws together ten new plays for young people to perform, from some of the UK's most exciting playwrights. These are plays for a generation of theatre-makers who want to ask questions, challenge assertions and test the 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.This 2022 anthology represents the full set of ten plays offered by the National Theatre 2022 Festival, as well as comprehensive workshop notes that give insights and inspiration for building characters, running rehearsals and staging a production.

I want to know what the other trees knowGo where the other trees goWhere do they go?Writer Hannah Khalil collaborates with Shakespeare’s Globe in London in this magical re-imagining and re-wilding of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Fir Tree.Written for just four actors this inventive and dynamic adaptation harnesses all of the joy of the Christmas season and reminds us that we can all make a difference in taking care of our planet. Music, song and storytelling combine in this accessible and enchanting adaptation that is suitable for families and young people to perform and read together in a story of hope.This edition was published to coincide with the premiere at the Globe Theatre, London, in December 2021.

National Theatre Connections 2023 draws together ten 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 the 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. Touching on themes like climate change, politics, toxic masculinity and gang culture, the collection provides topical, pressing subject matter for students to explore in their performance.This 2023 anthology represents the full set of ten plays offered by the National Theatre 2023 Festival, as well as comprehensive workshop notes that give insights and inspiration for building characters, running rehearsals and staging a production.

Sometimes a lie is a wish.Once upon a time there was a lonely carpenter, a curious cat, and a little wooden puppet who one day came to life… In this spectacular new version of the much-loved classic tale, Pinocchio discovers why it’s best to always tell the truth. With a touch of magic from the blue fairy, enter a world of gingerbread villages and snow-capped mountains in this adventure of friendship and family, written by award-winning and internationally recognised writer Eve Leigh.This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at Unicorn Theatre, London, in November 2022.

I was there you know. when we shut your places down. gender studies. social studies. the strongholds of your politically correct bullshit worldview. we shut them down. and I was there. and the news cameras were there. and the whole world was watching. What happens when a male lecturer calls a female student a slut?A provocative, dynamic and original , Bubble is a new play by award-winning writer Kieran Hurley. Set entirely on Facebook and written in both text and emojis, it explores the disconnect between online persona and true personality, the fractured nature of online debate and how events can snowball in expected ways.Bubble was originally commissioned and developed as a stage play as part of The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s MA Classical and Contemporary Text Programme with support from the Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland. It was later developed as a digital theatre production by Theatre Uncut and streamed by 195,000 people online and watched in 32 countries.