Assignment 3 - Task 3 The National Theatre

National Theatre 

The National Theatre was an idea long before it came into being, in 1848 a London publisher by the name of Effingham Wilson was the first to call for a national theatre. This was 115 years before a National Theatre company would launch in 1963 then a further 13 years before the building was opened to the public in 1976. The National Theatres mission is to try make theatre for everyone, they share unforgettable stories with audiences around the world. They ignite the creativity of young people with their nation wide learning programs. For audiences, they are making theatre more accessible by being in partnerships with more theatres across the UK, touring the world and screening them online and at cinemas. The National Theatre also commissions freelance theatre makers to create inspiring and challenging work. 

National Theatre Connections

Connections is 28 years old and is The National Theatre's annual nationwide youth theatre festival. It has a history of championing the talent of young people across the UK. The programme is beneficial for bringing together some of the UK's most exciting writers for young people to perform, it is normally ten plays that get annually commissioned for connections. In 21/22 the programme worked with 260 youth companies and over 8,000 young people from all over the UK. It is available for any company of young people aged 13-19 you can have no experience at all with staging plays or lots of experience. Groups get invited to perform at a professional theatre in their area as part of the Connections Festival, which then a random performance at the end of the festival perform at the National Theatre.