Students to Perform at the National Theatre London
Members of Chatham and Clarendon’s HOUSELIGHTS drama group have been invited to perform at the Dorfman Theatre, London, as part of the National Theatre’s Connections Festival.
Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival and involves over 5,000 young people from more than 270 companies and schools performing at home venues and on one of 33 professional stages across the country to celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.
Director and drama teacher, Vicki Cackett said ‘The festival is a celebration, not a competition, and selecting the NT Festival line-up takes into consideration a wide range of factors – including exciting artistry, diversity of voices, geography and the overall shape of the festival. So to be invited to take part and represent the South East is incredibly humbling and a real honour.’
The students premiered their production of Brain Play by Chloë Lawrence-Taylor and Paul Sirett, in the school’s sixth form centre back in March before transferring the show to the Gulbenkian in Canterbury at the end of April.
Production Manager and Head of Drama, Adrian C. Smith said ‘Transferring the show from our small and intimate studio theatre in Cavendish Street to the Gulbenkian was a real challenge, and required some adapting to make the most of the space. It was a real highlight to see our students working alongside the creative team at the Gulbenkian, (who were awesome by the way),… so to be asked to go again, on an even bigger stage, with an even bigger creative team behind us is incredibly exciting and a little overwhelming.
‘We received some lovely feedback from both the team at the Gulbenkian and our National Theatre Mentor Directors’ Stewart Melton and Roberta Zuric who were impressed by the breadth of involvement from our students who took responsibility for the stage design, lighting, sound, stage management and original music score. Indeed we received a number of really complimentary comments about how professionally our students conducted themselves which was fantastic to hear and something we’ve been striving for over the last five years.’
Apollo, who plays the lead role, Mia, and who is also a member of the National Youth Theatre said ‘This was my first year doing NT Connections and it is truly inspiring seeing how supportive the team at the National Theatre and our Festival theatre, The Gulbenkian, have been in helping us transfer Brain Play to a professional stage - their enthusiasm and encouragement is infectious. It’s made what could have been a daunting experience so much fun!’
The play involves puppetry, with adult characters represented through simple items of clothing, brought to life by a small team of puppeteers. One of whom, Lillian, said ‘This has been an unforgettable experience that has improved my confidence tenfold. I have gained many useful skills, made new friends, and left with more knowledge that will benefit me in the future when I pursue theatre as a career. I would encourage any young people to take part since these skills can be used for things like public speaking, making friends, interviews for jobs, and much more!’
Mrs Cackett said ‘We have loved every minute of taking part in NT Connections 2025. To perform at the National Theatre has been such an unexpected honour, not least because the NT Connections Festival will be reopening the Dorfman Theatre, which has been closed for government funded capital works since November 2024. It is also a huge testament to how hard the team has worked. I’m sure this is something that will stay with us forever.’
‘It’s fair to say this is an incredible opportunity for our students, and from what we’ve seen from the Connections team so far, it’s just been fantastic. They’ve really made us feel welcome and seem even more excited than we are, which is ludicrous because we’re absolutely over the moon! But in all seriousness, it’s not only an awesome opportunity for the students, it’s also a real privilege for us as a school and as a drama department to have been asked to take part. I can’t explain it really, other than to say it feels a bit like being asked to represent your country at Wembley.’
Mr Smith added ‘I’d also like say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us to get here. From the founding members of HOUSELIGHTS five years ago, the Senior Management team at the school who give us the freedom and support to get involved in these kinds of projects, to the support staff at the school who are the cogs that keep things running and who, like the site team, have been incredibly patient with us. We are so lucky to be going to the National Theatre, but they have all played a huge part in this journey – so thank you to our wider school community who have helped to make this happen!’
Since 1995, the National Theatre has commission new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. Indhu Rubasingham, Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said “I am really pleased to welcome ten youth groups from all corners of the UK to the NT for this landmark anniversary festival of Connections. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the power of theatre-making. I look forward to celebrating the extraordinary energy and creative vision these young performers will bring to our stages this June.”
Tickets for the production are now on sale and can be purchased directly through the National Theatre’s ticket office or online via this link: Connections 2025: Brain Play | National Theatre
Photo credits: @mistereb (Nathan Eaton-Baudains)