CONNECTIONS Annaul Festival Coming to The Marlowe Studio, Canterbury

CONNECTIONS, the National Theatre's annual festival of new plays for youth theatres and schools, comes to Canterbury later this month (April).

Eight different plays by 10 different schools and young theatre groups will be presented at The Marlowe Studio. Every year 10 new plays are written exclusively for Connections by both established and talented young playwrights, giving 5000 young people aged 13 to 19 across the country access to the best new writing for theatre.

They also experience professional theatre-making: creating marketing campaigns, designing sets and costumes, operating lighting and sound boards, and stage-managing their performances. Each company has the chance to perform in a leading regional theatre, at one of 27 Connections festivals around the country.

The 10 groups performing at The Marlowe Studio, their plays and the playwrights, are: The Marlowe Youth Theatre - Remote by Stef Smith; Gulbenkian Youth Theatre - The Edelweiss Pirates by Ayub Khan Din; Barton Court Grammar School (Canterbury) - The Accordian Shop by Cush Jumbo; Invicta Grammar School (Maidstone) - Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent; The Astor Players (Deal) - Follow, Follow by Katie Douglas; Fiat Lux Theatre Company (Dover Grammar School for Boys) - Hood by Katherine Chandler; Cranbook School - Hospital Food by Eugene O'Hare; Benenden Youth Theatre - The Edelweiss Pirates; Hastings Academy - Hood; and Helenswood Academy (Hastings) - Drama, Baby by Jamie Brittain.

Ten companies chosen from around the country will go on to perform at the National Theatre festival from 1 to 7 July 2015.

National Theatre Conncections runs from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 April (various performance times). Tickets for each production are £5 (concessions available; booking fee applies) from the Box Office on 01227 787787 or marlowetheatre.com. Visit the website to find out more about each play (some of which contain adults themes and language).