NSDF Presents 65th Annual Festival

NSDF will present its 65th Annual Festival with an industry leading programme of masterclasses, debates, discussions and new work. Every part of the Festival is free and open to all.

The Festival runs from 27th March - 2nd April. Watch the NSDF21 announcement video!

NSDF is presenting over 90 workshops and masterclasses, four panel discussions and 14 new pieces of work, alongside evening events and collaborations with leading theatre companies.

Masterclasses include Clint Dyer, Phyllida Lloyd, Giles Terera, Josh O'Connor, Eleanor Lloyd, Rory Kinnear, Simon Godwin, Bunny Christie, Lucy McCormick, Katy Brand, RSC casting director Hannah Miller and many more.

Visiting companies offering workshops include Slung Low, Lung, Barrel Organ, Paines Plough, New Adventures, Curve, Paperbirds, School of Night, LUNG, Filter and more.

There will be a full programme of technical theatre workshops, offering an introduction to every aspect of off stage work.

Through their new initiative NSDF CREATES, NSDF has been creating new work throughout the pandemic. There will be 14 new pieces of work during the Festival week. These include:

'Seen' by Take a Breath theatre company, from Newham College.

'Not Near Enough': an experimental "digital theatre" performance that students at Falmouth University have created in partnership with the theatre company Living Structures.

A new collaboration between NSDF and Big Creative Academy in Walthamstow.

You can read more about the shows at #NSDF21 here.

There will be a special daily collaboration with Matthew Bourne's New Adventures, in a morning movement class led by the company's dance artists, exploring choreography and devising, inspired by Matthew Bourne's distinct storytelling narrative style.

During the Festival week NSDF is partnering with Indian Theatre Festival Thespo to create a meeting place between young UK and Indian theatre makers. NSDF will also be showcasing new work from a young Indian company as part of the Festival offering.

Speaking about #NSDF21 James Phillips, NSDF Director said:

"This is NSDF's 65th annual Festival. None have shown more clearly the resilience of young people. NSDF is about new art, new artists and new communities. Throughout the pandemic we've been mentoring companies of brilliant young people from across the country. Because of coronavirus many of them have never even met. But against the odds they have been creating work together, helped by our Associates. Finished shows, readings and works in progress. We're excited and proud of what they've made. It's been a long winter. We think new voices are the birdsong that will let us know spring has arrived."

This year NSDF is delighted to welcome Stephen Fry as a Festival Patron, and Patron of their new Alumni Supporters Scheme. You can watch his announcement video here.

For more information and to register for free access to the Festival please go to: www.nsdf.org.uk

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