We’re thrilled to be taking part in the 31st year of the National Theatre Connections Festival. For anyone new to Connections, it’s the National Theatre’s annual nationwide youth theatre festival – a celebration of young people’s creativity, imagination, and talent across the UK. The programme has a long and proud history of empowering the next generation of theatre-makers, and for another year, our Theatre Company at The Garage is stepping forward to make its mark.
Our involvement begins with a Home Performance in our theatre on 26 March at 7.30pm, followed by The Garage’s Partner Theatre Festival, where youth groups from across the region will join us between 16–26 April to perform their plays on our stage. To give you a deeper insight into this year’s work, we spoke with our Theatre Company and their Director, Leigh Tredger, about their chosen play: Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh.
Theatre Company selected Wildfire Road for its bold storytelling and urgent themes. The play follows a generation whose future has been hijacked, unfolding aboard a flight from London to Tokyo. When a hijacker diverts the plane to Siberia, they ultimately save the lives of all 416 passengers as the rest of the world is consumed by a catastrophic wildfire. It’s a metaphorical and prophetic piece, posing a vital question: are we going to wake up and address the climate emergency before it’s too late?
Director Leigh explains, “I was drawn to ‘Wildfire Road’, as it is an exceptionally well-written play. I was also interested in gaining insight from the company about how they felt about the climate crisis, whilst looking at the past decisions made on their behalf and what hope they hold for their future.”
As part of the behind the scenes Connections process, directors are invited to a Directors Weekend in London – a unique opportunity to collaborate with National Theatre artists, playwrights, industry professionals, and fellow directors. The weekend is designed to support rehearsal practice and respond to feedback from previous years. Leigh Tredger reflects, “Directors Weekend is always an extraordinary weekend. I was inspired by the writer Eve Leigh, who gave us an understanding of why she wrote the work. From the workshops, I realised the significance of the material, but also the power of voice and physicality in the piece.”
Let’s meet Theatre Company.. This year’s group is made up of 18 exceptional young actors. They’ve been working intensely, learning lines quickly and embracing the physical demands of the piece – essential for maintaining the play’s energy and momentum. Their passion speaks for itself:
“I have been at The Garage since 2022, and it has developed my confidence. Theatre Company continually renews my passion for theatre and acting. I love that I get a place to add my creative input.” – Jason
“My life is empty without Theatre Company.” – Arlo
“The Connections play we work on are unique every year!” – Ray
“I like to work on something I am passionate about and I’ve met amazing people.” – Sky
“I love working with my fellow actors and honing my acting skills for the festival.” – Jacob
“It’s enjoyable and I love learning new skills.” – Mikayla
Leigh sums it up perfectly: “This play is fast-paced and hair-raising. It’s the plane ride you never want to be on, but it also hits the audience hard with some vital questions about the climate emergency and young people’s future in this man-made chaos!”
If this sparks your curiosity, secure your seats for the Home Performance by clicking here!
You can also enjoy 12 additional productions as part of The Garage’s Connections Partner Festival – including work from our sister site, The Workshop King’s Lynn’s Theatre Company. Explore the full programme here!