REVIEW - National Theatre Connections Festival at Lowry

We went to Lowry over the weekend to see National Theatre Connections Festival. Read what our reviewer Erin had to say about what was on offer...

I was lucky enough to watch 3 shows from the National Theatre Connections Festival at the Lowry this week, which showcased a fantastic range of young performers from across the nation. The Connections Festival is an annual youth theatre festival that commissions 10 new plays from established writers, which are then performed by over 250 youth companies at their home venue across the country, and then at a partner theatre. The festival gives thousands of young performers the opportunity to showcase their performance on a professional stage, and this year, the festivals’ final was held outside London for the first time ever!

All the groups involved were:

Cockburn John Charles Academy in Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth

The Egg Young Company in Sycamore Gap

Pendelton School of Theatre in Wildfire Road

Cardiff High School in Cloud Busting

Westacre Theatre Company in Fishville

Guild of Players Youth Theatre in Britney’s Lock

Wyke Sixth Form College in The Animals

and Jigsaw Arts Balham in Ride or Die

The first performance I watched was Cloud Busting, performed by Cardiff High School, a play about a young boy named Sam, who is tasked to write a poem about someone he cares about for his English class. Sam decides to write his poem about Davey, a friend of his that recently moved away. We learn about Sam and Davey’s friendship, and the turbulence that surrounded it.

The set was simple, but very effective, consisting of two blocks on either side of the stage and a number of chairs. The chairs were moved to form classrooms and playgrounds, and it was clear what was going on. The cast made use of thought-tracking, which I thought was a nice touch, because it meant the audience could understand everything that was going through the characters’ minds. The play could also easily be adapted for any size and gender group.

Even though this play was full of hard truths and heartfelt moments, the show still managed to be comical. I loved the character Alicia, a lively girl with lots of sass, who made the audience laugh consistently. Sam and Davey’s performances were also incredible, leading the show and delivering to a high standard. The whole cast should be proud of themselves, especially as they were the youngest cast in the lineup, and they did a fantastic job of conveying the message of the play.

The next performance was Fishville, performed by Westacre Theatre Company, a twisted story set in a town struggling with coastal erosion. When one new girl finds a severed foot in the sea, she is led to learn about Jared, a young boy who recently died after walking into the water, and a myth about an underwater city. The new girl and a group of teenagers set off on a mission to find the underwater city, desperate to figure out what’s going on, unaware that the sea is unforgiving and eager to stop them.

This was an impressive show, especially considering the fact that the cast rehearsed the play in just seven days. The cast consisted of a very talented group of young individuals, and they did an amazing job tackling such an ambitious storyline. My favourite part of this play was the portrayal of The Sea. A group of five took on the role and were on stage for the majority of the performance, showing that the sea was always watching. The sea was ruthless and hostile, and showed that through monologues that the five shared. The costumes were fantastic, and the group worked so well together to have such an imposing presence on the stage.

The set was very fitting for the theme of the play and consisted of piles of washed-up pallets and chairs covered in seaweed. The cast were able to use these items for all sorts of things, such as for jumping off a cliff and into the sea, and The Sea used the pallets to move across the stage. The play itself is very adaptable for gender, although I think the size of the cast was perfect, and any more people would crowd it too much, and take away from story. Altogether, I thought the performance was well-thought out, and everything worked in harmony, from the set to the costumes, and showcased a really unique new show. 

The final performance was Britney’s Lock, performed by the Guild of Players Youth Theatre. This had to be my favourite play, because of how funny it was. The story was about a girl called Ruby, who buys a lock of Britney Spears’ hair to give her luck during mock exams. At first, her friends didn’t believe it worked, but after seeing just how well she’s doing in the exams, they all wanted the lock to help them in their own exams. This led to fights and fallouts, and even a student trying their luck selling knockoffs.

The set was simple, made of two benches at the back of the stage, a small lunch table on the left, and the exam hall doors leading off the back, reminiscent of a regular school. Most of the dialogue was before or after an exam, so most of the cast came and went through the doors. I thought this was a great detail, because the cast were each able to have their own moment going into the exams, whether they were freaking out or looking forward to it. The doors were also slightly see-through, in the way that each time a character would take the lock into an exam, the doors would light up, and you would see their silhouette dancing with the power of Britney now in their hands.   

I particularly loved the Britney Spears’ references, and quotes from her songs, and it made for some hilarious moments; the audience was constantly laughing. Even though the story was centered around Ruby and her lock, I enjoyed the fact that each of the characters was developed and got their own moments through the show. This is another play that would easily work with a group of any size and gender. Overall, every cast member was remarkable, and the play was unforgettable.

This year's National Theatre Connections Festival brought mass talent and phenomenal shows to the Lowry, and I can’t believe it is over. I am urging you, if you have an opportunity to watch any part of this festival next year, don’t turn it down, because you will regret it. I was so lucky to watch a tremendous array of young talent, and I want to say a huge well done to all youth companies involved, who dedicated themselves to the performances and made them such a success.