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National Theatre Connections – Gulbenkian Young Company

NT Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide youth theatre festival. Each year it offers a unique opportunity for youth theatres and school theatre groups to stage new plays written for young people by some of theatre’s most exciting playwrights, and to perform in leading theatres across the UK.

You can receive a notification of when tickets  are available to book by signing up to our ART31 Mailing list: to do this log into your Gulbenkian Website Profile, go to ‘Interests’ and tick ‘yes’ for receiving emails for ‘Creative opportunities for young people from ART31 Kent’.

Also keep an eye on our @art31kent social media (Instagram, Twitter).

Email: creativeengagement@kent.ac.uk if you have any questions!

In 2015, the Gulbenkian Youth Company were one of only ten groups selected to perform on the Olivier Stage with their production of The Edelweiss Pirates.In 2019 they were again one of only ten groups selected to perform at the National Theatre, on the Dorfman Stage, with their production of Ageless.Productions:2014 – Pronoun2015 – The Edelweiss Pirates2016 – What Are They Like?2017 – Zero for the Young Dudes

2018 – The Changing Room

2019 – Ageless

2020 – The Marxist in Heaven

2021 – Find a Partner!

2022 – Superglue

2023- (Circle Dreams Around) The Terrible, Terrible Past

Supported by the Arts Council and Kent County Council.
'Being part of the NT connections has been brilliant. It has helped me to grow in confidence and realise that there are lots of opportunities outside in the world. It has made me push myself and it has taken me out of my comfort zone.' Azaelia, NT Connections Member
"I’ve been participating and going to the Connections Festival for about 5 years now and it never gets boring. Each year it’s amazing how Connections gives ownership to young people to take over a script and make it completely their own." Maeve, NT Connections Member
"Connections has been the opportunity of a lifetime for me and I wouldn’t trade it up for anything! I have gained so many performance skills and I am so impressed with how far we have all come. I have met so many talented performers and we have spent a lot of time together to the point where it feels like a family." Oliver, NT Connections Member

ART31

ART31 takes its name from Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, which states that ‘Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities’.

ART31 is a vision created with, by, and for young people in Kent, championing the belief that all children and young people have an entitlement to access high quality arts and culture, to empower them to achieve their creative potential, and to genuinely engage young people as equal partners in any decision making that affects them.

The ART31 Youth Board is made up of young people from across Kent aged 13-25 who steer its governance, and influence policy and practice across the county and beyond, challenging the creative sector to examine existing ways of working and integrate young people into the core of their practice.

Our projects with young people

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