Line-up announced for 2022 National Theatre Connections Festival

The National Theatre Connections Festival will return to the Dorfman Theatre from 28 June to 2 July, featuring ten youth theatre companies from across the UK.

The festival, which is now in its 27th year, sees ten new plays by established and emerging playwrights exclusively commissioned for young people to stage and perform.

This year's line-up includes plays by Stef Smith, Lisa Goldman and Tim Crouch, performed by companies from locations including Wigan, Cardiff and the Isle of Man.

Topics covered include climate change, class and relationships. Participants are involved with every aspect of creating and staging the play and take on a variety of off-stage roles, from operating lights and sound to design and stage management.

Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, said: "It is fantastic that young people have been performing in theatres right across the UK as part of Connections over the past few months and we are so excited to have the NT building buzzing with their talent in June for the culmination of the nationwide festival. We know how resilient and enthusiastic our participants have been over the past year and we're thrilled to be able to come together to celebrate these emerging theatre-makers at the NT."