National Theatre Connections 2026

National Theatre Connections 2026 draws together eight new plays for young people to perform, from some of the UK's most exciting and popular playwrights.
These are plays for a generation of theatre-makers who want to ask questions, challenge assertions and test boundaries, and for those who love to invent and imagine a world of possibilities.
The plays offer young performers an engaging and diverse range of material to perform, read or study. Wrestling with themes like the Youth Custody Service, conspiracy, the climate crisis, exam pressure, grief and friendship, this collection lays bare a rich and complex terrain in which students can fully immerse themselves, explore and discover.
This 2026 anthology represents the full set of eight plays offered by the National Theatre's 2026 programme, as well as comprehensive workshop notes that give insights and inspiration for building characters, running rehearsals and staging a production.

Sean Buckley is a British-Irish playwright and screenwriter from south London. His first play Matches for Monkeys was winner of the Verity Bargate Award and he was Pearson Writer in Residence with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Other plays include Between Dog and Wolf, Smithereens (both Paines Plough) and audio drama Stone Baby (Radio 3) received a BBC New Writing Award. Alexandra Wood is a playwright from London. Her plays include The Tyler Sisters and The Empty Quarter (Hampstead Theatre); Never Vera Blue (Futures Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe); The Initiate and The Human Ear (Paines Plough); Ages (Old Vic New Voices); a translation of Manfred Karge's Man to Man (Wales Millennium Centre); Merit (Plymouth Drum); Unbroken (Gate); and The Eleventh Capital (Royal Court). Helen Blakeman is an award-winning writer for stage and screen, winning the George Devine Award for her debut play Caravan and a BAFTA award for her BBC adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's Dustbin Baby, which also won an International Emmy Award. Afsaneh Gray is a writer for screen, stage and audio. She is the winner of the Brian Way Award with her play for young people, The Border. Her plays have been longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize and Women's Prize for Playwriting, and shortlisted for the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Prize. Kirsty Housley is theatre maker working across direction, writing and dramaturgy. Awards include the OSBTT Award and The Stage award for Innovation. She was RSC digital fellow in 2022. Recent writing includes Myth (RSC) and Woman and Machine (Royal Opera House). Florence Espeut-Nickless is an award-winning writer and actor from Wiltshire. Recent writing credits include; Little Red & Other Winter Tales (Bristol Old Vic), Bernadette & Other Teenage Folk Tales (Restoke), The Odyssey (National Theatre & Trowbridge Town Hall), DESTINY (UK tour), Miracle On 34 Seymour Street (Trowbridge Town Hall). Al Smith's plays include Harrogate (HighTide/Royal Court Theatre), Rare Earth Mettle (Royal Court), Diary of a Madman (Traverse Theatre/Gate Theatre), and Radio (Arcola/Audible). Eve Leigh is an award-winning, internationally recognised writer for performance. Residencies include National Theatre Studio attachment 2024, Royal Court 2019 and 2017, Experimental Stage of the National Theatre of Greece 2017, AIDF Teatr Polski Bydgoszcz 2016. Awards include Berlin Theatertreffen Stueckemarkt selection 2021, Sarah Award for Audio Fiction 2020, Jerwood/Royal Court New Playwright Award 2019 (with Jasmine Lee-Jones), Women's Prize for Playwriting Finalist 2020, Bruntwood Prize shortlist 2019. Upcoming work includes commissions from Headlong, Unicorn Theatre, and the Javaad Alipoor Company.

Head of Participation Introduction
Connections Dramaturg Introduction
Connections 2026 Synopses
The Animals by Sean Buckley
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes

Britney's Lock by Alexandra Wood
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes

Cloud Busting by Helen Blakeman (based on the novel by Malorie Blackman)
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Fishville by Afsaneh Gray
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth Macbeth by Kirsty Housley
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Ride or Die by Florence Espeut-Nickless
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Sycamore Gap by Al Smith
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh
Character Plot
Main Narrative Beats
Workshop Notes
Participating Companies
Partner Theatres
National Theatre Connections Team
Performing Rights