Aberystwyth Arts Centre Youth Theatre has been chosen to perform a new play at the National Theatre in London as part of the 2023 Connections Festival.

Youth theatre members will perform Samphire, a new play by Shamser Sinha, on the Dorfman stage on Friday, 23 June as one of 10 companies representing the talent of young people across the UK at the 2023 Connections Festival. The youngsters first performed the play at Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre Youth Theatre can trace its origins back over 40 years. Since then, it has evolved into two groups aged 11 to 18 who meet weekly, led by creative arts tutors with a breadth of experience in theatre, drama, and the performing arts.

The annual nationwide youth theatre festival, now in its 28th year, celebrates young talent with 5,600 young people aged 13 to 19 performing one of 10 new plays from established and emerging playwrights including Lisa McGee (Derry Girls) and Shamser Sinha (Three Sat Under the Banyan Tree). A total of 264 groups have had the opportunity to perform their selected play at one of 36 leading partner venues, including Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

These 10 plays, commissioned by Connections for young people to perform, explore themes of justice, grief, love, teamwork, friendship, rural life, the end of the world and the climate emergency. Participants are involved in all aspects of the theatre making process both on and off stage and off. This includes getting involved with costume, lighting and set design.

Barrie Stott, group leader, said: “The Arts Centre Youth Theatre’s involvement in the National Theatre Connections Festival is the highlight of each year for me. Each year we are given the privilege of staging a brand new play and the whole production team, myself especially, are incredibly proud of the young people we work with on a daily basis. What better way to recognise their hard work, dedication and perseverance than by being given the opportunity to perform at the National Theatre in London? It will be a fantastic experience for all of us and one that I am sure we will not forget in a hurry!”

Osian Jewell, aged 14, said: “I am so happy that I’m being given the chance to perform at the National Theatre, on a bigger stage than I’ve ever performed on before. Samphire is really moving to work on.”

Ashe Jones, 17, said: “In Aberystwyth, when you look at the audience you can probably name about 75 per cent of them. Being able to perform this in such a gigantic and prestigious theatre for a whole new audience is going to be an amazing experience. It’s still so surreal to me that a tiny youth theatre in rural west Wales has the opportunity to do this.”

Rufus Norris, director of the National theatre said: “Watching talented young people from across the nation bring to life these new plays through the Connections Festival is a highlight of the National Theatre calendar. I can’t wait to see the Dorfman Theatre bursting with talent.”

Samphire is about school, special educational needs, love, independence and life in rural Suffolk.

Alicia lives in a children’s home and Jake lives in a shed. They are a couple, though Jake shows more affection to his dog than he ever does to Alicia. Together, against the backdrop of rural Suffolk, they rob farms for animals to eat. But when they steal a piglet from Chelle’s dad’s farm, they make a big mistake, and their dreams are thrown into jeopardy.