artsdepot Young Company – NT Connections Festival 2026

Open to ages 13–17, artsdepot Young Company offers fun, creative weekly drama workshops led by professional theatre maker and actor Laura Atherton. Build confidence, develop your performance skills, and make new friends while exploring exciting new scripts.

This year, the Company will perform Wildfire Road by Eve Leigh – a gripping story about a generation whose future has been hijacked. Set entirely on a flight from London to Tokyo, this thrilling play promises to be an exciting creative challenge for everyone involved.

The production will form part of the National Theatre Connections Festival 2026, with the chance to be selected for the Connections Summer Festival at the National Theatre.

Rehearsals run Tuesdays, 5.15 – 7.15pm, from Tue 6 Jan – Tue 14 Apr 2026, with some additional Saturday sessions and a full Festival Performance Day on Thu 16 Apr 2026.

Participants must be available for this performance day. artsdepot will provide a letter requesting authorised absence for you to submit to your school, so that you can take part.

Cost: £180 for the full 18-week course, including all weekly workshops, two extended Saturday rehearsals, and participation in the National Theatre Connections Festival 2026, culminating in a masterclass and performance on artsdepot’s Studio Theatre stage.

Discounts and subsidised places are available for those on low incomes. Please email participation@artsdepot.co.uk to request or apply for a subsidised place.

Join to:

• Boost your CV or UCAS applications
• Strengthen your GCSE Drama & devised theatre skills
• Gain confidence, express yourself, and make friends
• Work with a professional director and perform in a national festival

Weekly drop-in workshops will continue after the project, so you can keep developing your skills – and continue as a valued member of artsdepot Young Company long term.