Royal & Derngate Young Company perform The Periodicals ahead of NT Connections festival

Royal & Derngate will once again be welcoming hundreds of young people from across the region to perform as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival in April. Ahead of that, the theatre’s own Young Company Acting group will be performing their production of Siân Owen’s new play The Periodicals, directed by Jack Smith, on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 March, before reprising it at the festival.

Set in the near future, a group of young people live as a feral group of techno-savvy fugitives, living off-the land – a.k.a. a rubbish dump. They stay out of sight of the authorities, particularly the education authorities who are desperate to get them back into school. However school has lost its allure. When the young people are in school they are overlooked and underestimated – seen as being more trouble than they are worth. So now, for this group, school’s out forever.

Royal & Derngate Young Company will be performing this exciting new play on the Royal stage on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 March at 7pm. Tickets – priced from £6 – can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk. The play is recommended for ages 14 and upwards.

The National Theatre Connections Festival is a celebration of young people, theatre and the importance of access to the arts. Each year the National Theatre commissions a collection of new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow.

Royal & Derngate hosts the largest and most diverse of the regional festivals that take place across the country. Groups from across the region will perform a host of exciting new plays, including Age is Revolting by Abi Zakarian, Replica by Titus Halder, Wind/Rush Generation(s) by Mojisola Adebayo, Kiss / Marry / Push Off Cliff by Josh Azouz, Sad Club by Luke Barnes, Orchestra by Charlie Josephine, Shout by Alex Zegerman and Back in the Day by Yasmeen Khan.

The National Theatre Connections Festival takes place at Royal & Derngate from Monday 15 to Sunday 21 April. For a full schedule of performances and to book, visit the theatre's website or call Box Office. Tickets are priced from £6.