Age is Revolting by Abi Zakarian

Performed by Shazam Theatre Company

Choir is for mad old people, right?
When a group of school kids rebel against their boring music lesson they hit the wrong note and magically transform into their 80 year-old selves…and now live in a care home. Suddenly age, and their understanding of it, feels very relevant as they begin to confusedly navigate their way back to the present; no longer older, but maybe just a little wiser.

Replica by Titas Halder

Performed by Aberdeen Academy of Performing Arts

Something happened on the school trip. One of the class has been replaced by an exact replica of themselves. At least that’s what everyone’s saying. Once a rumour starts, it can be difficult to remember what is real – or who. Convinced that there is an impostor walking among them, a group of teenagers is determined to root out the intruder. A mystery about friendship, the nature of truth, and humanity. When it comes to it, how do you prove that you are a human?

National Theatre Connections 2024 draws together ten new plays for young people – aged between 13 and 19 – to perform, from some of the UK’s most talented and popular playwrights. These are plays for a  generation of theatre-makers who want to ask questions, challenge assertions, and test the boundaries, and for those who love to invent and imagine a world of possibilities. This year the National Theatre will be working with nearly 270 youth companies from all over the UK.

The plays offer young performers an engaging and diverse range of material to perform, read or study. Touching on themes like trans-rights, the mental health crisis, colonial history, disability activism, and climate change, the collection provides topical, pressing subject matter for students to explore.