Stories Start Here

As a teenager I was involved in the very first National Theatre nationwide youth festival, Connections. It’s literally one of my favourite places to be and if I’m in London, I have to hit the foyer of the National Theatre. Everything I love about the UK coalesces in that building: the culture, the theatre, the people, the Thames, the multicultural diasporic presence. It’s all there. To do my favourite Shakespeare in one of my favourite buildings on my favourite stage in the world was a homecoming.

David Oyelowo, Actor

I would definitely not be in theatre without my Apprenticeship at the NT. Prop making isn’t a career I had ever considered for myself, but I knew I wanted a job that was creative. I’ve learnt so much in my first few months and been introduced to techniques that will set me up as a prop maker, carpenter and furniture maker. There is a lack of creative jobs, especially at entry level. The NT offering them makes all the difference for young people trying to break into the arts.

Sarah Ray-Dobson, Props Apprentice

The school’s tour is magnificent. Since watching the National Theatre tour the students, even the most disengaged ones, suddenly have a renewed interest for Drama and are engaging in lessons in a really passionate way. Traditionally they might be sat at their laptop to script a piece of drama and now the attitude is to try things out and give it a go. The fact that we’re miles away from the National Theatre makes it all the more special. If you wanted to make the National Theatre about more than just London, you nailed it and then some.

Dave Moloney, Head of Drama and Expressive Arts at a Greater Manchester School