Press Contact: Natalie Thomas
March 2025
Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) is set to host a regional youth theatre showcase as part of the annual landmark nationwide National Theatre Connections Festival, which this year marks its 30th anniversary. The inimitable event features ten local theatre companies including TRP’s Young Company who will perform a brand new play, No Regrets.
The NT Connections Festival celebrates the talent of young people aged 13-19, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. 33 Partner Theatres are joining the Festival to each host a week-long schedule of shows, with TRP’s line-up including over 100 participants from across Plymouth and the surrounding area as far as Penzance. TRP’s NT Connections programme, sponsored by Mohn Westlake Foundation, BNP Paribas and Buffini Chao Foundation, will take place in The Drum 29 April – 03 May 2025. Ahead of the Festival, each company will perform its production at alternative venues to gain valuable experience, with TRP’s Young Company performing at the state-of-the-art performing arts centre, The House, at the University of Plymouth on Saturday 12 April.
No Regrets was written by playwright Gary McNair after speaking to people over the course of five years about the subject of regret. The play is a culmination of those conversations and features a collection of scenes from the silly to the profound, that charts individuals’ relationships with the things we should have done but didn’t and the things we shouldn’t have done, but did.
The 17 youngsters who will perform No Regrets at the NT Connections Festival at TRP are from across South Devon and Cornwall and include actors, lighting and sound designers and the deputy stage manager. All the costumes have been repurposed by TRP’s wardrobe department.
Speaking about this year’s Young Company cohort, Jane Pawson, Head of Artistic Planning – Projects at TRP, said: “We have such a talented collection of aspiring artists coming together to make this production happen – both on stage and behind the scenes.
“Performing at The House ahead of the Festival will give the group vital experience of adapting the show and performing for different venues and we can’t wait to share this journey with them and watch them shine.”
Ruth Way, Associate Head of School – Performing Arts, University of Plymouth, said: “We are excited to welcome local, aspiring theatre-makers to develop their performance skills in our state-of-the-art venue, The House, alongside two of our BA (Hons) Drama students who are completing work placements with Theatre Royal Plymouth as part of this production. Collaborations like this demonstrate the University’s commitment to preparing young people to thrive in their future careers in the creative industries.”
Ahead of the final performance at The Drum on Saturday 03 May, TRP’s Young Company will perform No Regrets at The House on 12 April at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are £8 and available from https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/no-regrets/.