Young actors inspired by visit to Thame home for the elderly

THAME Youth Theatre will be performing a very special play at the Phoenix Performing Arts Studio at Lord Williams Lower School, Thame, on February 24 and 25, as part of ‘National Theatre Connections’, a nationwide celebration of new plays for young performers. The play Thame Youth Theatre will be performing is called Same, and has been written by Deborah Bruce.

Members of Thame Youth Theatre rehearse a scene from Same

Connections is produced by the National Theatre and supported by a number of individuals, trusts and foundations and each year the National Theatre invites ten writers to create new plays for young people to perform. This spring 230 youth theatre companies will present the premieres of these plays in venues from Scotland to Cornwall and Northern Ireland to Norfolk. Each company will also perform at one of 26 Connections festivals in professional theatres across the country, and ten companies will go on to
perform at the National Theatre.

Same is set in an old people’s home in the week that Josie dies. Her teenage grandchildren reminisce about their memories of her, and the residents in the home feel the effects of her death on their lives as her funeral takes place. Is the gulf between the young and old as wide as it feels, or are we fundamentally the same inside whatever age we are?

Tom Mackriell, Youth Arts Development Manager for Thame Youth Theatre, said: “Connections has been a very positive experience for our members, it has seen them challenge their performance skills and has helped them develop a place within their community with visits to Meadowcroft Care Home in Thame. To have the chance to perform a piece of theatre that shows great passion and heart has been fantastic and rehearsals have been a great chance for members to push their creativity, and a perfect place to talk about shared experiences that have helped install their own passion into the performance; we are all very excited for the performances.”

To book now to see Thame Youth Theatre perform Same at the Phoenix Performing arts Studio on February 24 – 25, at 7.30pm, contact the Box Office on 07805 885846 or email admin@thameyouththeatre.co.uk.

For more information on the National Theatre Connections visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/connections.