Royal National Theatre

Harnessing the power of storytelling

London students were able to get creative while improving their literacy and communication skills, thanks to a powerful programme by the National Theatre. New Views is a specially designed writing course which pairs schools with a professional playwright for workshops and mentoring. Students also had the opportunity to see a live theatre performance at the National Theatre. Our grant of over £69,700 supported 14-to-19 year olds from 31 London schools to take part in this national programme to write their own 30-minute plays.

Focusing on telling the stories that matter to them, students explored ideas and learned to present different perspectives. They experimented with playwriting techniques and developed skills such as independent working, communication, and research. Their work culminated in the New Views Festival in summer 2024, which consisted of play readings, workshops and theatre tours over two days. It celebrated two winning student plays, and seven shortlisted scripts.

The National Theatre is a major creative hub, with over 100 new theatre projects in development at any one time.  
In 2022-23, the National Theatre directly engaged more than 42,000 young people with arts and education projects.
New Views celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022. Over these 10 years, 12,672 young people from 750 schools and colleges from all over the UK have taken part.

Life-changing theatre

Of the 10 plays presented at the New Views Festival, 4 came from London schools:
* Sweetness by Mirabel Yeboah (Wanstead High School, Redbridge)
* Broken Frames by Paradise Isiodu (The Henrietta Barnett School, Barnet)
* Tonight’s Interview with Claire Harvey by Emma Levin (Highgate School, Haringey)
* Invitation to Pantalone’s by Adeniola Adesanya (St Paul’s Academy, Greenwich)

Luke Fields, writer of the winning script House on Fire, said: “Getting to advance my skills whilst interacting with like-minded students and having the chance to read and see their work and what inspires everyone else was special and exciting. I am overwhelmed with shock and surprise [at winning].”

Emyr Strudwick, writer of the winning script Teulu, said: “Taking part in the New Views programme has been both challenging and relaxing for me. I have been immersed in playwriting which I have not experienced before and I have been able to escape to a different world through my writing. I was genuinely shocked [when I won], although I believe in the message of this play, I did not believe that my writing would be appreciated by other people.”