National Theatre's New Views: A springboard for self-expression

School productions and youth theatre groups are ten a penny, and I am sure we all have memories of singing a pitchy version of Annie’s ‘Tomorrow’ or featuring in a ropey Shakespeare production. These are undoubtedly brilliant experiences that can spark a love for theatre in students, but how many of us had the opportunity to write a play? And, what’s more, how many of us had the chance to see it performed, let alone on a professional stage? It is worth asking why we encourage performance so much in an education setting, yet limit devising or writing playtexts largely to GCSE and A Level courses, largely to be assessed.

Enter: the National Theatre’s New Views playwriting programme, designed for students aged between 15 and 19. The year-long scheme encourages young people to write new works, providing them with support from professional playwrights, and giving teachers new CPD opportunities, culminating in a competition where the winning entry gets their play performed by the National Theatre.

Despite the high stakes, this project is not about winning. Last year, artistic director of the National Theatre (NT) Rufus Norris described the New Views programme as a ‘unique springboard of self-expression’. Providing students with the opportunity to write about what matters most to them and empowering young people from all backgrounds to share their perspective, this is a rare opportunity to share fresh ideas from students that often bubble to the top in drama exercises – and find a way of putting them to paper. With previous winners including the story of an autistic boy in Mackenzie Wellfare’s Perspective (2021) and a love story between two girls – one Deaf and the other hearing – in Eloise Pennycott’s Barrier(s) (2022), the intention of the project really is to hear stories from a spectrum of young people.

Timeframe

The teachers involved in the programme are invited to attend training sessions, offered both in person and online, in September. At these sessions, professional playwrights and dramaturgs introduce teachers to the course and supporting resources, offering workshops to tackle various elements of the scheme. Between October and March, New Views offers workshops and theatre trips to students and their teachers, who are invited to see a National Theatre production. This can be either in London, on tour, or in local cinemas through NT Live.

Between December and March, students are asked by their teachers to draft 30-minute plays about issues that matter to them. A first draft is collected in February, where students will have a feedback session with their designated playwright, either online or in person, and then in March the students can submit their final drafts. Following the submissions, mentor playwrights work with a team of readers to read all the submitted plays, and then a shortlist is given to a panel of National Theatre creatives. From this a winner is then chosen.

JJ Green as Leo in Perspective by Mackenzie Wellfare, 2021 NT New Views winning play

Collaboration

The programme has a clear emphasis on collaboration and peer support in the classroom, encouraging students to work together to develop their ideas and share feedback on each other’s work. This not only helps to improve the quality of the final productions but also fosters a sense of community and engagement among students. As a drama teacher this collaborative approach can be an excellent way to engage students in their learning and encourage them to take ownership of their work.

Because the winner gets the opportunity to see their text performed on stage, students are often extremely invested in the process. The possibility of seeing their work performed can be a powerful motivator, as it provides a tangible goal for them to work towards and helps to demonstrate the real-world applications of their playwriting skills. On this, one teacher who was involved in the process in 2021 said: ‘Our students have never been encouraged to write their own scripts as it is not embedded into the curriculum.’

Practicalities

Other educators who have been involved in the process have praised the quality of its learning resources and support on offer, claiming it is ‘far greater than anything else available’, and that the professionals had an impressive willingness to help students with their scripts.

However, this amazing selection of resources and support comes at a cost. The price for a state school to participate in New Views is £300, and for an independent school it is £600. Bursaries are available for state schools if the cost is a barrier to participation, as the price from an independent school includes a state schools place on the programme.

Thanking teachers for their input, Rufus Norris puts it perfectly when discussing the programme: ‘The value of this work is not just in encouraging the theatre-makers of the future, but in nurturing the next generation of free-thinking, initiating, fear-conquering citizens, whatever life they go on to lead. This is possible for them – as it was for me – because of brilliant teachers like you.’ So, if you are a drama teacher looking to support your students’ playwriting skills and gain some CPD on the way, the New Views programme is worth exploring.

Expressions of interest are currently open for New Views 2023/24, closing on 21 August 2023. Enter here: http://airtable.com/shrABeL2JqI6qShzs

Find more information at http://nationaltheatre.org.uk/learn-explore/schools/new-views