Advice on selecting your Connections play

So you have downloaded all of this years Connections plays; now what?

With ten different plays from ten different playwrights, there’s a lot of choice. While the age range and number of characters may eliminate some texts, it’s up to you to select a play that best suits and most appeals to your company.

No one is better placed to make this choice than you and your company, but we have a couple of tips for you to consider when it comes to making your decision:

Read all the plays
We try to provide as much time as possible between making the plays available and asking you to submit your choices. Some plays may immediately leap out at you from the
synopsis, while others might not seem quite right.

We encourage you to read all the scripts; this could simply confirm your initial intentions, or perhaps uncover a hidden gem you might have otherwise overlooked. Having an awareness of all the plays will give you a better feel for what Connections 2012 will be like.

Casting & Read-through
Once you’ve read all of the available texts, you might choose a couple of your favourites and perhaps even one ‘wild card’ to read through with your company; gauging their reactions.
We discourage you from casting your production prior to receiving confirmation of which play you will be performing. However, it is important to consider how your potential cast might suit the different plays.

We encourage an open approach to casting. Many of this year’s plays involve a mix of nationalities and genders, so work with your cast. Use the opportunity to research and develop an understanding of characters drawn from all over the world. Casting decisions do need to be thoroughly thought through, ensuring they maintain the integrity of the play.
Practicalities

It is important to consider any practical constraints there may be, such as your Home Performance venue and the amount of rehearsal time available to you. Choose a play that you can realize to its full potential.

Your choices:

This year we've added a new front cover to each play, which gives you some “at-a-glance” information about each play. This information is only intended as a guide and not explicit rules.

The deadline for choosing your top two choices of play is FRIDAY 21^st SEPTEMBER. Once you have decided on your two options you must fill in the Play Choice Form which was emailed to you with your password.

Failure to fill in this form by 21^st September will result a delay in the confirmation of your play and may limit the plays available to you.

We will let you know which play your company will be performing by MONDAY 15^th OCTOBER.

Next week the National Theatre's Associate Director and Head of Literary, Sebastian Born, will give his thoughts and advice about choosing the right play.