A thought-provoking story about climate change set in the future is the subject of this year’s play being staged by youngsters at Kensington Arts as part of the National Theatre’s Connections programme.

The cast of 16, aged 13 to 18, are busy in rehearsals ahead of two performances of Innocent Creatures by Leo Butler at Kensington Arts, on March 17 and 18.

They will then go on to perform the play at the York Theatre Royal in April.

David Dawson, who returns to direct the show, assisted by Ben Gale, said: ‘We are thrilled to be participating in National Theatre Connections once again. As the world’s largest youth festival, it has provided an incredible opportunity for our young island performers to showcase their talents and bring new plays to life in cities like York, Cardiff, Bath, Warwick, and Inverness.’

The cast features Rowan Weeks, Sophie Hindson, Ffion Holder, Lacey Cannell, Scarlet Brophy, Eve Puzzar, Lexi Forbes, David Livsey, Joey Hills, Imogen Cowell, Lola Sutton, Emily Musgrove, Maddie Wood, Sophie Hewitt, Zac Colligon and Ana Bragaglia.

They are rehearsing twice a week following an audition workshop at the end of October.

The play starts with Big Ben soon to be underwater surrounded by ice floes. Enid and Mia are waiting to be rescued by the robots in helicopters who will take them to the Holiday Inn to be re-programmed.

The story then moves forward a few thousand years where Enid and Mia meet again, just as the scorching hot sun is about to set one final time.

Creative development co-ordinator at Kensington Arts, Peter Shimmin, told Island Life: ‘They’ve really taken to it.

‘David really enjoys getting the cast together and putting the script in their hands, letting them workshop different ways of doing themes, the shows, the characters. Some of the characters are robots so how do we, in a believable way, portray humanistic robots?

‘The cast have come up with some really clever ways of doing it and then David helps to shape it into a structure that we rehearse and refine.’

Connections is a nationwide youth theatre festival that has been supporting and showcasing the talent of young people in the British Isles for 27 years. As part of the programme, the National Theatre commissions 10 new plays each year for young people to perform.

Peter added: ‘The impact of participating in Connections has been immeasurable for our young performers.

‘Our participation in the festival at the National Theatre last year really helped hone the skills of our young performers and gave them a once in a lifetime opportunity.

‘Even more importantly, they formed lasting friendships and a sense of community. It has truly been a valuable experience for all involved.’

Tickets for the March performances are available now at www.kensingtonarts.im or at the Villa Marina and Welcome Centre.