An aspiring group of young actors are getting ready to take part one of the world’s largest youth theatre festivals.

The Manx National Youth Theatre, run by Youth Arts Isle of Man, have been selected to take part in the National Theatre’s ’Connections’ festival, at the Sherman Theatre, in Cardiff on April 21.

The Connections festival is a nationwide event, held in theatres across Britain. It stages plays written by some of the UK’s favourite playwrights, and gives the opportunity for young actors to perform in some of the best theatres in the country, with ten of the best being chosen to be performed at the National Theatre in London in July.

’Snow Dragons’ is adapted from the Lizzie Nunnery play, which is set during the First World War, described as exciting, frightening, funny and terrifying all the same time.

The play is centred around a group of children who play children’s games in the forest around their village, but are forced to confront the brutal realties of war when the enemy draws near.

Fiona Helleur, the head of Youth Arts IOM, said she is excited for the actors taking part in the festival, and that it is a fine reward for their hard work.

’The cast includes actors aged 12 to 17, most of whom have never taken part in a production like this,’ said Fiona. ’Our Director, David Dawson, has worked tirelessly to get them ready for the performance before we take the play to the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff.

’We will perform alongside six other groups from all over the country, all doing different plays and at the same time, our play, ’Snow Dragons’ will be performed all over the country by other groups. But only one of us will get to the National Theatre. We hope it’s us!"

There is to be a performance of the ’Snow Dragons’, held from 7pm on Thursday and Friday this week at the Youth Arts Centre, on Kensington Road, and will be visited by the director of the Sherman Theatre and the director of the National Theatre Company.

The play has already been performed at the recent One Act festival of Plays, held in Port Erin.