As part of NT Connections Festival 2026

Cloud Busting & Sycamore Gap

Plays by Helen Blakeman & Al Smith

Sat 25 Apr, 2026

View Dates and Book

Sat 25th April, 7.00pm
Captioned Performance
Price: £10
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Sydney Stringer and Derby Theatre Youth Theatre perform at Derby Theatre as part of NT Connections Festival 2026.

Cloud Busting

Performed by Sydney Stringer

When Sam wakes up, he fully believes that today will just be another ordinary day – but that’s before Mr Mackie tells Class 8M to write a poem about someone they care about. Unexpectedly, Sam volunteers to write about Davey… Davey was Sam’s friend – not that Sam wanted anyone to know that. While the cool girls in the class thought Davey was ‘well cute in a sad dog sort of way’, the tough boys – Morgan and his crew – just saw Davey as different. Davey liked to dance. Davey liked to look at the clouds and see the shapes they made. Davey liked looking at the world in a different way to everybody else. But no matter how much Sam liked being with Davey, he always denied their friendship. Then one day, the bullying goes a step too far… but will Sam step in to help his friend? It’s not the ordinary day Sam thought it was going to be.

SHOW ADVISORIES:

13+ | Themes of bullying throughout | On-stage violence | References to anxiety and poverty | One sexual reference

Sycamore Gap

Performed by Derby Theatre Youth Theatre

A whodunnit about the felling of the Robin Hood Tree at Sycamore Gap. Set on the day after the felling, the local police are ‘in school’ conducting an investigation. The twelve members of the school’s eco-club are held in a classroom, being taken out and interviewed one by one, until the culprit cracks and confesses. While they wait for their turn, the pupils interrogate each other. Who could have done something so monstrous? What possible motivation could they have had? What impact will it have on their club and their community, now that the tree is gone? And will it be possible for any of them to move on?

SHOW ADVISORIES:

14+ | Some references to violence and brutality | Allusions to porn addiction | Themes or references to the climate emergency, cancer, anxiety, panic attacks, and police brutality


As Part Of…

Venue

Main House

Overview

Time: 7pm - 9:30pm
Performance duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes (incl. interval)
Age guidance: 13+

Pricing

Standard: £10
Under 26's: £8

View Dates and Book

Sat 25th April, 7.00pm
Captioned Performance
Price: £10