Spotlight on National Student Drama Festival

National Student Drama Festival (NSDF) exists to create practical pathways into the theatre industry for young people of every background. NSDF 22 and their year round activity, supported by the ALW Foundation, was free and open to all.

NSDF 22 was the first in-person festival after the pandemic and they reached 1736 total attendances and 447 participants with 40 workshops, 45 technical theatre workshops, 19 open auditions, 6 online masterclasses and 5 panel discussions. Workshops were offered by Tanika Gupta, Jack Thorne, Soho Theatre and the RSC amongst many others.

"I came to this festival feeling super bleak and uninspired about the future of theatre/opportunities for people after the last couple of years, and all I can think about now is how much we have worth working towards and fighting for" NSDF 22 participant

"Every single person involved in the festival was so supportive of us from the very beginning, believing in our show and working their hardest to get it on stage. It was truly empowering to feel that what we are doing mattered" NSDF 22 participant

Credit - Beatrice Debney