NT Connections Festival 2026: The Animals
By Sean Buckley.The Animals will be performed by City of Westminster College as part of National Theatre Connections 2026.
Student teacher Sam arrives at Redhill Youth Custody Secure Unit hoping to enrich the troubled residents’ lives there by introducing them to the subject of Philosophy. The wary class resist engaging in this alien, ancient art of thinking at first, but start to thaw when they find themselves being challenged and empowered in ways they haven’t previously experienced. Yet the hope Sam’s teaching offers them is fragile, particularly for hard fronting Gee, who’s on the verge of being released from the unit and is secretly terrified at this prospect.
A bruising, moving, surprising drama about education within the Youth Custody System and the power of creative thought.
Content warnings: Contains frequent strong language, mild sexual references, references to self-harm (unseen), youth violence, drug use (unseen/offstage), allusions to suicide (offstage) and gang involvement.