The year 2025 will begin on a theatrical note when young performers from 15 schools and one junior college in Mumbai will take charge of the stage at the Experimental Theatre for the grand showcase of their plays for Connections India. A lot, however, has been brewing backstage. 

In its third year, the annual youth theatre programme, a collaboration between the National Theatre, UK and NCPA, seeks to go beyond rehearsal rooms and the stage. The result of this resolve is Backstage Pass, a series of innovative workshops exploring specialised strands of theatre-making for the participants: sound, light, costume, set design and stage management. Unfolding over five sessions conducted by noted theatre professionals across various spaces at the NCPA in September and October, the hands-on training course was aimed at providing a solid foundation to budding theatre practitioners in the key concepts, skills and roles involved in creating a successful stage production and boosting their confidence to work in a collaborative environment. The series ended with the participants teaming up for a brief presentation demonstrating what they learned over the two weeks. At the final festival in January, the participants will assist their directors and design teams to help their fellow classmates, who will be onstage, to bring their school’s production to life.  

While the audiences witness the final product, a dedicated team works behind the scenes to put on the show. The idea that technical theatre arts are as essential as performance art was at the heart of the endeavour. The practice encouraged a holistic understanding of the art form, opening up the vast world of stagecraft to young minds.