Waterford Youth Arts for National Theatre Connections 2026 presents The Animals
About National Theatre Connections:
Connections is the National Theatre’s nationwide youth theatre festival, celebrating the creativity and talent of young people across the UK and Ireland.
Each year, new plays are written especially for young performers, and youth theatres like Waterford Youth Arts create their own full productions – from first read-through to the stage.
Being part of Connections means our young actors and backstage crew get a real taste of professional theatre: working with a commissioned script, performing in professional venues and sharing their work alongside hundreds of other young companies.
For 2026, our Connections show is The Animals by Sean Buckley, directed by Sinéad Hourigan, with performances at home and at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
About Sinead Hourigan:
Sinéad Hourigan is the director for NT Connections ‘The Animals’ written by Sean Buckley. Sinéad first worked on NT Connections as assistant director with Deirdre Dwyer in 2022 & with Nick Kavanagh in 2023. Last year she directed her first connections show ‘Saba’s Swim’. She is a theatre maker from South Kilkenny and first got her passion for theatre as a member of Waterford Youth Arts. That spark from drama workshops gave her the push to study Theatre & Drama Studies in MTUs Cork School of Music. There she became interested in costume & makeup, prop & set design, directing, sound design and stage management. Now she is a drama tutor for Waterford Youth Arts and works to bring their shows to life each year. Recent work includes: Directed ‘Three Doors Deep’, written by Mary O’Donoghue. Stage manager for ‘Stories Sketched in Glass’, directed by Veronica Coburn. Directed ‘Grasp’, written by Hannah Carberry. Directed ‘Tomorrows Wake’, written by Martina Collender. Directed ‘Saba’s Swim’, written by Danusia Samar. Directed ‘A Silent Message’, written by Martina Collender. Stage manager for ‘Under Milkwood’, directed by Jim Nolan. Directed ‘Fowl Play’ written by Mary O’Donoghue. Stage Manager, costume designer & sound designer for ‘The Blame & How to Avoid It’, directed by Liam Meagher. Assistant director for ‘Is This Good Enough?’, directed by Nick Kavanagh. stage manager and assistant director for ‘Remote’ by Stef Smith, directed by Deirdre Dwyer.
I’m really excited to be back working on NT Connections. The cast have jumped head first into rehearsals, exploring movement and how to give attitude on stage. It’s great to see the energy everyone is bringing to the rehearsal room in these first weeks. There is never an idea too big for WYA members which is why it’s so important to work with them. The cast and youth crew remind me why I love theatre so much when I see how genuinely excited they are to breathe life into this new script. There is hard work ahead but at least rehearsals will be filled with fun and laughter.
Assistant Director – Neeva
Stage Manager – Emma
The Cast
Gee – Eóghann
Jay – Ronan
Sam – Willow
Ede – Emily
Kelli – Polly
Zane – Leon
Don – Oisín
Asha – Isla
Nia – Annie
