Connections 2025: Saba’s Swim Review
Written by Eleanor S for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
In this new play by Danusia Samal, we are introduced to Saba. A teenager about to take their GCSEs who walks out of the exam room and seemly disappears. After seven months, on the night of the prom, Saba challenges their friends to find them and to see if they are now ready to listen to the worldly concerns they have been plagued by and to take action. Performed by Central Youth Theatre, Wolverhampton, this work recognises the impact of world events on young people and questions the influence of society on their emotions and actions.
I was lucky enough to see this play as part of the National Theatre's annual Connections Festival - a celebration of youth theatre from across the UK. Each year, the Connections programme commissions a selection of new plays, which are then performed by theatre companies aged between 13 and 19. Each play is brought to life as part of workshops with the actors themselves, stemming from stories and issues which inspire and matter to them. Now in its 31st year, a select number of groups have been invited to perform at the National Theatre to celebrate and recognise the hard work of the entire team throughout the year. In the same evening, I was also able to see Their Name is Joy by May Sumbwanyambe, which I have also reviewed for Theatre and Tonic.
The use of movement to express Saba’s dream was striking and continued effectively throughout the piece. When paired with additional instrumental music, these moments had added impact. This was particularly notable when the teens discovered Saba’s letters, which they had hidden around the school for their friends to find.
The group dynamic as a whole was strong and well acted, with the plot allowing the characters to break off into smaller pairings and explore deeper connections and different friendship dynamics. This structure helped reveal more about each character, which was beneficial to the story overall. While we learn the least about Saba personally, the stakes they created by the end felt believable, and I shared the same conflicted feelings about their choices as the other characters do.
Some scene transitions could have been slicker. While the music used in these moments worked well, it would have been even more effective if there had been a clearer link to the prom party simultaneously happening elsewhere in the school.
Overall, Saba’s Swim is an engaging and thought-provoking piece that was well acted, believable, and one that leaves the audience reflecting on broader themes.
