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Daniel Ings in rehearsal for National Youth Theatre’s Letters to My Younger Future Self

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Daniel Ings and National Youth Theatre members in rehearsal for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos The first rehearsal images are out for Letters to My Younger Future Self, the National Youth Theatre’s one-night 70th anniversary show at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 20 September, with Daniel Ings at work alongside current and former NYT members.

These pictures come from the rehearsal room, not the stage. Photographer Rich Lakos caught Daniel Ings, known for The Gentlemen, working with National Youth Theatre members past and present ahead of Letters to My Younger Future Self. It is a staged performance for one night only, on Sunday 20 September 2026 at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre. Tickets are on sale now through the National Youth Theatre, and the proceeds go to the charity.

The evening marks 70 years of the NYT, which was the world’s first youth theatre. Netflix is the headline supporter. The guest list was first set out in August, and Rose Ayling-Ellis joined the line-up earlier this week.

Also performing on the night are Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions), India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Fehinti Balogun (Down Cemetery Road), Jessica Henwick (Game of Thrones), Rob Rinder (Judge Rinder), 2026 Roundhouse Poetry Slam winner Takunda Muzondiwa, Jack Thorne (Adolescence), BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Susan Wokoma (Enola Holmes), playwright James Graham (Dear England), Calam Lynch (Rings of Power), Fay Ripley (Cold Feet), Rhea Norwood (Heartstopper), TikTok comedian Megan Bolton and Rose Ayling-Ellis (Code of Silence).

Letters for the evening have been written by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joanna Lumley, Dame Joan Collins, Richard E. Grant and Matt Lucas.

Paul Roseby OBE, the NYT’s chief executive and artistic director, directs with Josie Daxter. Krishna Istha and Sophie Ellerby are the dramaturgs. Video design is by Will Duke, lighting by Prema Mehta and sound by Nicola T. Chang, with Matthew Wells as movement director. Young people from IGNITE Your Creativity, the programme Netflix runs with the NYT, will work on stage, backstage and on screen.

Netflix has partnered with the NYT since 2023, creating more than 4,000 free opportunities for young people heading for behind-the-scenes careers. Arts Council England and EON Productions also back the evening. The company is up for Excellence in Inclusivity in the 2026 UK Theatre Awards. Its former members include Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren, Matt Smith and Regé-Jean Page, and both Jack Thorne and James Graham had early breaks there.

Inside the rehearsal room for Letters to My Younger Future Self

  • Daniel Ings and National Youth Theatre members at the rehearsal table for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • National Youth Theatre members sitting on the rehearsal-room floor for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • The National Youth Theatre company in a movement session for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • National Youth Theatre members rehearsing a number with a microphone for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • National Youth Theatre members rehearsing choreography for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • National Youth Theatre members in the rehearsal room for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • A National Youth Theatre member rehearsing with a script for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos
  • A National Youth Theatre member singing into a microphone for Letters to My Younger Future Self. Photo by Rich Lakos