First-look rehearsal images have been released for Dogstar, the new play by Daisy Hall which receives its world premiere at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs later this month.
Directed by Lucy Morrison, Dogstar runs from 30 October to 5 December 2026, with a press night scheduled for 9 November.
Set aboard an icebound whaling ship, the play follows a crew stranded for months as tensions rise, mutiny brews and mysterious visions begin to spread through the vessel. Blending dark comedy with psychological intrigue, the story explores survival, belief and the forces that shape human lives.
The cast features Justin Edwards as Babben, Abdul Jalloh as Sam and Adam Rojko Vega as Gorey.
Hall returns to Hampstead Theatre following the sell-out success of her debut play Bellringers in 2024. A finalist for the 2023 Women’s Prize for Playwriting, she described Dogstar as “a kind of fairytale” set within a vividly realised historical world.
Hall said: “With Dogstar I was interested in writing a kind of fairytale, but one set in a very specific time and place. I am so excited to be returning to Hampstead Theatre and to be working with Lucy Morrison and such a brilliant cast and creative team.”
Hampstead Theatre Producer and Chief Executive Greg Ripley-Duggan praised Hall’s latest work and the theatre’s continued support of emerging playwrights.
He said: “We thought Daisy Hall’s debut play, Bellringers, which ran Downstairs two years ago, such an extraordinary piece of writing that we very swiftly commissioned this, her second play. Dogstar again transports the audience to a superficially familiar but alien and surprising universe, and is every bit as imaginative, compelling and darkly funny as the first play. Daisy is a very special talent and she is clearly destined for great things, so it’s wonderful for Hampstead Theatre to be able to support her early career in this way. That, after all, is one of the key objectives of our Downstairs programme.”
Lucy Morrison also returns to Hampstead following the sell-out productions of Personal Values and The Animal Kingdom. She is joined on the creative team by designer Hannah Schmidt, lighting designer Holly Ellis and sound designer Anna Short.
Dogstar marks Hall’s eagerly anticipated return to Hampstead Downstairs with a story that asks whether the crew’s increasingly strange experiences are symptoms of isolation and scurvy, or something far more extraordinary.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
