Shakespeare’s Globe has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Animals Come to the Table, a new play by acclaimed playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker, running in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 11 December 2026 to 24 January 2027.
Directed by Anthony Lau, the production marks the latest addition to Shakespeare’s Globe’s new writing programme and expands on ideas first explored in Burnt at the Stake, or the Whole of the Truth in 2023.
Set by candlelight in the atmospheric Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the play imagines a world where animals summon humanity to the negotiating table, demanding an end to exploitation and ecological destruction.
The cast includes Annette Badland as Bea, Olivier Huband as Pan, Lydia Larson as Maude, Finbar Lynch as Percy, Simon Manyonda as Tony and Alex Young as Anna. They are joined by Rosalind Ford and Tobias Martin-Clarke as Ensemble/Cover.
Director Anthony Lau said: “Timberlake is one of the foremost dramatists of contemporary theatre and has written a searing call to arms that examines our human relationship with the natural world. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse walks the line between past and present, and there could be no more fitting an area in which to wrestle with what the future holds for us all. Funny, unnerving, and an exercise of the imaginative near future brought to life, it is a real thrill to collaborate with Timberlake on her new play. It is with real excitement that this play is part of Shakespeare’s Globe’s winter season, and it is testament to both the building and Timberlake’s commitment to incendiary drama that entertains and provokes in equal measure.”
The creative team features assistant director Sofia Gallucci, candlelight designer Elliott Griggs, composer Asaf Zohar, designer Georgia Lowe, movement director Aline David and voice coach Adam Wallis.
Wertenbaker is best known for her award-winning play Our Country’s Good, and this new work continues her tradition of tackling urgent contemporary issues through bold and imaginative storytelling.
The Animals Come to the Table runs as part of Shakespeare’s Globe’s winter season, with performances taking place in the venue’s intimate indoor theatre illuminated entirely by candlelight.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
