Timberlake Wertenbaker's The Animals Come to the Table: first look at the Globe premiere

A new video from Shakespeare's Globe gives audiences a first proper look inside The Animals Come to the Table, the world premiere from Timberlake Wertenbaker that opens the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse to the natural world this winter. In the clip, released on Thursday 29 October 2026, Wertenbaker talks with director Anthony Lau about the play and the question at its heart: "The animals are ready to talk. Are we ready to listen?" See dates and tickets for The Animals Come to the Table at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

In this article: The Animals Come to the Table, Timberlake Wertenbaker, Anthony Lau, Annette Badland, Finbar Lynch, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe, world premiere, new writing.

What is the play about?

The Globe describes the evening simply: "The lights go out. The animals arrive. And humanity is summoned to the negotiating table." A negotiator and an interpreter are called to a secret emergency meeting, and waiting for them are a chicken, a rat, a snow leopard and an army of voices from the natural world, all demanding an end to exploitation and ecological destruction.

The theatre calls the piece "Funny, furious and unsettling", a play that "imagines the moment the earth finally answers back". One line from the script, released by the Globe, sets the tone: "We do not have years. Nor do you. Nor does the earth."

Who wrote it, and where did it begin?

Timberlake Wertenbaker is one of the UK's leading playwrights, and her plays are studied and performed worldwide. She is the recipient of an Olivier Award and a New York Drama Critics Award, among many others.

This new work began life in 2023 as part of a Globe initiative in which playwrights were invited to share new work anonymously. It now joins the theatre's line of new writing for the indoor playhouse, which the Globe says was written with its candlelit space in mind. The theatre sums up the result as bringing "together politics, wit, philosophy and mischief".

Who is in the cast?

Annette Badland plays Bea, with Finbar Lynch as Percy, Simon Manyonda as Tony, Alex Young as Anna, Lydia Larson as Maude and Olivier Huband as Pan. Rosalind Ford and Tobias Martin-Clarke complete the line up in the ensemble and as covers.

Anthony Lau directs. His credits include Man and Boy at the National Theatre.

When does it run?

The Animals Come to the Table plays the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 11 December 2026 to 24 January 2027 as part of the Globe's winter season, running alongside Julius Caesar in the same candlelit space. On 22 January 2027 the Globe hosts a panel discussion with members of the creative team, exploring the premiere and its key themes.

The production contains references to sexual violence. The Globe also lists assisted performances in January 2027, with details on its access pages.

What else should readers catch up on?

• Julius Caesar cast revealed for the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
• Michelle Terry to step down as artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe in 2027
• Full cast for Pinocchio at Shakespeare's Globe

The candlelit playhouse is an intimate room, so it pays to choose a date early. See dates and tickets for The Animals Come to the Table at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Header image: Sebastian Nevols