Video: New Preview of THE ANIMALS COME TO THE TABLE at Shakespeare's Globe

A new clip from Shakespeare's Globe features playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker in conversation with director Anthony Lau about her upcoming play The Animals Come to the Table, which premieres this winter at the venue's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. In the discussion, Wertenbaker and Lau speak to the premise of the piece, with the video posing the question, 'The animals are ready to talk. Are we ready to listen?'

The Animals Come to the Table is written by Timberlake Wertenbaker, known for Our Country's Good, and centers on animals summoning humanity to a negotiating table, where an army of voices from the natural world demand an end to exploitation and ecological destruction. The play was originally conceived as part of Burnt at the Stake, or the Whole of the Truth in 2023, an initiative in which playwrights were invited to share new work anonymously, and marks the latest production in Shakespeare's Globe's new writing lineage.

The world premiere runs in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse from 11 December 2026 through 24 January 2027 as part of the venue's winter season, directed by Anthony Lau, whose credits include Man and Boy at The National Theatre.