The Animals

What happens when imagination becomes survival?

Set inside a youth custody classroom, The Animals is a fierce, poetic and deeply human play about identity, anger, compassion — and the stories we tell ourselves to survive systems that refuse to listen.

As philosophy lessons spark unlikely conversations, the young people in the room begin to transform. Chairs become savannahs. Trauma takes animal form. And a monstrous idea — of who society says these young people are — looms large.

This powerful production is brought to life by The Boaty Young Theatre Makers, whose work has already earned national recognition for its ambition, emotional intelligence and fearless storytelling.

In 2023, the company were invited to transfer their production of Innocent Creatures by Leo Butler to the Dorfman Stage at the National Theatre, as part of the NT Connections Festival — an extraordinary achievement for any youth ensemble.

The National Theatre has praised Boaty as ‘incredible collaborators’, ‘ambitious and tenacious theatre-makers’, and ‘exemplary in the way they work with young people’.

Now, they return to the stage — this time in the main performance space at Shakespeare North Playhouse — with a bold, urgent production that asks:

Who gets to be heard?

Who gets written off?

And what happens when young people refuse to accept the roles the world places on them?

Raw, imaginative and unforgettable, The Animals is not just a youth theatre production — it is a reminder of theatre’s power to challenge, to listen, and to change the conversation.

🎭 Performed by a company whose work continues to reach national stages

‘This play doesn’t ask for sympathy — it asks for attention. The Animals is about the invisible weight young people carry, the damage done when they’re reduced to labels, and what can change when they’re finally allowed to imagine themselves differently. We’re incredibly proud to be bringing this play to Shakespeare North Playhouse, a venue that has always welcomed us, and to be performing in the Cockpit — letting these voices take up the room they deserve.’ — Laura J Harris, Artistic Director, The Boaty Theatre Company