Mathew Baynton, Jack Holden and Caitlin FitzGerald are among seven more actors who will each walk on stage unrehearsed opposite Tim Crouch in An Oak Tree at The Other Palace before the run ends on 15 November 2026.
Sid Sagar, whose recent stage work includes Mrs Warren's Profession at the Garrick Theatre and Summerfolk at the National Theatre, is the first of the seven to step in, sharing the stage with Tim Crouch for one performance of An Oak Tree at The Other Palace on 17 October. Francesca Moody Productions named the latest additions to the rotating guest list on 16 October.
Jack Holden takes his turn on 11 November. He won the 2026 Olivier Award for Best Actor for KENREX: A True Crime Thriller, the solo show he co-created with its director, and Cruise, which he wrote and performed, was nominated for Best New Play at the 2022 Oliviers.
Mathew Baynton, who co-created and stars in the BBC sitcom Ghosts after making his name in Horrible Histories, appears on 28 October. On stage, Baynton played Bottom in the RSC's A Midsummer Night's Dream, a production that later transferred to the Barbican.
Caitlin FitzGerald, who was Desdemona in the recent West End Othello opposite Toby Jones and David Harewood, is booked for 22 October. Phoebe Campbell, Lady Rhaena Targaryen in HBO's House of the Dragon and the lead in Kendall Feaver's Alma Mater at the Almeida Theatre, follows on 27 October.
Melanie La Barrie, the original West End Hermes in Hadestown and more recently Old Deuteronomy in Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, is in on 24 October, sharing the date with the previously announced Tanya Reynolds, who has the evening performance. Khalid Abdalla, Dodi Fayed in Netflix's The Crown and seen lately in ITV's Secret Service, completes the batch on 13 November.
The seven new dates in 2026:
- 17 October: Sid Sagar
- 22 October: Caitlin FitzGerald
- 24 October: Melanie La Barrie
- 27 October: Phoebe Campbell
- 28 October: Mathew Baynton
- 11 November: Jack Holden
- 13 November: Khalid Abdalla
The device has been the heart of Crouch's play since its 2005 premiere: the second performer arrives having neither read nor rehearsed a line, and meets the script for the first time in front of the audience. More than 350 actors have done it over two decades, in productions seen in more than 19 countries. Earlier guests in this run include Juliet Stevenson, Reece Shearsmith and Olivia Williams, and the previous round of casting brought in Adrian Lester, Katie Leung and Rosie Sheehy. Suranne Jones is booked for the last date of the run, 15 November.
An Oak Tree opens the Francesca Moody Productions season at The Other Palace, which continues with Garry Starr: Classic Penguins from 22 October 2026 and Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen from 19 November 2026. Twenty tickets at £20 are held for every performance across the season.
An Oak Tree, directed by Tim Crouch, Karl James and Andy Smith, with music by Pete Gill, is booking at The Other Palace until 15 November 2026.
