Dogstar description
A whaling crew trapped in the polar ice begins to see things that cannot be there.
A whaling vessel has been held fast in the ice for months. Supplies are running down, the crew are dropping one by one, and the men still standing are losing their reasons to obey the order of the ship. Mutiny gathers below decks. Then the sailors begin to share the same visions - which may be a symptom of scurvy, an effect of the endless polar dark, or something closer to revelation.
Dogstar is a world premiere, a darkly comic play about what people hold on to when everything else has been taken from them. It runs in Hampstead Downstairs, the studio theatre where Daisy Hall's first play Bellringers sold out in 2024 after a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Bellringers was a finalist for the Women's Prize for Playwriting in 2023. The production has an age guidance of 14+ and includes strong language and themes of death and illness.
The play is written by Daisy Hall, a member of the Royal Court's long-form playwriting group, and directed by Lucy Morrison. Morrison was Associate Director of the Royal Court from 2014 to 2023, where her productions included That Is Not Who I Am by Lucy Kirkwood, Scenes with girls by Miriam Battye and Hope Has a Happy Meal by Tom Fowler. She has also directed The Animal Kingdom and Akedah at Hampstead Theatre, and was previously Head of Artistic Programme at Clean Break.
Casting is to be announced.
Book tickets for a new play about hunger, belief and the visions that arrive when the light goes out.
Playing at Hampstead Theatre
Age restrictions
Ages 14+.
Important information
Content warnings: Thematic: death, illness, strong language, sudden loud noises.