AN OAK TREE’S Hypnotic Return at the Young Vic

Some plays invite you in; others hold you at arm’s length. But AN OAK TREE? It sweeps you off your feet, plants you firmly in uncertainty, and dares you to surrender to its spell. Now, twenty years after its boundary-breaking debut, Tim Crouch’s enigmatic masterpiece returns to the Young Vic with an electrifying new cast of guest performers—each of whom will walk onstage without a script, without rehearsal, and without a clue as to what happens next.

For those who revel in the thrill of live theatre, this is an invitation to witness something truly unpredictable. Let’s take a closer look at why this landmark production is still hypnotising audiences two decades on.

A Play Like No Other

First staged in 2005, AN OAK TREE is less a conventional play and more a high-wire act of theatrical improvisation, memory, and emotional excavation. At its core, the story is simple yet devastating: a father, reeling from the loss of his daughter in a car accident, encounters the man who was driving—the very stage hypnotist under whose command he now unwittingly falls. What follows is an exploration of grief, suggestion, and the fragile nature of reality itself.

But here’s the twist: while Crouch himself performs every night as the hypnotist, his co-star changes with each performance. They have never read the script. They do not know what awaits them. And yet, before our eyes, they must become the father, navigating their role in real time through instructions fed to them live on stage.

Over 350 actors have taken on this challenge in productions around the world, from Frances McDormand to Peter Dinklage, Geoffrey Rush to Sharon D Clarke. Now, for its 20th-anniversary revival, a new roster of distinguished performers is stepping into the unknown.

An Ever-Changing Line-Up of Theatrical Greats

The guest list for this iteration of AN OAK TREE is as star-studded as it is unpredictable. Previously announced names include Ṣọ́pẹ́ Dìrísù, Michelle Terry, Luke Thompson, Russell Tovey, and Indira Varma—an impressive ensemble by any measure. But today, the Young Vic has revealed even more luminaries set to take the plunge: Adjoa Andoh, Jessie Buckley, Arthur Darvill, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Mark Gatiss, and Alex Lawther. Each will perform for just one night between 6 and 24 May 2025, meaning no two performances will ever be the same.

Imagine the range of interpretations: the raw vulnerability of Jessie Buckley, the understated depth of Mark Gatiss, the quicksilver energy of Alex Lawther. Each actor’s instincts, experiences, and responses will shape the play in unforeseen ways.

Theatrical Trust and the ‘Cold Read’ Concept

For actors, stepping onto a stage without preparation is the stuff of nightmares. Yet in AN OAK TREE, it becomes the very essence of the play’s magic. The ‘cold read’ technique, pioneered here by Crouch, transforms performance into a high-stakes act of trust—between actor and playwright, between performer and audience.

This is not improvisation, nor is it mere trickery. Instead, it lays bare the raw mechanics of storytelling. The audience watches as the guest performer receives their lines in real time, a conduit for emotions they have not premeditated. It’s a process that reflects the play’s deeper themes: how we process trauma, how suggestion shapes our understanding, how storytelling itself functions as an act of surrender.

Even in an age of hyper-scripted entertainment, where every moment of drama is polished to perfection, AN OAK TREE stands as a testament to the power of uncertainty. No two nights will be the same, no two actors will bring the same presence, and no audience will witness the same experience.

The Young Vic has long been a home for bold, experimental theatre, and under new artistic director Nadia Fall, this production is a thrilling statement of intent. If you’re someone who believes theatre should challenge, surprise, and shake you to your core, then missing this would be nothing short of a tragedy.

As we count down to May, one question lingers: when the lights go up, and the latest guest artist takes their first step onto the stage, will they be ready? The truth is, they can’t be. And that’s exactly what makes AN OAK TREE unmissable.