The new play will open at the York Theatre Royal on 6th February 2026, running in York until 14 February 2026, before touring with ETT to HOME Manchester, Bristol Old Vic and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre.
York Theatre Royal, English Touring Theatre (ETT) and An Tobar and Mull Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for The Last Picture the new play by Catherine Dyson.
Imagine yourself in a theatre in 2026. Now picture yourself as a Year 9 student on a school trip. And then as a citizen of Europe in 1939 as history takes its darkest turn.
While you imagine, Sam will be by your side. Sam is an emotional support dog. Sam is here to look after you. Sam will keep everyone safe.
This play is about empathy – its power, its limits, and what it asks of us. It’s about our shared past, our present, and the choices we face today.
Directed by John R. Wilkinson, the play will see actor and storyteller Robin Simpson take on the role of Sam as he takes a group of school children on a trip around an exhibit focusing on Europe in 1939.
The creative team is completed by Natasha Jenkins (Designer); Benny Goodman (Lighting Designer); Max Pappenheim (Sound Designer); and Alexia Kalogiannidis (Movement Director).
Opening at York Theatre Royal on 6 February 2026, with a preview on the 5 February, the play will run in York until 14 February 2026, before touring with ETT to HOME Manchester, Bristol Old Vic and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. The play was one of the winning scripts selected by the RSC for their 37 Plays competition in 2023.
Talking about the news, Director John R. Wilkinson: “The Last Picture will offer audiences a profoundly human and immersive journey and we have an incredible team on board to bring the play to life. Robin has a wonderful versatility as a performer – York audiences already know and love him as our warm and funny panto dame – and I am so excited to see what he does with the role of Sam. So much of the show relies on the audience’s imagination and how Sam gets us to experience that together and Robin for me, is the perfect actor to take us on that journey. I can’t wait for rehearsals to start!”