
International Theatre Database
Category
Play
Country
United Kingdom
Run Dates
Sep 29 - Oct 24, 2026
Venue
Run Time
70 minutes
2026.09.29 ~ 2026.10.24
Finborough Theatre
Two ex-classmates wait for the Stranraer ferry back to Belfast… Jimmy is a struggling actor chasing the break that never comes. Eddie is a celebrity footballer who, despite being Protestant, is the captain of Celtic. At first, they reconnect over football, Father Ted and the staunch Unionist culture they grew up in, but what begins as banter spirals into confrontation as buried resentments, betrayal and violence rise to the surface… Provocative and hilarious, David Ireland’s explosive debut play is a portrait of two men trapped by the stories they tell themselves and each other. First performed in 2009 at Òran Mór, Glasgow, as part of their legendary A Play, A Pie and A Pint season, and newly urgent in an era of renewed political tribalism and sectarianism, What the Animals Say is where it all began… Harry Burton directs Robbie Martin and Matthew Blaney returning to the Finborough Theatre after his OffWestEnd Award nominated performance in David Ireland’s Not Now.
David Ireland
Playwright/Author
Harry Burton
Director
Robin Stewart
Assistant Director
Alex Marker
Set Designer
Jodi Rabinowitz
Lighting Designer
Ellie Landgrebe
Costume Designer
Joe Dines
Sound Designer
Sophia Knight
Makeup Designer, Hair&Wig Designer
Lesley Clay
Stage Manager
Raffy Elliston
Stage Manager
Matthew Blaney
Cast
Robbie Martin
Cast