The Young Vic has today announced that Tim Crouch’s An Oak Tree will be staged at the venue, to mark the plays 20th anniversary.

Written, performed, and co-directed by Crouch, this boundary-pushing production will feature its signature unique format, where a different guest artist takes to the stage for each performance, joining the play without having seen the script or rehearsed in advance.

Acclaimed performers such as Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Michelle Terry, Luke Thompson, Russell Tovey, and Indira Varma, are the first to be announced of 15 different guest artists, with additional names still to be revealed.

True to the play’s tradition, the identity of the guest artist will be kept secret from the audience until the performance begins.

Written in 2005, An Oak Tree tells the story of a father struggling to cope with the sudden loss of his daughter in a car accident involving a stage hypnotist. The two characters meet when the father unexpectedly volunteers to participate in the hypnotist’s act, sparking a powerful exploration of grief, memory, and the boundaries of human connection.

The play has been performed in 19 countries and has featured over 350 guest artists since its 2005 premiere. Past guest performers include celebrated names such as Frances McDormand, Geoffrey Rush, Sharon D Clarke, Alanis Morissette, Sophie Okonedo, and Peter Dinklage.

Crouch said today: “Exactly 20 years ago a laboratory was created in a small room above a pub in south London where an experiment took place. Actors were invited to try out a new play I’d written called An Oak Tree – like trying out a new drug formulation. Each time a different actor who knew nothing about the play they were going to be in – a blind test each time. For some of the actors the drug was euphoric. For some it was heartbreaking. For some it was riotous. For some it was hard work. But the experiment was never less than enthralling.

“Twenty years later and that experiment is still ongoing with 374 blind tests to date. 374 actors who have done the play with me. And the laboratory has moved on from London to New York to LA to Russia to South America to Australia to Asia. Each time an actor who doesn’t know the play. Each time the same conditions. Each time a different result.“

An Oak Tree is presented by Francesca Moody Productions in association with the Young Vic. The play is directed by Crouch, Karl James, and Andy Smith. Music is by Peter Gill.

Tickets are available via the Young Vic’s website, with priority booking for members open now and general sale starting on 27 January.

The Young Vic’s full 2025/26 season, the first under new artistic director Nadia Fall, will be announced later this year.