Joanna Pickering's Play at Hay Festival: "Impossible to look away!"
Hay-on Wye, Wales, July 28th 2026
A theatre review by
Emma Stoddart
Photos by
Sam Hardwick @ Hay Festival
Pickering's "Don't harm the animals" brings raw emotional honesty on stage
Hay Festival of Literature & Arts in Hay-on-Wye is renowned for bringing together the world’s leading writers, thinkers and campaigners. This summer British playwright and actress Joanna Pickering brought a strong theatrical presence with her one-woman play Don’t Harm the Animals, becoming one of the festival’s most striking live performances. The one-act play explores the aftermath of sexual assault through the story of Jane, a woman living in isolation while coming to terms with the lack of support from her peers. The festival programme also featured Gisèle Pelicot and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, reflecting the festival’s wider focus on women’s narrative and their resilience.
Pickering’s play was directed by BAFTA-winning television director Philip John, best known for his work on Downton Abbey and Marvel productions. Don’t Harm the Animals marked John’s theatre directorial debut. It performed in The Bookshop Marquee on consecutive dates and on the Hay Festival Global Stage as part of A Spoken Word Gala. This performance reached a full house of 1,800 people and was live-streamed with access to digital members across more than 70 countries.
Emma Stoddart was at the Festival and attended the opening performance at TheBookshop Marquee.
Here is her review:
Joanna Pickering’s Don’t Harm the Animals felt far from traditional theatre, but rather like watching somebody try to survive themselves in real time. The play explores the trauma of sexual assault, PTSD, and examines the long shadows these experiences leave behind.
What makes the performance so compelling is that Pickering’s play does not allow the character to become a cliché. Jane is not written as fragile or saint-like. She is messy, sharp, defensive, incredibly self-aware and at times almost impossible to read. This complexity makes her feel deeply real.
The writing is powerful and combined with the intensity of Pickering's performance, guided by John's precision, it is an impacting and poignant play.
What struck me most watching the opening night of this performance was Pickering’s restraint. Many solo performances can mistake volume for intensity, but both Pickering and John understand that silence alone has the power to be far more devastating. Pickering let pauses linger uncomfortably and emotionally unresolved thus forcing the audience to sit with the weight of the emotion. And because of that, when the cracks finally appear, they hit much harder.
Pickering understands that theatre about trauma only works when it risks emotional honesty and John enhances this by ensuring no performance theatrics. Nothing here feels manufactured. It feels exposing.
It isn’t always comfortable to watch, and it absolutely should not be, but Joanna Pickering gives the kind of performance that makes it impossible to look away.
Emma Stoddart is a Scottish writer, producer, director, and content creator including video blogger, influencer and critic for art and entertainment, attending major festivals and screenings. With a background in theatre, she has written, produced, and directed a range of stage productions, with a focus on character-driven stories and socially relevant themes. Alongside her creative work, she creates film and television content through her TikTok series Screen & Substance and is currently developing original writing projects through her Kirkstod Media.
About the Production
Don’t Harm the Animals was performed in The Bookshop Marquee and was presented on Hay Festival’s Global Stage as part of Speaking Up for Success: A Spoken Word Gala, alongside performers Miriam Margolyes, Larry Lamb, Paterson Joseph and Cressida Cowell, hosted by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. This event is now available to watch as a member of the Hay Festival website here and supports local school children succeeding in the performing arts.
Don’t Harm the Animals was originally written in 2023 to a collection of monologues addressing sexual violence for Annie Lennox’s charity, The Circle, produced by Lorien Hayes, but the work evolved into a standalone one-woman play. It premiered at The Chain Theatre in New York City with Melody Brooks and has been produced as a benefit performance.
Joanna Pickering is a multi-award-winning British actress and playwright. Her play Lara’s Journey was live-streamed to more than one million viewers to raise awareness for Ukrainian refugees. Her full-length play Crash Landing is under commission with a Broadway award-winning team, while her novella Jen Z releases on 10 November at Ann Patchett’s Parnassus Books by Blackstone Publishing. Her trilogy of plays, Truth, Lies and Deception, is available through The Drama Book Shop and Next Stage Press.
For upcoming dates visit: www.joannapickering.com
Philip John brings more than 25 years of experience across television and film. A BAFTA winner for Bang and a multi-nominee for Downton Abbey and Being Human, his directing credits include Downton Abbey, Outlander and Marvel productions including Iron Fist, Cloak & Dagger and Runaways. His feature films include Wedding Belles and Moon Dogs, with his upcoming film The Long Way scheduled to begin production in 2026.
For more information on Philip John’s work, visit: www.philipjohn.net Instagram: @philiprayjohn
Production credits Script Assistant: Estefania Martir Rohena Stage Manager: Aaron John
W.E.L SAFE provided wellbeing support at the festival.
