Cast and creative team announced for the world premiere of Catherine Dyson’s The Last Picture

York Theatre Royal, English Touring Theatre (ETT) and An Tobar and Mull Theatre today announce the full creative team and cast for The Last Picture. This brand-new play by Catherine Dyson provides a thought-provoking exploration of empathy, imagination, and collective memory from the perspective of an emotional support dog, Sam.

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. York Theatre Royal audiences will be familiar with Robin from recent appearances as their beloved pantomime Dame. His recent theatre credits include Footloose, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, Sense & Sensibility (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), Gaslight and Men of the World (Devonshire Park Theatre), Guy Fawkes (York Theatre Royal) and Abigail’s Party (Harrogate Theatre).

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.

Robin Simpson said: “I am delighted to be back at York Theatre Royal, this time in the Studio theatre and in a very different kind of production. When I first read Catherine’s extraordinary script I was blown away by how moving and thoughtful it was. The character of Sam is so unique and I am really looking forward to the challenge of the role and going out on tour to venues across the country.”

Catherine Dyson said, “It’s so wonderful to work with John and the creative team on the play and to be putting it in front of an audience with the very talented Robin Simpson as our Sam. Seeing your work turned into reality on stage is such a joy and I can’t wait for audiences to experience the show.”

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!”

The Last Picture plays at York Theatre Royal 5 February – 14 February. Tickets are available here.