Phil’s first experience of directing theatre is Joanna Pickering’s play Don’t Harm the Animals, at the Hay Festival 2026.
Don’t Harm the Animals tells the story of a woman isolated at the top of a mountain, and deals with issues of PTSD in the aftermath of sexual assault. It shines a light on the lack of understanding given to victims and addresses the impact of secondary revictimisation.
Emma Stoddart (she/her) – Creative Director – KirkStod Media
Joanna Pickering’s debut performance at Hay Festival with ‘Don’t Harm the Animals’, directed by Philip John (Downton Abbey, Outlander, Iron Fist) felt far from traditional theatre. Instead, It feels like watching somebody try to survive themselves in real time.
The play was perfumed in an open marquee and explores trauma, PTSD, sexual assault, and the long shadow that these experiences leave behind.
It was written in 2023, originally for Loraine Hayes ‘PUNCHED’ series, produced in partnership with Annie Lennox’s The Circle charity, and was subsequently expanded. This then secured Pickering a full-length commission on the writing and performance with Broadway producer Eric Krebs and is set to premiere this autumn.
What makes this performance so compelling is that neither Pickering nor John 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, alone, almost makes her feel deeply real.
What struck me most watching the opening night of this performance was Pickering’s restraint. The collaboration between actor and director is particularly evident in the production’s pacing. 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. Under John’s direction, 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 rather than performance theatrics. Nothing here feels manufactured. It feels exposing.
It isn’t always comfortable to watch, and it absolutely should not be, but ‘Don’t Harm The Animals’ succeeds because of the powerful synergy between Joanna Pickering and Philip John, that has created the kind of performance that makes it impossible to look away.