May 7 - 19

Lost Thought presents

SHOOK

Written by Samuel Bailey

Directed by Emma Whitehead

An AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

“This moment in your life, this place here, doesn’t have to define you”

Locked up in a dangerous youth offenders’ institution, teenagers Riyad and Cain trade insults, barter for sweets, and dream of their imminent fatherhood. When they meet conspicuously quiet new inmate Jonjo at a parenting skills course, they speculate what kind of crime brought him inside.  

Over several months, guided by no-nonsense social worker Grace, the boys take a rare opportunity to explore their masculinity, relationships, and future ambitions. Will they take action to escape the system for good, or remain and stay shook?

The Australian premiere of this energetic, abrasive, and savagely funny drama is a hard-hitting but refreshingly honest tale of the voiceless in society. Winner of the UK Papatango New Writing Prize 2019, Bailey’s play asks if those raised with the odds stacked against them can ever truly break the cycle.

★★★★ – The Times, The Stage, Evening Standard, WhatsOnStage, Sunday Times, The I

“Samuel Bailey’s knockout professional debut rings with fresh truth” – The New York Times

“Astonishingly brilliant…one of the best debut plays I have ever seen” – Saturday Review, BBC Radio Four

Cast and Creative Team

Producing Company: Lost Thought

Playwright: Samuel Bailey

Director & Producer: Emma Whitehead

Assistant Director: Atharv Kolhatkar

Assistant Producers: Jack Calver & Ryan Whitworth

Set & Costume Designer: Lochie Odgers

Lighting Designer: Priyanka Martin

Composer: Oran Harkin

Stage Manager: Sophie Jones

Creative Marketing: Becky Matthews

Fight Choreographer: Diego Retamales

Cultural Consultant: Naser Ali

Prisons Consultant: Philip Greenhow

Cast (of 4): Louis Regan (CAIN), Malek Domköc (RIYAD), Isaac Harley (JONJO), Edyll Ismail (GRACE)

This listing is updated as cast/creatives are confirmed in the lead-up to the production, and if there are changes to the team.

Dates + Ticketing

Season: May 7 - 19

Note- preview is 7/05, opening night (invite only) is 8/05

Times: 9.15pm Tues-Sat, 7.30pm Sun

Ticket Prices:

  • Preview: $20 + booking fee

  • General Admission: $25 + booking fee

Approximate Run Time: 90 minutes

Content Warnings: Shook contains very strong language, loud noises, and flashing lights. The production includes references to suicide, self-harm, domestic violence, gangs, and drug use. There are scenes of a violent nature, sexually explicit language, and occasions of homophobic, misogynistic, ableist, and racist language. Age advisory 14+.

An Amateur Production By Arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical, on behalf of Nick Hern Books.

Note: Shook is part of the Old Fitz Theatre’s 2024 Late Night program and will take to the stage after the Mainstage team have taken their bows. Booking a ticket to both a paired Mainstage and Late Night show will automatically apply a 20% discount to your Late Night ticket at checkout.