The Crocodile
by Tom Basden, after Fyodor Dostoyevsky
June 2026, Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic Theatre
A satirical comedy exploring the crossovers between human and animalistic behaviour—based on a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and written for the Manchester International Festival 2015 by Tom Basden, co-creator of sitcom Plebs. Best friends Ivan, Zack, and Anya visit a zoo in St. Petersburg in 1865, only for Ivan to be swallowed alive by the zoo’s star attraction: a crocodile. Ivan, a struggling actor, takes advantage of the situation to turn his career around...
"Tom Basden turns Dostoyevsky’s allegory of capitalist inhumanity into a sharp satire on political celebrity in the Twitter age… by turns absurd, charming, and subtly sinister." —The Times
Inge-Vera Lipsius is an American-Dutch director, theatre-maker, and writer. Her most recent project, Facility 111, was presented at Assembly Rooms at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 (featured in Lyn Gardner’s Top 20 Picks for the Fringe, 4 stars from The Scotsman and Theatre Weekly, developed with Soho Theatre Labs) and at various venues in London. In 2025, her play Quad Loop was one of six pieces selected, from over 300 submissions, for the Bomb Factory Theatre New Writing Showcase at the Bush Theatre; the show had its UK premiere at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury, in 2024. She made her directorial debut at The Merchant House, Amsterdam, with Paranoia (2022/23). She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, Ecole Philippe Gaulier in France, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Link to full biography and CV.
Presented as part of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduation showcase / festival at Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic Theatre, with a full creative team and technical rig. Featuring actors from the school and a crew made up of the school’s students and staff.
“Inge-Vera Lipsius directs with an assured sense of pace, the production flowing cleanly from scene to scene, never lingering too long, never rushing past a moment that needs to land. The comedy is tightly structured, its rhythm doing much of the heavy lifting, allowing the absurdity to build without ever collapsing into chaos.” —Kris Hallett ★★★★
Production freesheet, listing full cast and crew.
Director - Inge-Vera Lipsius
Designer - Mima Jupp
Cast - Oliver Croft (Ivan), Thapelo Ray (Zack), Dannielle Stevenson (Anya), Dylan McLane (Mr Popov & co.)
Stage Managers - Cheryl Curley & Lara-Louise Jones
DSM - Olivia Wolfenden
ASM - Lily Weston
Lighting - Sam Hart
Sound - Aidan Toombs
Costume Maker - Jenna Simpkins
Costume Supervisor & Dresser - Jess Padday
Alteration Assistants - Anna Mann & Alicia Sewell
Prop Makers - Aidan Toombs, Chris Wierzbicki & Allan Edwards
Scenic Carpenters - Rhys Gillard & Andy Powell
Scenic Artist - Jo Browne
Assistant Scenic Artist - Skye Turner
UWE Assistant Director - Eiri Davies
Photography - Edward J Felton (production) & Lucy Alder (rehearsals)
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