Fresh from a divorce and newly crammed into a tiny Brooklyn flat, Sarita is trying to rebuild her life. She may not have all the answers, but she knows one thing: she is definitely not a dog person.
Then a scruffy stray appears on her doorstep and refuses to take the hint. Suddenly Sarita is navigating dog parks, meddling dog owners, and a canine companion who seems convinced they’re soulmates.
As her carefully ordered life descends into comic chaos, Sarita discovers that sometimes the family you end up with is better than the one you planned.
As her carefully ordered life descends into comic chaos, Sarita discovers that sometimes the family you end up with is better than the one you planned.
Dog Mom is an offbeat and heartfelt comedy about starting over, finding your people, and learning that love occasionally arrives covered in mud.
Ahead of performances at Southwark Playhouse, we chatted with writer Tate Elizabeth Hanyok and director Ajay Chowdhury.
Dog Mom comes to the UK via the National New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere programme. How has this iterative process—working with completely different creative teams across multiple cities—changed your relationship to the script compared to a traditional world premiere?
Tate: I’m the kind of writer who is never quite done writing. A story is always growing, and a rolling world premiere gave me this rare opportunity to keep refining and exploring the play as I watched different theaters interpret it. Seeing how different artists approach the same moment can reveal something I hadn’t seen before—or spark an entirely new idea. It has also helped me see how the play lives on very different kinds of stages, and where I could make adjustments so the storytelling works in any space. I’m not sure a play is ever truly finished, but my very wise publisher told me, “A play is done when you publish it.” Of course, I’ve already sent them an updated version.
For this UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse, you worked directly with the team to specifically refine Sarita’s character as an Indian-American woman in her fifties. What nuances or cultural specificities emerged during this adaptation that weren't present in earlier US productions?
Tate: I’m about to find out! Rehearsals have just begun, but this team has already brought such a unique and warm approach to the play. I think the specificity that emerges will be cultural, of course, but also deeply personal—the specificity of these particular artists and their hearts. One of the coolest things about seeing multiple productions is watching each creative team tug at different threads of the play. Inevitably, some spark of their creative heart and soul becomes part of the piece in a way that belongs to no other production. I fully expect that here. They’re a rather electric bunch.
Comedy often focuses on young adulthood or romance, but Dog Mom tackles starting over, family expectations, and identity in your fifties. What made you want to explore this particular window of a woman's life through a comedic lens?
Tate: When I was coming up as an actress, I wasn’t particularly excited by the characters I imagined playing in middle life. I didn't know where I'd fit. And I wanted to create the kind of roles that every actress I knew would want to play—not just once, but maybe again five years later, and maybe even a different part in the show. There have been productions where the characters are in their 30's-60's. Starting over doesn't have an age or a type. And it should be a lot of fun!
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| Tate Elizabeth Hanyok |
Pets have a unique way of bypassing human defenses and emotional walls. What drew you to an older stray dog specifically—rather than a puppy or a human relationship—as the catalyst for Sarita’s emotional awakening?
Tate: In a way, the dog is starting over too. They both come into each other’s lives carrying some history, a little bruised and unsure of what comes next. There’s also something magical about the relationship we have with our pets. They become our best friends, and I wanted to explore what happens when you give that best friend a human voice. We’re incredibly forgiving and empathetic with animals—we imagine what they’re feeling, we give them the benefit of the doubt, we love them without requiring very much in return. Human relationships are so much more complicated. It’s harder to lead with that same kind of grace and unconditional love. The dog gives Sarita a way into that.
This marks the play’s first production outside the United States. What are you most curious to see regarding how British audiences react to the humour and heart of the play compared to American audiences?
Tate: I expect to learn a lot! I think the heart of the play is universal, but I’m very curious to see where the laughs land differently. I’m a huge fan of British humour—I grew up on Monty Python. Now that I say that, I’m sure some of that influence found its way into the play! And thankfully, Ajay is a Brit, so he’s already helping build that bridge. He’s pointed out words or phrases that might muddy a joke because they aren’t commonly used in the UK. Comedy is so dependent on rhythm and recognition. The play is set in New York. And we are bringing you all a slice!
How does your experience across theatre, technology and crime writing shape your approach in the rehearsal room?
Ajay: I’ve always been driven by the joy of creating something that didn’t exist before and seeing how people interact with it. And whether it’s launching an app, writing a novel or directing a play, success is dependent on collaboration.
Writing starts as a solitary activity, but once you hand the manuscript to an editor, it becomes a joint effort. Directing is intensely collaborative from the beginning. Everyone is responsible for a crucial part of the production, and if any one of us fluffs it, the whole thing can wobble. The same is true of creating a tech business!
In the rehearsal room, that means having a clear idea of what I’m trying to achieve, but being open to someone coming up with something better. Otherwise, why bring all these talented people together?
What drew you to Dog Mom, and why does Sarita’s story feel relevant to London audiences now?
Ajay: Dog Mom is about a recently divorced woman in her fifties who is absolutely not a dog person, and what happens when she encounters a golden retriever from the street who will not leave her side – and seems to read her mind. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving and, I think, will put a much needed smile in people’s hearts this autumn.
I was drawn to Sarita’s determination to get her life under control, and how the arrival of this creature makes that completely impossible. There’s something very relatable about that. You can live in a city as crowded as London and still feel terribly alone. And sometimes the love you need is the love you’d never have chosen.
It’s a co-production with the EnActe Arts, America’s largest Asian theatre company, and Riding Lights, a brilliant company from York. It’s been the biggest pleasure bringing those worlds together.
How are you shaping Sarita’s story as an Indian-American woman for Southwark’s diverse local community?
Ajay: Sarita happens to be Indian-American, but she is also a particular person: funny, stubborn, vulnerable and occasionally unreasonable. She’s going through a divorce and trying to work out what she wants from the rest of her life. There’s plenty there for people to relate to, whatever their background.
Our brilliant cast is multi-ethnic - Indian, American, Black, White—and our talented crew all bring their own perspectives. That gives us a lot to draw on when we’re exploring the characters and their relationships. And between us, we own ten dogs and one cat, so there’s been no shortage of advice on canine behaviour. I’m not sure the cat would approve of the script.
What unexpected disruptions have opened meaningful new doors in your own life?
Ajay: One thing I’ve realised is that it’s impossible to plan a career. You have to keep your eyes and ears open and grab opportunities when they arrive.
I became a crime writer almost by accident. My wife spotted a tweet about a competition for first-time crime writers and suggested I enter. I’d always loved reading, but I had no plans to become a novelist. I did, however, have this idea nagging at me: a cop from Kolkata who is thrown out of the force for corruption and ends up working in a restaurant in London’s East End, solving crimes on the side.
To my amazement, I won, and The Waiter was born. It struck a chord with readers, and I’ve now written six books in the series, with two more coming out by 2027. If my wife hadn’t seen that tweet, I’d be doing something very different.
How does writing crime fiction inform the way you direct character-driven comedy?
Ajay: I’ve been directing plays for more than forty years and writing crime thrillers for only six, so the influence probably runs both ways. But coming back to directing after more than a decade, while still working on a new thriller - because deadlines are deadlines - has made the similarities very clear.
Both depend on knowing when to give something away and when to hold back. A pause can get a laugh, create tension or let you realise that someone is more hurt than they’re admitting. You have to give readers and audiences enough to draw them in, then trust them to fill in the gaps.
And ultimately, you have to care about the people in the piece. You can construct the cleverest plot in the world, but if nobody cares what happens to your characters, it won’t touch them. That’s as true of Dog Mom as it is of a crime novel.
Tate, as a writer who remains actively involved through the Rolling World Premiere process, and Ajay, as a director with deep ties to international and UK theatre—how did you two establish your creative shorthand, and where did your perspectives challenge or enrich the script during rehearsals?
Tate: I got so lucky with Ajay. He’s a writer himself and a deeply intelligent creative. He asks incredibly smart questions, he’s curious, and he thinks ten steps ahead. As a writer, you hope a director sees all the tent poles of the story—not just what’s on the page, but what’s holding it up underneath.
From our very first read-through, I could tell he did. That creates an enormous amount of trust, and I can’t wait to see it all come together. And the cast! They're so great. Ajay and Vinita pulled together an amazing team.
Ajay: What interested me was how much a play can change when you put different people at its centre. In the US production, the lead was a white American woman in her mid-thirties. Here, Sarita is Indian-American and in her fifties. That changes what starting again might mean to her, and what she feels she has to lose.
Tate has been a joy to work with because she was excited about reinventing Dog Mom for this new angle. I worked with her and with Vinita Belani (who is playing Sarita) and we thought about how the play would change. To our surprise, the play was so beautifully written that the changes were quite minor. Tate’s writing leaves enough space for the actors to bring out their own interpretations of character and emotion.
That’s what I love about working on a new play. An actor tries something, a line lands differently, and suddenly you see a possibility you hadn’t noticed on the page.
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| Ajay Chowdhury |
Why was it crucial for both of you to tell a story about midlife reinvention, and what does Dog Mom say about the freedom (and chaos) of starting over later in life?
Tate: Simply put, I think the secret to everything is community. Starting over can be terrifying at any age, but there’s also tremendous freedom in realizing you don’t have to become who you thought you were supposed to be—and you don’t have to do it alone. DOG MOM is ultimately about how we heal each other. And I really believe that if we can heal each other, we can help heal the world.
Ajay: There’s an assumption that by your fifties you should have worked everything out. I’m in my sixties and still waiting! You accumulate experience, of course, but that doesn’t mean you stop making mistakes or finding yourself in situations you’re completely unprepared for.
Sarita has a definite idea of the direction her new life should take. Unfortunately for her, the dog hasn’t read the plan. I love the comedy in that, but also the possibility. Starting again can be frightening and undignified and still turn out to be wonderfully transformative, especially at mid-life, as so many of us have learned.
What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on you?
Tate: Goldilocks on Trial by my hero, Mr. Ed Monk. It was silly and full of colorful characters everyone wanted to play. We made bold choices and learned how to make the stage our own. At 15, I made a pack of friends for life, and we still quote the show to each other. Theatre for young audiences is so transformational and important. It doesn’t just create the next generation of theatergoers—it shapes the next generation of storytellers.
Ajay: The play that probably had the biggest impact on me was Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, which I saw at the Tramshed in Glasgow. It was nine hours long and remains one of the most wonderful pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen. Simple, yet epic. Indian, yet universal.
I also have the honour of serving on the board of Cheek by Jowl. Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod do extraordinary work with the classics, finding the humanity in plays you think you know and making you see them afresh. Their podcasts are well worth a listen. Even after more than forty years of directing, I always learn something.
What keeps you inspired to tell stories like Dog Mom?
Tate: When I see an audience enter as strangers and leave as neighbors—swapping stories about their beloved pets—I know we’re accomplishing the mission. Moving hearts, creating connection, and giving people the chance to experience joy together. That’s what keeps me inspired.
Ajay: I love what happens when a roomful of strangers starts laughing together. And then, a few minutes later, you can hear a pin drop because something has touched them. There’s enormous pleasure in helping to make that happen.
Dog Mom gives us both. The dogs are funny and outrageous and say things the humans would never dare to utter. But you also find yourself caring about this woman who is trying very hard to convince herself she’s fine on her own. That combination is a joy to work with.
What would you hope audiences take away from seeing Dog Mom?
Tate: Forgive someone. Help a stranger. Adopt a stray. Love again. (wonderful and thoughtful questions-- thank you!)
Ajay: First of all, I hope they’ve had a really good evening. I want them to laugh, perhaps shed a tear, and leave feeling fond of these rather complicated people and their dogs.
And perhaps they’ll recognise something of themselves in Sarita. Most of us have had moments when
we’ve decided we’re better off managing everything on our own. It’s quite nice to be reminded that we don’t always have to.
I also suspect a few dogs are going to get an extra cuddle when their owners get home.
Dog Mom makes its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough on Wednesday 14 October to Saturday 7 November 2026. For more information visit: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/dog-mom/
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