Winner of the Verity Bargate Award 2004

‘This dog, our girl, they’re not expecting her to win. We’ll never have that secret weapon again so just enjoy it. The minute she crosses that line first, it’ll be like the whole world has changed for us… you might want to think about that a little before it happens.’

On the night of their first race, five men await the arrival of a dog that they hope will change their lives. But before they’ve even left for the track, a violent situation erupts and now an innocent man could get hurt.

Fast paced, funny, yet brutally dark, A Night at the Dogs by 25 year old Matt Charman was chosen from over 700 submissions in Soho Theatre’s nationwide hunt for the best new play by a first-time playwright.

photography: Getty Images