SHOOK

SHOOK

Directed by Jessica Hanley

Three young offenders. Three young fathers. One chance to rewrite what comes next.

Inside a young offender institution, Cain, Riyad and Jonjo meet in Grace’s parenting class. Between CPR practice, nappies and baby dolls, three very different teenagers confront what it means to care for a child while they are still struggling to understand themselves. As jokes, rivalry and bravado give way to unexpected tenderness, each must reckon with the past that brought him inside and the future waiting beyond the walls. Funny, raw and deeply human, Samuel Bailey’s Shook asks whether care can be learned, whether people can truly change—and whether any of us should be defined by the worst thing we have done.

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Shook is performed as part of
the MFA Directing Season, 2026.