The previously announced stage adaptation of The Hunger Games has set dates and a home for its upcoming world premiere stage debut in London. Written by Olivier-winning playwright Conor McPherson, the work will begin performances October 20 at Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre.
If you're not familiar with that theatre, it's because it will be brand new and purpose-built expressly for The Hunger Games, adding a 1,200-seat theatre to the heart of London's Canary Wharf. Planned to be in-the-round, the venue has been designed to make audiences feel like they're part of the action.
"This specially designed theatre is the perfect home for Panem, allowing our world class team to create a transportive, electrifying experience that fully captures the scale, intensity, and spectacle of Suzanne Collins’ world," say Tristan Baker and Oliver Royds, joint CEOs and founders of Troubadour Theatres, in a joint statement. "Every element—from the staging to the technology—has been tailored to transport audiences right into the heart of the Games like never before.”
“As a dad to a teenager myself, it’s especially gratifying working on a story whose values of resilience and moral courage speak to young people in these uncertain times," adds McPherson. "Our singular focus is to honor Suzanne Collins’ achievement with a faithful adaptation that’s as thrilling on stage as it is on the page. It’s been a great pleasure to watch the theatrical language of this show evolving through explosive workshops under Matthew Dunster’s inspired partnership with choreographer Charlotte Broom and their tireless team of young performers."
Tickets will go on sale March 27 at 8 PM ET with signup at TheHungerGamesOnStage.com.
The project was first unveiled in 2023, and was initially expected to premiere last fall. Matthew Dunster (Hangmen) is directing, leading a newly announced creative team that includes set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Moi Tran, choreographer Charlotte Broom, lighting designer Lucy Carter, sound designer Ian Dickinson for Autograph, video designer Tal Rosner, illusion designer Chris Fisher, fight director Kev McCurdy, and arranger, music director, and additional composer James Maloney. Suspended Illusions will handle performer flying, and casting, to be announced, is by Amy Ball.
The play is adapted from the first in Suzanne Collins' epic book series, initially published in 2008, and its 2012 film version. The dystopian series is in a future in which children from poverty-stricken districts are selected via a lottery to participate in a televised death match. Everything is thrown into disarray when Katniss Everdeen is chosen as tribute from her district and rises to become the head of a new rebellion.
"I’m thrilled that The Hunger Games is in the hands of gifted playwright Conor McPherson and accomplished director Matthew Dunster," says Collins in a statement. "Connor has done a fantastic adaptation, which is quite unique from the screenplay. And Matthew’s immersive, dynamic staging gives the audience a brand-new way to experience the story."
“Conor McPherson lifts the detail and power from the book and film and has provided us with the kind of taut and dangerous play he is renowned for," adds Dunster. "He honors the young voice of Katniss Everdeen and puts her front and center. We've been workshopping the play for over a year with our world class creative team, carefully honing our theatrical vocabulary because we want to bring audiences something as impactful and edgy as Suzanne Collins’ novel and as passionate and exciting as the movie. But we are going to do it in our own way—in the theatre. We want our Hunger Games to be uniquely, thrillingly theatrical."
Oliver Royds, Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David, and Umeda Arts Theater are producing, by arrangement with Lionsgate.
The play will be the latest attempt to bring an action-adventure book series to the stage, following Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Lord of the Rings the Musical, and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, among others. While action has typically been difficult to bring to the live stage, the worldwide success of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, in particular, is likely inspiring similar efforts from other such properties.
