Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey, Behind the Scenes of the Award-Winning Stage Production

W hen producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender first proposed their idea for a new play, exploring the themes of family and loss at the heart of the Harry Potter stories, I was intrigued. For years Id turned down proposals to adapt the books for the stage, but this was something different, something new.

If theres one thing Ive learnt in life, its all about the people you work with. So, when Jack Thorne and John Tiffany were brought into the team to develop the story with me, I knew I could trust them to create something truly extraordinary.

I have so many wonderful memories of the earliest rehearsals, of seeing the costumes and illusions for the first time, but what I remember most fondly about the three of us working together is the laughter. I loved the process from beginning to end.

Collaborating on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my working life and I could not be prouder of what we achieved. There is a power in live theater that cannot be replicated in any other art form, and sharing the story with an audience for the first time was a breathtaking experience I will never forget. Im thrilled that the magic can now be shared with audiences around the world.

J.K. Rowling, 2019

From left, Tom Milligan (James Potter), Christiana Hutchings (Lily Potter), Jamie Parker (Harry Potter), Poppy Miller (Ginny Potter), and Sam Clemmett (Albus Potter) in the Original West End Production

O ur first meeting with J.K. Rowling was not just a meeting about story, producer Sonia Friedman recalls. Producer Colin Callender agrees: It wasnt really about business arrangements, or would it be one part or two partsit was a meeting about parents.

It was autumn 2013, and Friedman and Callender had arranged a meeting with Rowling through her agent, Neil Blair, to discuss the possibility of a live theatrical stage production based on Harry Potter. They knew this wasnt the first time Rowling had been approached about bringing Harry Potter to the stagethere had been proposals of Harry Potter musicals, stadium shows, Harry Potter on Ice... Rowling had turned them all down. But what idea might spark the authors interest?

Sonia Friedman and her company, Sonia Friedman Productions, have been responsible for some of the most successful theater productions in London and New York. Since 1990, SFP has developed, initiated, and produced over 170 new productions and together the company has won a staggering 55 Olivier Awards, 24 Tonys, and 2 BAFTAs. Im in love with all the genres of theater, says Friedman, but at the very epicenter of it is new writing and storytelling. Everything else spirals around it, but new work, new writing, and new plays are ultimately my oxygen. As an Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and BAFTA-winning producer, Colin Callender was one of the leading forces of the British independent television production sector. As president of HBO Films, Callender played a central role at a time of great commercial and critical success before forming Playground Entertainment in 2012.

Their shared appreciation and support for new work informed the approach the producers took when brainstorming a potential Harry Potter project. We both knew, without question, it was never going to be an adaptation of the books, says Friedman. That was not interesting to us. Lets do a new play, a new story inspired by the themes and ideas around the Harry Potter stories.