The Hunger Games – playwright Conor McPherson on adapting the franchise for the stage

Following last week’s big announcement regarding the world premiere production of The Hunger Games, WhatsOnStage caught up with the show’s playwright Conor McPherson.

Currently in rehearsals directing the cast of his latest play The Brightening Air, scheduled to debut at the Old Vic from 10 April, we sat down with McPherson to get his thoughts on the process of adapting the popular franchise for the stage.

Watch the video below to find out his thoughts on what will make the piece “theatrical”, meeting the original creator Suzanne Collins, and why Canary Wharf in London is such a fitting place for the stage show.

The Hunger Games is scheduled to begin performances at the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a newly designed 1,200-seat venue in London, on 20 October 2025.

Under the direction of Matthew Dunster, the creative team includes Miriam Buether (set designer), Moi Tran (costume designer), Charlotte Broom (choreographer), Lucy Carter (lighting designer), Ian Dickinson for Autograph (sound designer), Tal Rosner (video designer), Chris Fisher (illusions), Kev McCurdy (fight director), Suspended Illusions (performer flying), James Maloney (arranger, musical director and additional compositions), Amy Ball (casting director), James Robert Moore (associate director), Robyn Grant (creative assistant director), Luke Smith, (associate set designer) and Lloyd Thomas (production manager).

The Hunger Games series has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into 52 languages. The films have grossed more than $3.4 billion globally. A new novel in the series, Sunrise on the Reaping, will be released this month, with a film adaptation scheduled for November 2026.

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