The Hunger Games on stage: ‘The appetite for something new is really high’
This October, a new 1,200-seat theatre in London will welcome the world’s first stage production of The Hunger Games – based on the hugely popular book and film series of the same name.
It’s an ambitious production from an ambitious company: the stage is purpose built, the creative team is world class, and it’s happening, somewhat surprisingly, in Canary Wharf.
“[It] gives the opportunity to do entertainment differently… the appetite for something new is really high,” Tristan Baker, whose company is the architect behind the show, said.
Baker co-founded Troubadour Theatres in 2007, quickly building the company’s first theatre at Waterloo for a production of the Railway Children on the old Eurostar platform.
Troubadour now operates the largest film studios within the M25, as well as designing live entertainment spaces and operating the restaurants and bars within them.
“[We] love the traditional theatres, but sometimes they can be small,” Baker said. “We like designing new spaces for new audiences and new creatives.”
Troubadour’s new theatre in Canary Wharf has been designed specifically for the Hunger Games show, with a circular staging meant to imitate the arena of the games themselves.
The show has been developed for the stage alongside the original writer Suzanne Collins. It will be directed by Matthew Dunster, who directed the theatre production of 2:22 – A Ghost Story, and adapted for the stage by Irish playwright Connor McPherson.
“There’s stunts, there’s flying, there’s obviously lots of fighting, there’s rope work, there’s lots of surprises,” Baker adds.
Semi-immersive theatre productions in London have certainly been having a moment: there’s a circus-themed production of the Greatest Showman currently showing at Earls Court, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the West End – the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history – leans heavily into immersive theatre.
“There’s lots of non-traditional spaces and non-traditional shows that are having lots of success at the moment,” Baker said. “People love a night out. They love an event. They love the excitement of finding a venue [and] exploring it.”
Culture and Canary Wharf
Not an area traditionally known for its cultural offerings, Canary Wharf has undergone a huge regeneration in recent years – the glass-fronted wharf has managed to go from pure financial district to fully-fledged destination and residential area in just a few years.
“London is a huge population and there’s a limited number of sites and potential spaces that people can occupy, so therefore Canary Wharf is beautifully placed to be able to take advantage of that,” Stuart Fyfe, managing director of retail, leisure and hospitality at Canary Wharf Group, told CityAM earlier this year.
Estate agents Savills have gone so far as to call it a “readymade entertainment district”.
“It’s just the perfect place,” Baker added. “The new restaurants, or the new residences, homes, the whole area.”
“[Plus] audiences don’t mind where they go if they want to see the show… they’re very happy to travel, as long as it’s easy.”
Canary Wharf is home to the sparklingly new (but occasionally faulty) purple Elizabeth line, with visitors able to utilise swift connections to Liverpool Street, Paddington, and London Heathrow.
“We’ve long thought Canary Wharf would be a great space. And [Canary Wharf’s owners] realised that having a 1200 seat theatre as a cultural offering is brilliant, because we’re bringing 1200 people for every performance, every day that wouldn’t necessarily be coming to Canary Wharf,” Baker said.
The area also has the luxury of being large enough to accommodate big new buildings.
“[The team wanted] the audience [to] be in the round, and [to] be in an arena for The Hunger Games,” Baker added.
“And… all 1,200 seats would be a brilliant seat with a brilliant view. And that’s what we’ve created, that’s what we’ve built.”