John Tiffany on Directing “Cursed Child” and Bringing New Audiences to Theater

John Tiffany was already an award-winning stage director when he decided to join J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne in the creation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but that doesn’t mean he took it lightly. He knew he was stepping onto a whole new playing field. In an interview with WhatsOnStage, he recalls the feeling of responsibility, knowing what this play meant to theater.

 I had read those books with my nephews and godkids and had seen how they connect with the emotional heart of it. I knew that I didn’t want to be the person [who] made Harry Potter boring.

You spend your life desperately trying to get people into the theatre, and then a show like this comes along… I knew a huge amount of the audience would be first[-]time theatregoers. I wanted to make sure we could deliver something that wasn’t disappointing.

On feeling the pressure of the demand for tickets that far outweighs the availability, even including the extended run:

We knew it would be popular, but my heart goes: Oh God, I want those people [who] really want to see it to come. But once we’ve got more productions open around the world, that will alleviate the pressure.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two is scheduled to open on Broadway in the spring of 2018. You can sign up here for an email alert from Broadway.com to let you know when tickets go on sale.

Will you be one of the excited fans scrambling to get tickets?