Stranger Things Stage Play Announced, Serves as Prequel to Netflix Series

Starnger Things: The First Shadow is coming to London’s West End later this year.

Stranger Things will be getting a prequel, but it won’t be coming to Netflix – it’s heading to the stage. Netflix has announced Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a new stage play set to open at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End in late 2023. The prequel is based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne, and Kate Trefry, with Trefry writing the new play. Stephen Daldry directs with co-direction by Justin Martin. The Duffer Brothers will serve as creative producers with Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions producing.

Netflix touts that the series is “brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension.” It’s also teased that the prequel may “hold the key to the end,” suggesting it will also link to how the show ultimately wraps up on Netflix. Some details have also been revealed about the stage show, and the official synopsis is below.

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

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Stranger Things: The First Shadow Expands the Lore of the Franchise

“We are beyond excited about Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” the Duffer Brothers said in a statement. “Collaborating with the brilliant Stephen Daldry has been nothing short of inspiring, and Kate Trefry has written a play that is at turns surprising, scary, and heartfelt. You will meet endearing new characters, as well as very familiar ones, on a journey into the past that sets the groundwork for the future of Stranger Things. We’re dying to tell you more about the story but won’t – it’s more fun to discover it for yourself. Can’t wait to see you nerds in London!”

Even with the change in format, the prequel is seen as entirely canon with the TV show, so any new revelations that are divulged in The First Shadow will correlate with the main story.

“The world and mythology of Stranger Things has enabled a rich and fertile ground for creating an incredible story for the stage,” adds Sonia Friedman. “The Duffer Brothers have built a huge global following for good reason, and a world-class creative team has built on their boundless imagination to dream up an unbelievably exciting theatrical event for our audiences. Set within the canon of Stranger Things, this new play opens in London, with the West End hosting the only place in the world to experience this new story – for now. I’m thrilled to reunite with my visionary long-term collaborator Stephen Daldry. Together, with our brilliant Netflix partners, we can’t wait to welcome Stranger Things fans into theatre, and theatregoers into the realm of Stranger Things.”

Details on ticket information, performance schedule, full creative team, and casting information will be announced at a future date. You can sign up for priority access to tickets at StrangerThingsonStage.com. For now, you can stream the first four seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix. Season 5 doesn’t yet have a premiere date.