A Minority Report theatre production is on the way. The new version of the Philip K. Dick story, famously made into a film with Tom Cruise in front of the camera and Steven Spielberg behind it, will come to the stage in Nottingham next spring before moving on to other areas of the country, including Hammersmith’s Lyric.
The Minority Report theatre version, based on the 1956 novella is adapted for the stage by David Haig (My Boy Jack, Pressure) and reunites Simon Friend Entertainment with director Max Webster (Life of Pi, Henry V and the forthcoming production of Macbeth starring David Tennant, Donmar Warehouse), whose multi-award-winning production of Life of Pi has captivated audiences both sides of the Atlantic.
Opening at the Nottingham Playhouse, where it plays from 16 Feb – 9 March 2023, Minority Report then tours to the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (22 March – 6 April 2023) before concluding it’s run at London’s Lyric Hammersmith from 19th April – 18 May 2023.
This Minority Report theatre experience will use innovative technology to create a world at the borders of science fiction and reality and, unlike the novella and Hollywood film, this innovative new production relocates the action to London, with the central character (most famously played by Tom Cruise) as a leading female neuroscientist, Dame Julia Anderton.
Related: Cruise Classic – Minority Report
Here’s a recap of the story.
In 2050, neuroscientist Dame Julia Anderton is about to launch the next phase of her pioneering Pre-Crime programme, detaining people for crimes before they are committed. But when Julia is accused of pre-murder, she’s in a race against time to save herself from her own system.
This thrilling adaptation of Phillip K Dick’s iconic story challenges our beliefs about justice and free will in a real-time chase through London of the future.
Producer Simon Friend says of today’s announcement: “I’m delighted to announce the world premiere stage version of Minority Report, based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, adapted by David Haig. We commissioned this project several years ago, but with its prescient central theme of personal technological surveillance, it has only become more alarmingly relevant to the world in which we live, despite the original story having been written in 1956. I’m also excited to reunite with director Max Webster, after the continued success of our production of Life of Pi, to create another entertaining, ambitious, and thought-provoking piece of theatre, and to partner with some of the country’s best producing theatres in Nottingham Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and Lyric Hammersmith.”
Writer David Haig, who adapts the production for the stage continues: “It’s been the most exciting challenge of my career: to write a futuristic thriller for the stage, based on one of the greatest sci-fi stories ever told.”
Check out more of the Minority Report theatre artwork below.
