HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Will Make West Coast Debut in San Francisco in 2019

It was announced today that the next US production of the Tony & Olivier Award-winning Best Play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will begin in the fall of 2019 at the Curran in San Francisco, California. With record-breaking productions currently running in London and New York as well as an Australian production set to premiere in Melbourne in early 2019, the San Francisco production will mark the fourth engagement of the smash hit play, as well as its West Coast premiere in North America.

In a unique collaboration between the Curran and Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), preparations are being made to accommodate Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with ATG leading the operation of the theatre during the production's run.

Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender said in a joint statement, "The beautiful and historic Curran in San Francisco is the perfect theatre for the next North American company of Cursed Child. We are delighted that ATG and Carole Shorenstein Hays have worked their magic to provide the ideal West Coast home for the production."

"The Bay Area is where cutting-edge culture meets cutting-edge technology, so this wonderful example of riveting storytelling and first-of-its-kind stage magic has found its ideal home in our great city," Carole Shorenstein Hays said. "My family and I are filled with joy thinking about all the audiences coming to San Francisco to experience Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - particularly first-time and young theatergoers, who have always been a core part of our mission."

Built in 1922, the Curran has housed some of the biggest productions in theater history and has maintained a reputation over the course of its life as one of the premier live entertainment venues in North America. Under the curation of eight-time Tony Award-winner Carole Shorenstein Hays, the Curran reopened its 1,600 seat venue in January 2017 with the groundbreaking musical Fun Home after completeing an extensive two-year renovation and restoration. Working alongside her husband, Dr. Jeffrey Hays, and children, Gracie Hays and Wally Hays, Ms. Shorenstein Hays set a new mission for the venue: to create a new kind of artistic hub in the Bay Area, while introducing young audiences to the theater through a wide range of programmatic and philanthropic initiatives. Since 2017, the Curran has offered a season of jaw-dropping theater, entertainment and artistry, offering new works by some of the world's most celebrated theater artists and an eclectic line-up of special events. For additional information, visit SFCURRAN.com.

Information on performance dates, purchasing tickets, casting and all further details will be announced in the coming months. Visit www.HarryPotterThePlay.com/San-Francisco to sign up for the mailing list to stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by JohnTiffany. The production is one play presented in two parts. Both parts are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings, or each part can be seen separately.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child had its Broadway premiere earlier this year at New York's Lyric Theatre. The most awarded show of the Broadway season, it has been honored with 25 major awards including: six Tony Awards including Best Play, five Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Play, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or off-Broadway Play, the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite New Play, four BroadwayWorld's Theater Fans' Choice Awards including Best Play, and two Theatre World Awards.

Now in its third year of performances in London, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in July 2016. The production has won 24 major theatre awards in the UK and is the most awarded play in the history of Britain's Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking nine awards including Best New Play and Best Director.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and the father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements byImogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting byJim Carnahan, CSA.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan