No show this autumn is quite as anticipated as The Hunger Games On Stage.
Based on the first book in Suzanne Collins’s dystopian young adult series, made famous by the Jennifer Lawrence films, it centres on a horrifying competition in a post-apocalyptic nation, Panem, in which teenagers are selected to fight to the death.
Sparing no expense, it’s taking place in a specially-constructed arena-style venue, divided into the different ‘districts’ of Panem, and designed to really immerse the audience in the brutal and breathless narrative.
So it’s no surprise that two of the production’s leads are feeling the weight of expectation a little, just ahead of its official opening next week.
The fact that so many people already know and love The Hunger Games ‘is a weird pressure. You want everyone to be happy who watches it, but then also understand that this is our new version,’ says Mia Carragher, who is taking on the iconic role of warrior heroine Katniss Everdeen. She adds that ‘a lot is changing’ in previews: ‘We’re in rehearsals all day before we perform every night… there’s a lot going on.’
‘That’s the beauty of [this period],’ chimes in Tristan Waterson, who is playing Katniss’s childhood sweetheart Gale. ‘Having a live audience to be able to try stuff [out on]….You just don’t know [how something will work] until you have [over a] a thousand people there [watching].’
Another thing the young stars have to contend with is the social media hubbub that a project like this inspires these days, with audiences posting about their experiences in real time. The very first preview performance made headlines after people complained about being left queuing in the rain, due to delays.
‘[It] was a bit stressful,’ says Mia. ‘But I think any first night of a show this huge is going to be like that. When we did get the show going, it went amazing, and I was really proud of that.’ As for all the online comments, Mia has made a decision to not look at it, though Tristan says it can be hard to avoid. ‘It’s great, because some of the fans have been so complimentary and so positive in supporting this new thing we’re making, but it’s just navigating it all.’
For both Mia and Tristan, The Hunger Games is on a completely different scale to anything they’ve done before.
In fact, it marks 21-year-old Mia’s professional stage debut, while Tristan has appeared in a few shows including National Theatre football hit Dear England. Then again, The Hunger Games is on a completely different scale to pretty much any other theatre project, full stop. As Mia describes, the audition itself was a veritable multi-day boot camp, involving dance/movement, fight, and harness work try-outs.
She remembers vividly the moment, two weeks later, when she got the call to tell her the part was hers. “[Director] Matthew [Dunster] followed me on Instagram and I thought ‘oh my god, have I got it?’ but tried not to think into it. I took myself on a walk, then my agent called me [and told me the news], so I sprinted home and FaceTimed my mum and dad straightaway. That was such a cute moment; they were both screaming and crying.”
Mia’s dad is ex-Liverpool footballer Jamie Carragher, in fact, and while she may not have followed his footsteps into professional sports, she did a lot of athletics growing up, she says, which has stood her in good stead for the highly physical role of Katniss. For the part, she has acquired a range of new skills – including, of course, archery, given Katniss is a master of the bow-and-arrow.
As Mia explains, she started with an archery course near her home in Liverpool: “I’d go every Sunday, and I was the youngest person there. Everyone was like, ‘why are you doing archery?’ and obviously I couldn’t say at the time.’
She confirms, too, that there is a lot of aerial action: ‘I have a lot of flying and climbing up things really high and getting blown up in the air’. Which may sound like a nervewracking business, but Mia says she’s taking it in her stride: ‘I don’t have time to panic about what I’m doing, I’m just like ‘we’re all good, we’re on to the next scene now’.’
One thing’s for sure: this is a show with serious theatrical ambitions, from its spectacular set, (which includes seating banks that move during the performance) to its intricate stuntwork and various visual tricks.
‘You’re in for a treat. If you look down for a minute, you’ve missed a lot,’ promises Tristan. Mia believes that what distinguishes The Hunger Games On Stage from the films, above all, is the sheer intensity of the live experience.
‘You’ve watched the characters go on the full journey right in front of you and by the end, we’re all physically exhausted and you can see it in our bodies, how emotional we are.’
Certainly, both of these names-to-watch will take away an incalculable amount from working on the show, they say.
‘It’s the craziest thing that I’ve ever done in my life, and it is really fulfilling as well… sometimes I’m like, ‘wow, I can’t believe I just got through that,’ explains Mia.
Meanwhile, what Tristan has observed from his time on the project so far is that ‘no matter the level you’re operating at – this is a huge franchise – the fundamentals are still the same. You have to be there for each other, and no one’s more important than anyone else… That’s an important lesson to learn as I go forward. If I do then step onto a big Hollywood set, fundamentally it’s the same ethos you have to carry forward.’
And the big question is: given The Hunger Games series is a trilogy of books, will we be seeing further instalments on stage? Mia and Tristan haven’t been privy to any conversations about this, but are certainly keen. ‘How cool would the second one be [on stage] with all the swimming [in it],’ exclaims the former. ‘I feel like it’s a no brainer,’ says the latter.
‘The story doesn’t stop here – there’s scope for more.’
May the odds be ever in all involved’s favour.
The Hunger Games On Stage is booking until October 2026, thehungergamesonstage.com.
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