Matthew Dunster: the director behind The Hunger Games on stage

Matthew Dunster is one of Britain's most prolific and versatile theatre directors, with over 70 productions to his name spanning the Royal Court, Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre, Broadway, and now London's purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre for The Hunger Games: On Stage. Born in Oldham, Lancashire in 1970, Dunster's journey from a working-class northern upbringing through acting on Coronation Street to directing Olivier-winning West End hits is one of British theatre's more compelling career arcs.

From Oldham to the West End via Coronation Street

Dunster grew up in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and was initially rejected from several drama schools. He spent three years working at North West Water before winning a place at Bretton Hall College (part of the University of Leeds), where he graduated with First Class Honours in Drama in 1994. He began his career as an actor, appearing in regional theatre before landing a recurring role as Ryan Sykes in Coronation Street across 34 episodes (2000–2001). He also appeared in Silent Witness, Casualty, Heartbeat, and David Hare's The Permanent Way at the National Theatre.

His transition to directing came in the mid-2000s when he was appointed Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre (2005–2009). He later served as Associate Director of Shakespeare's Globe (2015–2017), where he directed productions including Doctor Faustus, Troilus and Cressida, and a critically praised Much Ado About Nothing set in revolutionary Mexico.

Hangmen, 2:22, and a reputation for range

Dunster's breakthrough into the upper tier of British directing came through his partnership with playwright Martin McDonagh. He directed Hangmen at the Royal Court in 2015 before transferring it to Wyndham's Theatre in the West End, where it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2016. Dunster himself was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Director. The production later transferred to Broadway, earning five Tony Award nominations in 2022 and a Drama League Award nomination for Outstanding Direction. He has since directed two further McDonagh plays: A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre, 2018) and The Pillowman (Duke of York's Theatre, 2023).

His other major commercial triumph is 2:22 – A Ghost Story, written by Danny Robins, which premiered in 2021 and ran for an extraordinary 694 performances across multiple West End venues with rotating celebrity casts including Lily Allen and Tom Felton. The production won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play and has since toured the UK, played the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, and Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne. It remains one of the West End's biggest post-lockdown successes.

Other notable credits include work at the RSC (Love's Sacrifice), Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (The Seagull, A Midsummer Night's Dream), Sadler's Wells (a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys), and the inaugural production at Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescot. In 2019, he directed Oedipus in Tokyo with an all-Japanese cast featuring Kabuki star Ebizo Ichikawa. More recently, he directed Shirley Valentine starring Sheridan Smith (2023), Dealer's Choice at the Donmar Warehouse (2025), and his own adaptation Hedda at Theatre Royal Bath (2025).

Directing The Hunger Games: On Stage at a purpose-built London theatre

Dunster directs The Hunger Games: On Stage, the first-ever stage adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel, adapted by Olivier Award-winning Irish playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl from the North Country). The production opened at the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a remarkable £26 million, 1,200-seat purpose-built venue featuring London's largest hydraulic stage, seating sections themed after the districts of Panem, and audience seats that physically move during the show. Previews began on 20 October 2025, with the official press night on 12 November 2025.

The cast is led by Mia Carragher as Katniss Everdeen in her professional stage debut — she was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Professional Debut Performance — alongside Euan Garrett as Peeta, Joshua Lacey as Haymitch, Tamsin Carroll as Effie Trinket, and a pre-recorded on-screen appearance from John Malkovich as President Coriolanus Snow. The production deployed ambitious theatrical techniques including aerial work, pyrotechnics, video design, tightly drilled choreography, and rapid set transformations across the vast in-the-round space.

The show has proven a significant commercial success. Originally booked through February 2026, it was extended to October 2026 due to what producers described as "overwhelming demand," with performances through the original run reported as nearly sold out. Audience ratings on SeatPlan sit at 3.7 out of 5, with 58% of audience members rating it 4 or 5 stars. The production is eligible for the 2026 Olivier Awards (ceremony scheduled for 12 April 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall). Producers have also indicated interest in a potential Broadway transfer and international touring, with the theatre itself designed to be portable — 95% of the structure can be packed into 150 lorries.

What Dunster says about his craft and The Hunger Games

Dunster has been characteristically enthusiastic and direct about the project. When first approached, he recalled: "This might be the most exciting work call I've ever had. As soon as the producers said the title, I just said 'Stop! I'm in'." He described stealing his children's copies of the books and coming "to appreciate the beauty of Suzanne Collins' storytelling."

On his vision for the production, he has repeatedly emphasised theatrical specificity: "We want our Hunger Games to be uniquely, thrillingly theatrical." He told Variety that having a theatre built for him was a once-in-a-lifetime experience: "'Hi, Matthew! Do you want us to build you a theatre?' How many times is that going to happen?" He also drew a striking comparison for the scale of the lead role, calling Katniss "like Hamlet — it's just a massive, massive part."

On the Canary Wharf location, Dunster saw it as an asset: "You're in the Capitol. It adds to it. And I just think you don't expect to find a big, creative, artistic project in that place." Looking ahead, he told Variety: "If we did go to America, it would seem a shame not to build something really f*ing cool in Brooklyn."**

His broader theatrical philosophy centres on boldness and risk. Speaking to The Stage about reviving The Pillowman, he said: "We must never be reverent. We have to take a run at this thing, and we owe it to the play to be brilliant, so let's hit it really hard." In another interview, he reflected on class and British art: "There was a contradiction at the heart of that whole school of kitchen sink film-making. They're about working-class communities but they weren't made by working-class directors."

A director known for bold ambition and trusted partnerships

Dunster's reputation rests on several distinguishing qualities. He is unusually versatile, moving fluently between intimate text-driven drama and large-scale spectacle. He is a trusted collaborator of some of the English-speaking world's foremost playwrights — McDonagh, McPherson, Danny Robins, Patrick Marber, and Willy Russell have all chosen to work with him. He brings an authentic working-class Northern English perspective that remains relatively rare among top-tier British directors, informed by his Oldham upbringing and his semi-autobiographical play You Can See the Hills.

His three Olivier Award nominations, a WhatsOnStage Award win, five Tony nominations for Hangmen, and the commercial phenomenon of 2:22 – A Ghost Story establish him as both critically respected and commercially proven. The Hunger Games: On Stage represents his most ambitious undertaking yet — a £26 million, purpose-built production that has already extended its run by eight months and carries serious Broadway and international touring ambitions.

He is represented by the Knight Hall Agency and is a Patron of Arts Educational Schools, London (appointed January 2016). Beyond directing, he is also a playwright, having written Children's Children (Almeida Theatre), You Can See the Hills, and adaptations of 1984 and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. His next confirmed project is The Battle by John Niven at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2026, followed by David Harrower's Blackbird at Theatre Royal Bath in early 2027.

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Key facts at a glance for the blog post:

• Born 1970, Oldham, Lancashire. Trained at Bretton Hall College (First Class Honours)
• Former actor: 34 episodes of Coronation Street; transitioned to directing c.2005
• Associate Director: Young Vic (2005–2009), Shakespeare's Globe (2015–2017)
• Over 70 productions directed across major UK venues and Broadway
• Hangmen: Olivier Award for Best New Play (2016); nominated Olivier Best Director; 5 Tony nominations on Broadway
• 2:22 – A Ghost Story: 694 West End performances; WhatsOnStage Award winner; international transfers
• The Hunger Games: On Stage: Director. Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre (purpose-built, £26m, 1,200 seats). Opened November 2025. Adapted by Conor McPherson. Extended to October 2026 due to strong demand. Lead Mia Carragher nominated for WhatsOnStage Award
• Collaborations with Martin McDonagh, Conor McPherson, Danny Robins, Patrick Marber, Willy Russell
• British English note: "theatre" not "theater" throughout; all spellings confirmed British