Stranger Things: The First Shadow Announces Extension with Trailer
Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions today released the trailer for the critically acclaimed world premiere production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow. With some of the groundbreaking theatrical special effects teased on film for the first time, the show has announced an extension into 2025 at the Phoenix Theatre.
Written by Kate Trefry and with direction by Stephen Daldry and co-director Justin Martin, the production opened to rave reviews at the Phoenix Theatre on December 14, 2023.

The show, currently breaking box office records at Phoenix Theatre, where it is now booked until 16 February, has recently won several awards, including the Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment and Best Set Design, the Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Set Design and Most Promising Newcomer, and the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play.
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.
Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.
Directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin, leading the world-class award-winning creative team, the cast includes Shane Attwooll (Chief Hopper), Kemi Awoderu (Sue Anderson), Chase Brown (Lonnie Byers), Christopher Buckley (Bob Newby), Ammar Duffus (Charles Sinclair), and Gilles Geary (Ted Wheeler).
The cast continues with Florence Guy (Karen Childress), Max Harwood (Alan Munson), Michael Jibson (Victor Creel), Oscar Lloyd (James Hopper Jr.), Louis McCartney (Henry Creel), Isabella Pappas (Joyce Maldonado), Matthew Pidgeon (Principal Newby), Calum Ross (Walter Henderson), Maisie Norma Seaton (Claudia Yount), and Patrick Vaill (Dr Brenner).
Rounding out the cast are Alex Young (Virginia Creel), Ella Karuna Williams (Patty Newby), Anika Boyle, Lily Crawford, Faith Delaney, and Imogen Turner (alternating the role of Alice Creel), with Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Samuel Baxter, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Benjamin Lafayette, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is written by Kate Trefry, directed by Stephen Daldry with co-director Justin Martin, set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, original music composition, orchestration, arrangements and supervision by D.J. Walde, and the illusions design and visual effects are by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher.
The video design & visual effects are by 59 Productions; the choreography by Coral Messam; the movement direction is by Lynne Page; the wigs, hair, and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates; technical director is Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates; props supervision by Mary Halliday, dialect by William Conacher; fight direction by Kev McCurdy; casting by Jessica Ronane Casting CDG with additional casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG; and international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan.
For further ticket information, performance schedule, full creative team, and cast biographies, please visit StrangerThingsOnStage.com.
