Silence of the Lambs to make a noise in the North East
A new stage adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs will make its world premiere in 2026 before heading out on a major UK and Ireland tour - including stops at both Newcastle Theatre Royal and Sunderland Empire.
Acclaimed playwright and television writer Gina Gionfriddo will adapt Thomas Harris’s multimillion-selling psychological thriller for the stage, directed by Nikolai Foster.
North East audiences will have two chances to see the production. It arrives first at Newcastle Theatre Royal from August 18–22, 2026, with tickets on sale from December 3. It will then return to the region the following year for a run at Sunderland Empire from June 21–26 (2027), with tickets on sale now.
As everyone who has read the book and/or seen the Oscar-winning film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster will know, the story follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she seeks the help of imprisoned psychiatrist and murderer Hannibal Lecter to catch a new serial killer, Buffalo Bill.
As the FBI races against time, Clarice and Lecter embark on a tense psychological dance that tests her resolve and forces her into the darkest corners of the human mind.
Writer Gina Gionfriddo, whose credits include Law & Order, House of Cards and Pulitzer Prize-nominated plays Becky Shaw and Rapture, Blister, Burn, said: “Thomas Harris’ novel speaks so eloquently to the interior terrors that fuel his iconic characters - both the monsters and the heroes who slay them. What a privilege it has been to bring these stories to the stage.”
Director Nikolai Foster added: “At the heart of this play is the remarkable relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter… Harris’ novel is filled with stunning iconography and imagery that is ripe for theatrical invention. We can’t wait to see it burst to life onstage.”
Casting will be announced soon.