The Haunting of Hill House stage adaptation to tour this autumn

Exclusive: A new stage adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House will receive its world premiere on a UK tour this autumn.

Based on Shirley Jackson’s novel, the production is adapted by Olivier and BAFTA Award-winner Stef Smith and directed by Martin Constantine. The show is produced by Wiltshire Creative in association with Theatr Clwyd and is presented by Mark Puddle with Alexander “Sandy” Marshall and Patrick Myles.

The tour will open at Salisbury Playhouse on 11 September, before visiting Richmond Theatre from 6 to 10 October, where the national press night will take place on 8 October. The production will then continue to Theatre Clwyd, Theatre Royal Brighton, Palace Theatre Manchester, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, where the run concludes on 14 November.

Laurence J Hyman, son of Jackson, said today: “From film and television to the stage, my mother Shirley Jackson’s legacy continues to endure through her iconic novel The Haunting of Hill House. I’m thrilled that this haunting classic will return in a new form, and that Stef Smith’s adaptation will capture the novel’s remarkable and unsettling spirit for audiences in a whole new way.”

Smith described the opportunity to adapt the novel as a privilege, highlighting the theatrical potential of Jackson’s work. She said the production will explore elements of suspense and the supernatural while examining human fears and relationships.

The story follows a group investigating the mysteries of Hill House, where their research leads to unsettling events within the building. The production draws on Jackson’s novel, which has previously inspired film and television adaptations.

Smith explained her creative drive: “The Haunting of Hill House is one of the greatest supernatural novels of the last one hundred years and to have the chance to adapt it for the stage is a true privilege. I find Shirley Jackson’s world intoxicating, thrilling and gut-wrenching. I believe there is something so deeply theatrical at the heart of Hill House. From the spooky, to the surreal, through heartache and hope.”

Jackson, who lived from 1916 to 1965, wrote six novels, two memoirs and more than 200 short stories during her career, including The Road Through the Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, The Sundial and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Tickets for the production are on sale at midday, with full casting and additional creative team members to be announced.

A selection of dates are on sale here.