West End transfer announced for Young Vic's The Jungle

Calais migrant camp play The Jungle is to transfer to the West End following a run at the Young Vic.

Previewing from June 16, The Jungle will open at the Playhouse Theatre on July 5, where it runs until November 3.

The Playhouse Theatre’s 780-seat auditorium is to be completely reconfigured to a 450-seat house to accommodate Miriam Buether’s set design from the original production.

Playwrights Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson based The Jungle on their experiences in the Calais camp, where they founded the Good Chance Theatre for refugees.

The Jungle is directed by Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin and is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Tom Kirdahy and Hunter Arnold.

For every performance, 40% of tickets will be priced at £25 or under and a proportion of tickets will be reserved for refugees and targeted groups to “maximise diversity and accessibility”.

The majority of the original cast will transfer with the production, including actors from refugee backgrounds.

Costume design is by Catherine Kodicek with lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti and musical direction and composition by John Pfumojena.

Charity partner Help Refugees will be supported by the production, with fundraising efforts to take place at the venue throughout the run.

Robertson and Murphy said: “The Jungle was a place where people built temporary lives and communities formed out of necessity.

“People who visited asked why we built a theatre in a refugee camp, but it’s always seemed clear to us that theatre should be at the centre of the conversation. That’s why we’re thrilled to bring this play to new audiences and to the West End, in a totally transformed Playhouse Theatre, a stone’s throw from Parliament.”

They added: “The metamorphosis of the Playhouse is a bold statement: that we need new spaces for this conversation to happen, and that the stories of the people in this play belong on our most significant stages.”