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I think it is hard to follow along because it is supposed to be set 19 years later so there is a lot you have to pay attention to and catch up on. 

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I think it is hard to follow along because it is supposed to be set 19 years later so there is a lot you have to pay attention to and catch up on. 

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I thought that the play was very well put together however it was hard to follow at some points

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I thought that the play was very well put together however it was hard to follow at some points

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Every item on this page was curated by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

Scenic designer Christine Jones shares her secrets-without divulging any spoilers.

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How Cursed Child Is Bringing the Magic of Harry Potter to the Stage

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Every item on this page was curated by an ELLE Decor editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Scenic designer Christine Jones shares her secrets-without divulging any spoilers.

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We all know what Harry, Ron and Hermione should look like, right? What about 19 years after the ending of JK Rowling's world-conquering series of books wrapped up? How would you imagine their futures, and how would you create those looks so that they could be seen, understood and enjoyed by everybody in a 1,500-seat theatre?

That's the challenge that fell to Katrina Lindsay, the costume designer for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. She won both the Olivier and Tony Awards for the original London and Broadway productions of the show, and now she's bringing them to Melbourne for the Australian premiere. We asked her how she approached the Wizarding World and weaved her magic - and her carefully selected fabrics - over these beloved characters.

What was your starting point in creating costumes for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Did you go back to JK Rowling's books?
It was a mixture of going back to JK Rowling's books alongside being involved in a workshop process with the rest of the creative team in the year leading up to rehearsals, exploring the theatrical language of how we may represent aspects of the story and magical world of Harry Potter on stage.

Throughout the piece, there are many moments where the questions of how we might achieve a certain magical effect, a sense of an otherworldly creature, or a truly "can't believe what you are seeing before your eyes" moment, are all realised by a complete collaboration and combination of costume, with illusion, lighting and choreography. Each of these areas are knitted together seamlessly.

Obviously the visual language of the Wizarding World was established strongly through the films - are there visual elements from the films that you've incorporated into the design?
I was very aware of trying to achieve a balance of living up to expectations of how these beloved characters and magical world should look, as well as making the world on stage uniquely of its own. I tried to imagine how the visual world may have evolved now that we are quite a few years on in the life of Harry, whilst still keeping it recognisable. There is a very British, vintage aesthetic to things, palettes of colour and types of materials and headwear that help us identify it as the world we know as Harry Potter.

You've used a very specific colour palette for Ron, Hermione and Harry - why did you choose those colours?
Within the stage world of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child there is a lot of blackness created onstage by the cloaks and also, at times, the very specific lighting we need. I wanted to know that within this fairly dark palette onstage, as the story unfolds swiftly before us, the main characters would be easily identifiable within the stage pictures created. The jewel-like palette for these three was chosen with this in mind and so they had colours that could glow in the space without necessarily being bright.

Photograph: Manuel Harlan

And Hermione's look?
Hermione is now in a very high-status, official position at the Ministry of Magic. She is the epitome of a natural intelligent working woman. Elegant but also at ease with what she is wearing. Modern but timeless. The cut and colour of what she wears shows the power and status of her position, but also takes us into the underlying world within Harry Potter . Her look isn't as regular as Ron's, Harry's or Ginny's. She definitely now visually bridges the gap between a muggle and wizards and witches, which felt right in reflection of her position now in the Ministry. On the surface, you would never imagine Ron and Hermione together, but in both looks there is an ease built within the looks - Ron's to do with comfort, Hermione's with ease of movement. When she is out on official business, she wears a coat cloak which she carries off with great style.

Photograph: Matthew Murphy

The actors also play many different characters in the course of the two shows so their tracks (where we follow where they are on stage and off, from moment to moment and what they are playing next) are often complicated from character change to character change. All this has to be worked out, and often involves quick changes backstage of seconds, before the actors are back onstage as a completely new character. The choreography backstage is as important and complicated as the choreography onstage.

On the surface, the costumes can look very simple but often there are many many aspects that have been built into them whilst being made that won't be seen but are crucial in us achieving the effects we do with them. Costume design for the stage is a really technical art form and intricate in the construction and detail. There are many brilliant craftspeople involved in the creation of each costume and each costume brings up different possible challenges to achieve it in a medium where we can't stop the show to adjust the look or fix it during the action.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child kicks off its Melbourne season at Her Majesty's Theatre on January 16. Find out how to score tickets.

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Meet Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's costume designer

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We all know what Harry, Ron and Hermione should look like, right? What about 19 years after the ending of JK Rowling's world-conquering series of books wrapped up? How would you imagine their futures, and how would you create those looks so that they could be seen, understood and enjoyed by everybody in a 1,500-seat theatre?

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Being Harry Potter has never been easy. And it isn't much easier now, as we catch up with him nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts.

These days, Harry is a husband, father of three school-age children, and an overworked employee at the Ministry of Magic.

While he struggles with a personal history that refuses to stay in the past, his youngest son Albus must grapple with the weight of the family legacy he never asked for.

As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne, the play was scripted by Jack and directed by John. It received its world premiere in London's West End on 30 July 2016.
Publishers:
UK Print - Little, Brown
US Print - Scholastic
eBook - Pottermore

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two - J.K. Rowling

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Autem tantas scripserit id eum. Consul vocibus et vix, sed iusto paulo omnium ex, dicit tation ut vel.

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Playwrights are J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

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Playwrights are J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

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It was originally published on July 31, 2016.

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It was originally published on July 31, 2016.

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How does this play relate to the series? 

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How does this play relate to the series? 

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Throughout the play what is the significance of the conflict and how was the concept discovered

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Throughout the play what is the significance of the conflict and how was the concept discovered