With the first public preview of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opening tomorrow (June 7), author J.K. Rowling has begged fans not to share spoilers from the play.
In a short video, Rowling says: “You’ve been amazing for years at keeping Harry Potter secrets so you didn’t spoil the books for readers who came after you. So I’m asking you one more time to keep the secrets and let audiences enjoy Cursed Child with all the surprises that we’ve built into the story. Thank you.”
https://youtu.be/2jvwA5ObQeA
After sharing the video on Twitter, Rowling added that her plea is nothing to do with ticket sales as the show has been sold out for a while. She added that she simply wants those with tickets to Cursed Child to enjoy all of the surprises in store. Using the hashtag #KeepTheSecrets, Rowling also reminded fans that the Cursed Child story will be published on July 31, therefore will be available to everyone from then on.
You’ll be able to buy the published play from 31st July, so the story of #CursedChild will be available to everyone #KeepTheSecrets
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 6, 2016
Rowling’s plea comes after it was revealed that there will be rigorous bag checks at the theatre in order to combat any video recording. Theatre-goers have been told to arrive an hour early to undergo checks, and one of the conditions of entry is that “dangerous items, professional photography, video or audio recording equipment will not be allowed into the building. If you leave the theatre at any point you will be checked again prior to re-admittance. The use of photography and recording equipment of any kind is prohibited.” Audiences have also been warned that anyone caught filming will have their equipment confiscated and files deleted.
Excitement for Cursed Child has been building rapidly over the past few months, even more so since the first cast photos were released last week. Fans were treated to images of the Potters, Granger-Weasleys and Malfoys ahead of the first previews this week.
Little is known about the plot and we hope that theatre-goers will respect the wishes of J.K. Rowling by keeping the secrets of Cursed Child. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets, we hope you have the time of your life! The rest of us will have to wait patiently until July 31 for the published play.