Published by Little, Brown Book Group, the script eBook will be available simultaneously with the print editions by Pottermore, in collaboration with Little, Brown Book Group in the U.K, and Scholastic in the US and Canada.
In a press statement, David Shelley, CEO of Little, Brown Book Group has commented, "We are so thrilled to be publishing the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. J.K. Rowling and her team have received a huge number of appeals from fans who can't be in London to see the play and who would like to read the play in book format – and so we are absolutely delighted to be able to make it available for them."
According to press materials, the story is set 19 years after the final book. "It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places."
The special rehearsal edition will comprise the version of the play script that will be used early in the production's preview period, several weeks prior to the opening performances. The preview process allows the creative team to rehearse changes and/or to explore specific scenes further, in front of a live audience, before the official opening on 30 July. As such the script is subject to change after the Special Rehearsal Edition is published, which is why this edition will only be available for a limited time, to be replaced by the Definitive Collector's Edition at a later date.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. It will be directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, set designs by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, special effects by Jeremy Chernick, illusions by Jamie Harrison and music supervision by Martin Lowe. For further details on lead casting, see the Playbill story here: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/stars-announced-for-world-premiere-of-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-376295
To book tickets and for for full performance schedules, visit www.HarryPotterthePlay.com
