Playground Entertainment
Playground Entertainment is an independent television, film, and theatre production company operating across the United States and United Kingdom.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Playground Entertainment, legally known as The Playground, LLC, is an independent production company with operations in New York and London. Sir Colin Callender, a former president of HBO Films, established the company in 2012 with a focus on developing and producing ambitious television, film, and theatre for British and American audiences. Rather than functioning primarily as a consumer-facing studio brand, Playground works through partnerships with broadcasters, streaming services, theatre producers, rights holders, and creative talent. The company became associated with literary adaptations, historical drama, prestige limited series, and stage productions with established writers and performers. Its television work has included the BBC and Starz production Dancing on the Edge, the historical drama The White Queen and its related series The White Princess and The Spanish Princess, the BBC and Masterpiece adaptation Wolf Hall, and the anthology thriller The Missing. Other adaptations and dramas include The Dresser, Little Women, Howards End, King Lear, Chimerica, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Undeclared War. Playground’s most visible television properties include All Creatures Great and Small, based on the books by James Herriot, and Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, which continues the adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor novels. The company has also developed projects for Channel 5, PBS, Masterpiece, Peacock, Sky, BBC, BritBox, Starz, Channel 4, Amazon Prime Video, NBC, and other distribution partners. Announced or listed forthcoming projects include Maigret, Small Town, Big Story, and Lynley. In theatre, Playground launched with Lucky Guy, Nora Ephron’s Broadway play starring Tom Hanks. It subsequently participated in productions including Casa Valentina, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Macbeth at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, The River, Dear Evan Hansen, Dreamgirls, 1984, and The Glass Menagerie. Its largest theatre association is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, produced with Sonia Friedman Productions and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. The play opened in London in 2016 and later expanded to Broadway and international markets including Melbourne, San Francisco, Hamburg, Toronto, Tokyo, and the United States national tour. Playground measures its creative profile through awards and critical recognition rather than disclosed financial performance. Its productions have collectively received major honours including BAFTA Television Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Olivier Awards, Tony Awards, Emmy nominations, and a Peabody Award. The company remains an active producer of scripted television and live theatre, with a business model centered on development, co-production, adaptation rights, and international distribution.
History
Playground Entertainment was founded in 2012 by Sir Colin Callender, whose prior career included serving as president of HBO Films. The company was established as an independent producer with a transatlantic base in New York and London, positioning it to develop projects for both British and American broadcasters, distributors, and theatre markets. Its early television slate included projects such as Dracula, The White Queen, and Dancing on the Edge in 2013. The company then became involved with The Missing, a thriller anthology broadcast across the BBC and Starz, and with a group of historical and literary adaptations. These included The White Princess and The Spanish Princess, which continued the historical-fiction television world associated with The White Queen. Playground's adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall became one of its defining television projects. The six-part drama was produced for the BBC and Masterpiece and received major critical and awards recognition. The company subsequently worked on a range of adaptations, including The Dresser, Little Women, Howards End, and King Lear. Its projects commonly combined established literary or theatrical material with prominent actors, directors, and writers. The company entered the theatre business with Lucky Guy in 2013. The Broadway production, written by Nora Ephron and starring Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut, won two Tony Awards. Playground followed it with productions such as Casa Valentina, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Macbeth at the Park Avenue Armory, and The River. It later participated in Dear Evan Hansen, whose Broadway production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical, and in associated West End productions. In 2016, Playground joined Sonia Friedman Productions and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions as a producer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The play opened at London's Palace Theatre in July 2016 and became an internationally distributed stage property. Its Broadway engagement opened in 2018 at the Lyric Theatre, and subsequent productions were mounted in Australia, the United States, Germany, Canada, and Japan. The production's international expansion substantially increased Playground's visibility beyond television production. Later television work included Chimerica, The Undeclared War, Dangerous Liaisons, and All Creatures Great and Small. The latter, based on James Herriot's books, became a continuing series for Channel 5 and PBS. In 2024, Playground released Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, a continuation of its earlier Mantel adaptation, and listed The Hardacres among its current productions. The company also identified Maigret, Small Town, Big Story, and Lynley as forthcoming projects. Across television and theatre, its productions have accumulated substantial award recognition, including BAFTA, Golden Globe, Olivier, Tony, Emmy, and Peabody-related honours.
- 2024
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is released
[1]The company produced the television continuation based on Mantel's later Tudor novel.
- 2020
All Creatures Great and Small begins
[1]Playground's television adaptation of James Herriot's books began its continuing run for Channel 5 and PBS.
- 2018
Cursed Child opens on Broadway
[1]The production opened at New York's Lyric Theatre and won six Tony Awards, including Best Play.
- 2016
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opens in London
[1]Playground co-produced the stage play with Sonia Friedman Productions and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions at London's Palace Theatre.
- 2014
Wolf Hall enters production history
[1]Playground produced the BBC and Masterpiece adaptation of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which became one of its signature television projects.
- 2013
Playground begins television and theatre production
[1]The company was associated with early television productions including Dracula, The White Queen, and Dancing on the Edge, and debuted on Broadway with Lucky Guy.
- 2012
Playground Entertainment is founded
[1]Sir Colin Callender established the independent television, film, and theatre production company with bases in New York and London.
Products and positioning
An independent, prestige-oriented producer specializing in high-profile literary adaptations, historical drama, premium scripted television, and award-oriented theatre for British, American, and international audiences.
Television miniseries · 2015
Wolf Hall
A six-part historical drama adapted from Hilary Mantel's novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. Produced for the BBC and Masterpiece, the series follows Thomas Cromwell's rise within the court of Henry VIII and established Playground as a producer of prestige literary and historical television.
Television miniseries · 2024
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
A continuation of the Wolf Hall television adaptation, based on the final novel in Hilary Mantel's trilogy. The production returns to the political and personal consequences of Thomas Cromwell's position at the Tudor court and was listed among Playground's 2024 productions.
Television series · 2020
All Creatures Great and Small
A continuing television adaptation of James Herriot's books about a veterinary practice in Yorkshire. Produced for Channel 5 and PBS, the series represents Playground's work in warm, character-led period drama and has continued across multiple seasons.
Stage play · 2016
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
A stage production set within the Harry Potter fictional universe and produced by Playground with Sonia Friedman Productions and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. It opened in London in 2016, reached Broadway in 2018, and expanded to productions and tours in several international markets.
Musical theatre · 2015
Dear Evan Hansen
A Broadway and West End musical in which Playground participated as a producer. The Broadway production won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, while the West End production received three Olivier Awards.
Television miniseries · 2013
The White Queen
A historical television drama produced for Starz and associated with the BBC, based on Philippa Gregory's historical novels. It was followed by related productions The White Princess and The Spanish Princess.
Television anthology series · 2014
The Missing
A mystery and thriller anthology produced for the BBC and Starz. Its separate stories focus on disappearances and their long-term effects, and the series received Golden Globe recognition.
Brand decisions
2016
Expand Harry Potter and the Cursed Child internationallyStrategyBackground
Following the London launch of the stage production, Playground participated with its partners in developing a multi-market production strategy for the play.
Action taken
The production was rolled out beyond the West End, later reaching Broadway and venues in Australia, the United States, Germany, Canada, Japan, and the United States touring market.
Aftermath
The international expansion made Cursed Child one of Playground's most prominent theatre properties and extended the company's operating footprint beyond its original New York and London bases.
Recent events
- 2025
Playground develops Maigret, Small Town, Big Story, and Lynley[1]
Product launch
The company's listed forthcoming television projects included adaptations or series based on the Maigret and Inspector Lynley novels, as well as Small Town, Big Story.
- 2024
Playground launches Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Playground produced the television continuation of the Wolf Hall adaptation, based on Hilary Mantel's later Tudor novel and broadcast through BBC and Masterpiece.
- 2024
The Hardacres joins Playground's television slate[1]
Product launch
The period drama The Hardacres was listed among Playground's recent television productions for Channel 5.
- 2024
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child expands to a United States national tour[1]
Product launch · Other
The stage production began a United States national tour in Chicago, with later scheduled appearances including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Sources1 sources
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