Never mind the Upside Down: the new realm that the former residents of Hawkins, Indiana, can’t resist exploring is London theatre. It has just been announced that Noah Schnapp, who played Will Byers on the Netflix sci-fi hit Stranger Things, will make his world stage debut this autumn in Affluenza at the Riverside Studios – and he’s far from the only one.

Sadie Sink, who played Max Mayfield on Stranger Things, was instrumental in turning John Proctor Is the Villain into a Broadway sensation, and has recently crossed the pond too, starring opposite Noah Jupe in Robert Icke’s West End production of Romeo and Juliet. Meanwhile co-star Gaten Matarazzo (aka Dustin Henderson) will star in a major West End revival of RENT from September.

It’s not a crazy transition, since the show itself came to the London stage in the form of the phenomenal Stranger Things: The First Shadow. But it’s fascinating to see the cast now doing the same. So, just why is theatre proving so attractive to the Stranger Things kids?

It’s a completely different world

Being part of a smash-hit global franchise is both a blessing and a curse. The Stranger Things cast became instant stars when the show premiered in 2016, and the series has only grown more popular since: for season four, Netflix reported 140.7 million views in the first 91 days. It changed the lives of a young actors like Matarazzo (13 when Stranger Things kicked off), Sink (14), and Schnapp (just 11).

That level of fame and success is of course thrilling, and can give actors enormous freedom in terms of what projects they pursue next. However, they also have a major challenge to overcome: how to separate themselves from the beloved characters they spent a decade inhabiting on the show.

Many young stars choose to take on completely different work, to demonstrate their range – and all the better if they step into a new world, like theatre. Notably, Daniel Radcliffe did a West End production of Equus at the height of Harry Potter mania. Now the Stranger Things kids are following suit, choosing exciting new roles and shows – and in a completely separate medium to streaming TV – in which to take their all-important post-Stranger Things steps.

Speaking about Affluenza, a thought-provoking new drama set in the ultra-wealthy social haven of the Hamptons, Schnapp noted that he wanted to be “very intentional about what I took on next”, and added that he was excited to “get to play two very different roles” in the play. He’ll be able to demostrate that there’s much more to him than Will Byers.

It’s a great way of growing up

Another difficulty for successful young actors is convincing the world that they’re no longer the cute kids we fell in love with – and that’s definitely the case for the Stranger Things cast. The image of this little gang of friends, cycling through the suburbs together or playing Dungeons & Dragons, is particularly indelible, and although the characters did age on the show, they were all still pretty youthful in the finale.

It’s a canny move, then, to take on much more adult subject matter in your next project, and to do it in a highly respected milieu like London theatre. Both the shows themselves and the locale suggest performers who are maturing and deserve to be taken seriously. Plus there’s nowhere to hide onstage, so it’s a proper test of them as fully-fledged, committed thespians.

Schnapp, as Sink did with John Proctor Is the Villain, is putting his star power behind a new play – a particularly admirable choice. Affluenza deals with provocative contemporary themes like family legacy, moral accountability, and the American justice system. It’s all a far cry from the coming-of-age (and monster fighting) storytelling of Stranger Things – and from its nostalgic 1980s setting.

Sink also impressed by tackling an iconic Shakespearean role, while Matarazzo – who actually has a long-established musical theatre background, with Broadway shows including Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd – is likewise starring in the revival of a classic work. He is playing struggling documentary-maker Mark Cohen in RENT, a show that tackles important, still-resonant topics such as sexuality and queer acceptance, AIDS, gentrification, grief, political protest, and the meaning of art.

It’s an escape from the Hollywood spotlight

While there is, naturally, a lot of excitement around the Stranger Things stars coming to the London stage, it’s a different kind of pressure to working in Hollywood. There is certainly less commercial expectation – particularly for someone like Schnapp, who is doing his show at the independent off-West End venue Riverside Studios – and so perhaps a sense of liberation.

These actors can take chances and experiment without an entire franchise riding on the success of their work. They might discover a new passion – Schnapp is doing theatre for the very first time – or get a sense of where they’d like their career to go next, whether a mix of new and classical stage drama in Sink’s case, or, for Matarazzo, maybe tackling more canonical musical theatre roles like Mark in RENT. They can also experience working in a completely new city, or indeed country.

The London theatre scene is known to be a warm and welcoming community, accepting any artists who are passionate about drama and want to give it their all. The same will doubtless be true for the Stranger Things cast as they seize the opportunity and tackle these bold next projects. After all, there’s no day but today!

Photo credit: Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp. (Photos by Victoria Stevens, Caitlin Cronenberg, and courtesy of Riverside Studios)