Pilot Theatre of York's award-winning stage adaptation of Malorie Blackman's hit novel Noughts & Crosses is on a new UK tour, with northern dates at Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (from tomorrow until November 5); Liverpool Playhouse (November 22-26); The Lowry, Salford (January 18-21) and Oldham Coliseum (March 14-18).
Noughts & Crosses - one of the UK's best-loved books for young adults - is a Romeo and Juliet-style romance set in an alternative society, in which the black population (the Crosses) is the upper class, and the white population (the Noughts) is the lower class. In this punchy, 120-minute stage version, the theme of racial injustice is prominent.
Adaptor Sabrina Mahfouz, said: "It's brilliant that this play will go back across the country and get people talking about racism, love, the power of youth, injustice and all the issues Malorie Blackman's story brings to the forefront of her characters' lives.”
The show first toured in 2019, as the first co-production between Pilot Theatre, Derby Theatre, Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, Colchester's Mercury Theatre and York Theatre Royal, which was a new partnership to develop, produce and present theatre for younger audiences.
The Pilot Theatre production was seen by over 30,000 people on tour, with 40 per cent of the audience aged under 20. It went on to win the company the award for Excellence in Touring at the 2019 UK Theatre Awards.