Theatre: Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses at The Lowry

The acclaimed novel for young adults Noughts & Crosses has been adapted for the stage, and will be premiering at The Lowry next month. Told from the perspectives of two teenagers, the play explores the themes of love and revolution. Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a Nought) sit together on a beach. Between the two, there are racial and social divides in a segregated society that teeters on a knife edge. Written by Malorie Blackman, the Noughts & Crosses book series won the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Fantastic Fiction Award. Blackman has written over 60 novels, and also worked in television, co-writing a recent episode of Doctor Who. In 2008, she received an OBE for her services to children’s literature, and was the Children’s Laureate from 2013 – 15. This adaptation comes from Pilot Theatre and is directed by Sabrina Mahfouz, a British-Egyptian poet, playwright, and performer.

Tue 26 Feb – Sat 2 Mar, The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ, Tel: 0843 208 6000, Show times vary, £19.50 – £21.50, www.thelowry.com