By Eoin, 18

Noughts and Crosses, based on the best selling book by Malorie Blackman, is a tragic love story set in a world with an institutionalised system of segregation between the Crosses and the Noughts. It is set in an alternate universe England, where Africa, the Crosses, has colonised Europe, the Noughts. The love story follows a Cross girl, Sephy, at the top of society falling in love with a Nought boy, Callum, who has no status at all.

I had the pleasure of watching the Pilot Theatre’s production of Noughts and Crosses at Northern Stage. I went into this show without watching or reading Noughts and Crosses, so I had no idea what I was in store for. The story was emotionally challenging to watch, especially with multiple deaths. The sense of loss is first felt with a suicide, which serves as a motivation for Callum to later join the Liberation Militia. The cyclical nature of the production with another character’s early death makes the final demise to be even more shocking.

The casting for the show was absolutely brilliant, with each actor convincingly taking on their character. The only time that sense broke was with the school scenes in the first act of the show. Having much older actors taking on the roles of much younger characters was somewhat jolting but their portrayal was brilliant. 

The set design of 42 panels on stage allowed for a wide variety of uses from windows to tv screens allowing for each scene to easily flow, the looming gallows over the top bringing a constant sense of death for the duration of the show. The lighting was superb throughout. 

The themes of class, race, death and violence in the production still resonates with a modern audience and will make for thought provoking viewing. 

This was created by young people as part of the Headliners Young Journalist programme. This project was made possible by the Million Hours Fund.