A BAFTA-nominated TV show is set to be adapted for the theatre with creator Russell T David overseeing the production.
It’s a Sin – that focuses on five friends during the 1980s Aids Crisis – is now being brought to the stage by dance company Rambert and Factory International.
The 11-time BAFTA-nominated drama will also be overseen by Executive Producers Pet Shop Boys and Glyn Fussell and is set to premiere its stage adaptation at Aviva Studios in Manchester.
The production will also be choreographed and directed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, alongside Dramaturg Kaite O’Reilly (The Almond and The Seahorse).
Originally set in London between 1981 and 1991, Davies’ story follows a generation of young gay men and their friends as the HIV/AIDS crisis unfolds around them.
The moving story will share a wide array of joy, loss, injustice and resilience in the face of unimaginable change.
Rambert will transform this narrative into an immersive, living experience where contemporary dance, archive and cinematic visuals collide as past and present unfold side by side.
It’s A Sin will be a visceral theatrical experience – a reckoning and a celebration told through fearless movement. Clubs pulse with possibility. Friendships ignite. Fear edges closer. Lives are changed forever.
Urgent and intimate, Davies’ (Doctor Who, Queer as Folk) story asks vital questions about memory, community and how we choose to live.
It’s A Sin continues Rambert’s legacy of bringing stories to the stage through movement that speaks to modern audiences.
Expanding the world of the beloved television drama, the production brings together an extraordinary creative team.
Shaping the musical landscape Composer and Music Supervisor Roman GianArthur (Grammy-nominated albums, Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer and The Age of Pleasure) will compose the music.
She will be supported by Executive Producers Pet Shop Boys to evoke the glamour, defiance and emotional intensity of 1980s queer life.
The set and video design comes from Luke Halls Studio (West Side Story, Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa, Take That), whose work spans global arena tours and major stage productions.
Davies said of the adaptation: ‘It’s A Sin was such a special show for me and it’s one of the greatest honours of my life to have the show transformed by Rambert into something new and exciting.’
Pet Shop Boys commented: ‘The original TV drama was a landmark series which compellingly presented the reality and tragedy of the Aids crisis to a mass audience.
‘Our song “It’s a sin” was contemporary with the crisis and we are proud to be involved as this poignant and important story is interpreted in a different medium.’
Rambert Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer added: ‘Storytelling sits at the heart of Rambert’s mission.
‘This is a story we feel compelled to tell right now, and collaborating with Russell – one of the most powerful storytellers of our time – is incredibly exciting.
‘Together we’re exploring how dance and choreography can carry urgent, emotional narratives in a visceral way.
‘I can’t wait to share this with audiences, and there is so much more still to come as the work evolves.’
It’s A Sin is a Rambert and Factory International co-production that will premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester.
It is co-produced with Wales Millennium Centre, Capital Theatres (Edinburgh), Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Les Théâtres de la Ville (Luxembourg).
Full details, including venue, casting and performance dates, will be announced later this year.
Main image credit: Max Cisotti.
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