Manchester is quite the hub for arts and culture, with an incredible variety of music, dance, theatre, art and so much more to get involved with. Now Rambert, the UK’s leading contemporary dance company, in partnership with Factory International Manchester, has announced the early development of It’s A Sin – a major new dance work inspired by the era-defining, award-winning Channel 4 series of the same name, and we’re honestly ecstatic.
This bold reimagining sees original series creator Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, Doctor Who) serving as Executive Producer, alongside legendary pop duo Pet Shop Boys and Glyn Fussell (Sink the Pink, Mighty Hoopla festival). The production will be choreographed and directed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer reigniting his partnership with Dramaturg Kaite O’Reilly (The Almond and The Seahorse) on the development of a new script for the show.
What to expect from the It’s A Sin stage show
Raw, euphoric and deeply moving, 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.
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. It is a story of joy and innocence, of loss and injustice – and of resilience, activism and love 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. Urgent and intimate, it asks vital questions about memory, community and how we choose to live.
Unapologetic. Electrifying. Deeply human. It’s A Sin continues Rambert’s legacy of bringing epic stories to the stage through movement that speaks to now. Full details, including venue, casting and performance dates, will be announced later this year.
On the announcement of It’s A Sin, Russell T Davies said: “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.”
Factory International Artistic Director and Chief Executive John McGrath added: “We are delighted to be partnering with Rambert on this thrilling new project. Russel T Davies is an icon, and the story he tells in It’s a Sin has resonated with all ages.
“Rambert will no doubt re-tell the story with great vision and beauty. We can’t wait to premier this collaboration at our home, Aviva Studios, before sharing it with an exceptional group of national and international co-producers.”