World Renowned Dance Company Rambert Brings It’s A Sin to the Stage
Rambert, the UK’s leading contemporary dance company, in partnership with Factory International, 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, It’s A Sin.
This bold reimagining sees original series creator Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, Doctor Who) serving as Executive Producer, alongside legendary pop duo PetShop 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.
It’s A Sin is 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.
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.
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 multi-instrumentalist credits include Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer and The Age of Pleasure) will compose the music with the support of executive producers Pet Shop Boys to evoke the glamour, defiance and emotional intensity of 1980s queer life. Set and video design comes from Luke Halls Studio (West Side Story, concerts from Adele, Pet Shop Boys, Dua Lipa, Take That), whose work spans global arena tours and major stage productions.
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 Sincontinues Rambert’s legacy of bringing epic stories to the stage through movement that speaks to now.
On the announcement of It’s A Sin, Benoit Swan Pouffer said: “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.”
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 said:“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.”
The announcement comes during Rambert’s centenary celebrations, marked by its nationwide FUTURE100 programme. Special events in London, Manchester and Edinburgh invite audiences closer than ever before, offering exclusive insights into the company’s future and opportunities to meet its artists. Alongside this, Rambert will tour This is Rambert, nationally and internationally, presenting a fierce and fearless triple bill of contemporary works by today’s most distinctive choreographic voices, brought to life by Rambert’s world-class dancers. Reaffirming its position as one of the world’s most innovative dance companies, as it enters its second century, Rambert continues to push boundaries - creating work that provokes, connects and captures the spirit of its time.
It’s a Sin is made possible thanks to major support from the Colwinston Charitable Trust’s 30th Anniversary Fund. It’s a Sin has been supported by Incentivising Touring: Repayable Grants for Theatre and Dance, a pilot scheme developed by Arts Council England to support mid-large scale productions to tour to regional venues. It’s a Sin was amongst the 23 to receive a share of over £4.5 million across two investment rounds of the scheme, which creates the opportunity for more people to see high-quality shows close to where they live.
Further announcements about It’s A Sin will follow soon. Sign up for updates at https://rambert.beaconforms.com/form/0696211d
