A powerful love story set in a divided world
Based on the best-selling novel by Malorie Blackman, Noughts and Crosses returns to Sheffield in this gripping stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz, directed by Esther Richardson.

Set in a society rigidly divided by race and power, this modern-day Romeo and Juliet tells the story of two young people caught on opposite sides of an unjust system.
The story
Sephy and Callum have grown up together. They sit side by side on a beach, bound by friendship — and something deeper.

But Sephy is a Cross, born into privilege.

Callum is a Nought, living under systemic oppression.

Their love is forbidden.

As political tensions escalate and violence erupts, their relationship is pushed to breaking point. What begins as an intimate coming-of-age story becomes a searing exploration of identity, resistance, and the cost of love in a world built on division.
Why this production matters
A bold, contemporary retelling of a modern literary classic
Explores racism, power, protest and young love with urgency and compassion
Widely praised for engaging teenage and adult audiences alike
A finalist for Best Show for Children and Young People at the UK Theatre Awards
Reviews
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ – The Observer
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ – The Stage
“A dynamic, powerful, compelling show whatever your age.” – British Theatre Guide
Audience information
Age guidance: 12+
Running time: approx. 2 hours 10 minutes (including interval)
Accessible performances available

🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/noughts-and-crosses

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Beethoven at his most joyful, lyrical and life-affirming
Experience an afternoon of radiant chamber music as Ensemble 360 performs three contrasting works by Ludwig van Beethoven, culminating in one of the composer’s most popular and enduring creations — the Septet in E-flat major, Op.20.

Presented as part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, this concert showcases Beethoven’s gift for melody, colour and instrumental interplay, from intimate lyricism to full-bodied ensemble brilliance.
Programme
Violin Sonata in F major ‘Spring’ (26’)
String Quartet in C minor, Op.18 No.4 (24’)
Septet in E-flat major, Op.20 (40’)
The famous ‘Spring’ Sonata opens the concert with optimism and warmth, its singing violin lines and buoyant piano writing among the most recognisable in Beethoven’s output. This is followed by the dramatic and turbulent C minor Quartet, an early work that already hints at the composer’s stormier emotional world.

After the interval comes the Septet, perhaps Beethoven’s most-performed work during his lifetime. Scored for wind and strings, it is a masterclass in instrumental balance and character — from the stately elegance of its opening movement to the exuberant, crowd-pleasing finale that made it a sensation across Europe.
Why this concert stands out
One of Beethoven’s most loved and accessible masterpieces
A rare chance to hear the Septet live in an intimate setting
Ideal for both seasoned classical audiences and first-time concertgoers
Performed by Sheffield’s internationally acclaimed Ensemble 360
Festival context
This concert forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — nine days of world-class chamber music, song and adventurous programming in the heart of Sheffield.

🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/beethoven-septet

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A voice. A telephone. A love affair unravelling in real time.
Soprano Claire Booth and GRAMMY-winning pianist Christopher Glynn present an intense, semi-staged performance of La Voix Humaine, Francis Poulenc’s searing operatic monodrama.

Set to Jean Cocteau’s ground-breaking text, La Voix Humaine places the audience at the heart of a private conversation — a woman alone, speaking on the telephone to the lover who is leaving her. What unfolds is an emotionally devastating portrait of love, loss and psychological fracture.
Programme
Poulenc – La Dame de Monte Carlo (7’)
Poulenc – Toréador (2’)
Poulenc – Corcardes (6’)
Durey – Trois Chansons Basques (4’)
Auric – Huit Poèmes de Jean Cocteau (19’)
Milhaud – Trois Poèmes de Jean Cocteau, Op.59 (3’)
Poulenc – La Voix Humaine (40’) – semi-staged
The evening opens with a vivid sequence of French songs inspired by Cocteau’s poetry, gradually dissolving the boundaries between recital and opera. By the time La Voix Humaine begins, the audience has been drawn into a world where music, theatre and spoken intimacy become inseparable.
Why this performance is special
A rare semi-staged presentation of Poulenc’s most intimate opera
One of the most psychologically intense works in 20th-century music
Performed by one of the UK’s leading dramatic sopranos
Ideal for audiences interested in opera, theatre, modernism and French culture
Reviews
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
“Booth’s expressiveness is so intense, the colours of the voice so beautiful… she makes it wholly unforgettable.”
— The Guardian
Festival context
This performance forms part of the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, presented by Music in the Round — bringing world-class song, chamber music and cross-artform performance to Sheffield.

🎟 Tickets & full details:
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/la-voix-humaine

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