Adolescence meets Crime and Punishment

A new production of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment from Halifax-based Northern Broadsides references TV series Adolescence as it highlights the challenges facing young men today.

Adapted and directed by artistic director Laurie Sansom, the play will tour to studio venues in Spring 2026, the production emphasising the novel’s modern themes: how poverty and social isolation can affect mental health and drive people to desperate actions. Alongside the tour, the company will work with audiences and local groups to explore the themes and their modern relevance.

Laurie Sansom, said: “Crime and Punishment is a story that asks profound questions about morality, obsession and survival. Now, more than ever, we’re seeing young people grappling with the pressures of poverty, social isolation and uncertainty about their future. This production looks those issues squarely in the eye - asking what happens when someone feels they have nothing left to lose.”

The novel's huge canvas of larger-than-life characters will be brought to life by just three actors, still to be named.

The production will tour to five intimate studio venues: Cast, Doncaster (March 5-7); Leeds City College (March 12-14); HOME, Manchester (March 19-21); Victoria Theatre, Halifax (March 25-27) and the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh (April 1-4).

The company is also collaborating with Leeds City College in a new talent development programme, providing opportunities for students on acting, stage management and technical courses to work alongside professional artists and learn from the company’s creative process.

More info and tickets here