Systemic Racism, The RSC, and Epic Theatre
Malorie Blackman wrote the novel in 2001, but Dominic Cooke adapted it for the stage in 2007. In the AQA exam, you must link the systemic racism of Blackman's fictional world directly to the Brechtian, Story Theatre techniques used by Cooke to make the audience think critically about prejudice.
Click the eras below to see how history and theatrical theory shaped the RSC's stage design.
German practitioner Bertolt Brecht developed 'Epic Theatre' to force audiences to think objectively about political issues, rather than just feeling emotional sympathy. He wanted the audience to remain aware they were watching a play so they would judge the actions of the characters critically.
Author & Creator
Blackman created a world where dark-skinned "Crosses" hold all the power and wealth, while light-skinned "Noughts" are treated as second-class citizens. This "flipped" perspective forces audiences to recognize the absurdity and cruelty of racial prejudice.
She stated she wrote the book because of the "burning anger I felt regarding the death of Stephen Lawrence and the subsequent mishandling of the police inquiry." The injustice faced by Callum's family directly reflects this real-world institutional racism.
Royal Shakespeare Company
Cooke stripped away the set completely. He relied on the actors to create the environment using multi-purpose props like wooden crates and scaffolding. This ensures the audience's focus is entirely on the political dialogue and the relationships, not the scenery.
To cover the massive timeframe of the novel, Cooke used a Story Theatre approach. Characters frequently step out of the action to become Narrators, directly addressing the audience to rapidly advance the plot and share their internal, unspoken thoughts.