On the night I went to see Pilot Theatre's production of Noughts and Crosses, they had the most terrifying, difficult-to-impress audience that I can imagine. Not reviewers. Worse: a whole room full of teenagers.

Noughts and Crosses is adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by children's author Malorie Blackman. Set in a divided world on the brink of violent revolution, noughts and crosses are separated by race and class. Callum is a Nought and Sephy is a Cross, and their romance will lead them both into terrible danger - and maybe reshape the society that is keeping them apart.

It's difficult to entertain an audience of mostly fifteen year-olds, but it was heartwarming to see how this production had the whole crowd captivated. There was never a slow moment. So much happened over the course of the two hour run time that you were always at the edge of your seat - very literally, in the case of some of the extremely invested students in front of us - and yet the characters were all given ample time to breathe, providing a deep emotional layer to the story that made the violence pack even more of a punch.

I loved the nuanced characters, the powerful staging and the cutting reflections on our own society, but when it comes to a production meant for young adults, my opinion isn't the important one. Take it from the teens who gasped at every plot twist, clutched each other at the drama, and led the standing ovation at the end: Pilot Theatre's Noughts and Crosses is one to watch.

Lily Tibbitts