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Entertaining, emotional and accessible...Pig Heart Boy will tug at the toughest of heart-valves. --A Youngish Perspective Cameron is thirteen, and all he wants is to be normal--have friends, go to school, and dive to the bottom of his local swimming pool. But he desperately needs a heart transplant and time is running out.
When he's finally offered a new heart, Cameron must choose between a pig's heart that works...or a human heart that doesn't. How far will he go to get his life back?
Based on Malorie Blackman's novel of the same name, Winsome Pinnock's adaptation of
Pig Heart Boy is hilariously funny, intelligent and thought-provoking and stays admirably close to the original book yet energises the story in leaping from page to stage (
Everything Theatre).
About the author
Malorie Blackman, OBE, is a distinguished author, well known for her works for children and young adults. She was Children's Laureate 2013-15.
Winsome Pinnock is an award-winning British playwright of Jamaican heritage. Her plays include: The Authenticator (National Theatre, London, 2026); Rockets and Blue Lights (Royal Exchange, Manchester, 2020; National Theatre, 2021); One Under (2005) and Water (2000) at the Tricycle Theatre; Mules (Clean Break/Royal Court Theatre Upstairs/Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles and The Magic Theatre, San Francisco, 1996); Talking in Tongues (1991) and A Hero's Welcome (1989; runner-up Susan Smith Blackburn Prize) at the Royal Court Theatre; and Leave Taking (Liverpool Playhouse Theatre/Contact Theatre Manchester/Belgrade Theatre Coventry/Lyric Hammersmith/ National Theatre, 1986).
She has adapted Malorie Blackman's novel Pig Heart Boy for the stage (Unicorn Theatre / Sheffield Theatres / Children's Theatre Partnership, 2025).
The prizes awarded to her work include the Alfred Fagon Award (2018), the Windham-Campbell Prize for Drama (2022), the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Special Commendation (1990), the George Devine Award (1991), the Pearson Award for Best New Play (1991), and the Unity Theatre Trust Award (1989).
Author photo by Matt Roberts
Summary
Malorie Blackman's celebrated novel about a boy in need of a heart transplant, adapted for the stage by Winsome Pinnock. First performed in 2025 at the Unicorn Theatre, London, before touring the UK.
