An imaginative re-telling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped is coming to the stage, writes Ciaran Hurley.

Kidnapped tells the story of Davie Balfour and Alen Breck as they escape murder and shipwreck on a quest for justice, set against the fierce social and political upheavals of 1760s Scotland.

Sell a Door Theatre Company are kick-starting their 2014 season with emerging playwright Ivan Wilkinson’s adaptation of the book.

The new re-telling creates plenty of technical challenges for the team as the production proves more technically ambitious than director, Anna Fox, has experienced before.

Involving some intense text work, Fox says she also has had a lot of fun playing around with puppetry and physical theatre while going through production.

It is hoped the play will attract audiences of all ages.

She adds: "I hope that Kidnapped will inspire a few of those people to play a bit more, in the way that I remember doing as a child; running around my living room with bed sheets creating imaginary worlds.

There’s plenty in there for adults too and I think that’s the beauty of a really good story; it has the ability to talk to everyone in one way or another."

"Through new writing, playwrights can explore and respond to the changing world around them, or approach old themes in new and exciting ways."

Kidnapped, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, January 30 to February 1, 7.30pm and 2.30pm, £9 to £16, visit www.fairfield.co.uk or call 02086889291.