PILOT Theatre, company-in-residence at York Theatre Royal, have linked up with playwright Roy Williams for a second time in the wake of their touring production of his contemporary adaptation of Alan Sillitoe'sThe Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner.

This time they are bringing Sophocles' Antigone up to date in a bold new version of the Greek tragedy, designed to make its story of loyalty and truth, human nature and behaviour relevant to modern audiences.

"I was intrigued to know if it was possible to set Antigone in a world that I have written about before, i.e. the gangster culture that is too often the life of a lot of young people today," says Roy.

"It has always disturbed me to hear young people say that being in a gang makes them feel powerful, but as we all know power does corrupt. Creon begins the play feeling all-powerful with his gang running ‘tings’ in Thebes. It is almost like he, and others like him, have put aside other feelings that make us human, like love and fear, in favour of a 'live fast, die young' mentality."

The great failing of classic Greek tragedies was a propensity for reportage rather than action, a turn-off for audiences raised on blockbusters, computer games and TV dramas. Roy was quick to address that issue, having been influenced in his writing by the more direct approach of late-1950s and early 1960s kitchen-sink dramas.

"Generally, I don't necessarily have a problem with Greek tragedies, but one of the frustrating things I often found was that things happened off stage when I wanted to follow them on stage, to see what they're talking about, so I've allowed myself a couple of liberties."

Nevertheless, a delicate balancing act has to be achieved.

"There's a danger that too many times, modern playwrights are so influenced by television methods, and I'm not knocking that, but sometimes I want to see a more traditional play that plays to theatre's strengths," says Roy.

He is seeking to combine the power of theatre with the audience's demand for pace and passion. "I've streamlined the speeches, so they're not as long-winded, and we now have a Greek chorus of three, who aren't citizens of Thebes but soldiers, but all the while I'm honouring what was written by Sophocles as I want to remind the audience that this is theatre, not television."

The production is directed by Pilot's artistic director Marcus Romer, a long-time prophet of the rise of multi-media theatre.

"Marcus directs for a very visual age," says Roy. "What he's come up with reflects how we live in a world of 24-hour CCTV surveillance, where those who control it are the gods."

In this claustrophobic, crushing world, gang culture thrives, in this case led by the power-hungry Creon.

"I despise how gangs think that that world is their only option," says Roy. "That 'live-fast, die-young ' mentality is nonsense. You can't hide from life's experiences, no matter how fast you live, and Creon comes to acknowledge that."

Antigone stands up against that gang world, a stance that meets with Roy's approval. "She's incredibly strong; I've always admired that character, even though she doesn't fully understand how much impact she's making, and I like to think we've captured her spirit."

Pilot Theatre's Antigone runs at York Theatre Royal from Tuesday to Saturday, as part of its autumn tour in a co-production with Derby Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East. . Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Suitable for age 14 upwards.