4.48 Psychosis

Yet it stands alone as a dramatisation of a mind in breakdown, with the 4.48 of its title referring to "the happy hour when clarity visits" in the early watches of the morning.

All the characters are nameless and the "mind" in question is poignantly played by Charlotte Donachie with fellow performers Rachel Eireann, Isabella Gordon and Lewis Howard representing three harrowing aspects of her mental struggle.

The play subtly questions the nature of sanity and the definition of madness - war, rape and outrage are all part of the protagonist's vocabulary and her insanity often makes more sense than does external reality, represented by two relentlessly rational psychiatrists.

Where previous productions have presented a violent and screaming rawness, director Samuel Miller provides a subdued interpretation, demonstrating that psychosis is also often a quiet internalised struggle.

It also draws out the poetic lyricism of the play and challenges the conventions of naturalistic theatre so beloved by British audiences.

It is hardly surprising that Kane's work is so popular in Europe.

She has a strong relationship with the traditions of European theatre, from Bertolt Brecht's epic theatre to Artaud's theatre of cruelty and certainly it seems that it is on the continent, where productions of her work are regularly staged, that she is most appreciated.

There are a number of reasons for going to see this production, not least the need to support innovative fringe theatre in an age of theatre cuts and closures.

A bonus is that newly opened Drayton Arms Theatre is on the first floor a lovely Victorian pub.

Also to be commended are Crooked Pieces, the play's producers, whose stated aim is to pioneer female voices on stage and provide a platform for women writers.

But above all in this short one-hour play the actors give a searing portrayal of mental illness which affects one in four of the population and, one way or another, touches all our lives.

Runs until September 29. Box office: 08448 700-887.