Angle: Repentance / Behind the Lines - review

For their latest project, volunteers handed out more than 30,000 leaflets in west London, inviting submissions; 129 plays were received, seven shortlisted writers had their entries work- shopped, and now we get to see the two winning pieces.

Both are staged in an upstairs room at the all-new Bush. The atmosphere is intimate, and director Blanche McIntyre, a rising star, makes ingenious use of the constrained space, deftly aided by designer Dick Bird. The audience for the most part has to stand, which intensifies the experience.

In the first half of a double bill that lasts less than an hour, we see Repentance by Mediah Ahmed. It focuses on a Muslim woman's relationship with a man who doesn't share her faith and comes from a different background. In a spare and episodic style, Ahmed examines the tension between religious conviction and physical desire.

There are echoes of Romeo and Juliet in the depiction of thwarted affection. Mandeep Dhillon impresses as the girl oppressed by her sense of moral duty, who is gradually revealed as the papery set is torn open, and Ade Oyefeso is plausible as her comparatively carefree lover.

The second play, Neil Daley's Behind the Lines, takes place around the scene of a recently committed murder. In its raw treatment of urban youth culture it covers familiar ground but Daley succeeds in suggesting the wide variety of reactions within the local community. The writing is brisk and humorous, albeit not that easy to follow, and there are vigorous performances, notably from Daniel Anthony.

Both these pieces show the value of Angle's efforts to unearth fresh talent. They are authentic and thoughtfully crafted, even if they feel as if they could do with being fleshed out more.

Until February 11 (020 8743 5050, bushtheatre.co.uk)

Angle: Repentance / Behind the Lines
Bush Theatre
W12