Showing @ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 23 Apr

More and more our society is becoming penned in; from the individualistic idiosyncrasies of our frustrated nature to employment opportunities, the effects of the swollen capitalist machine have shrouded the social reality of a new world. Mapping a true story of ultimate survival and endurance, director Ellen McDougall stages the Scottish premiere of Hattie Naylor’s gripping, desolate Ivan and the Dogs. On the streets of Russia, Ivan (Rad Kaim) flees from the vicious, belligerent home life of run-down Moscow. Retelling his experiences from the safety of his lofted, square haven, he recounts the relationship he forms with a pack of wild dogs who come to both mother and nurture him.

Screen projected images and a dreamlike, ethereal soundtrack mirror the harrowing beauty of Russian winter. The solemnity and poignancy of Kaim’s delivery develops a quiet relationship between audience and storyteller, and encourages us to relive moments of both triumph and conflict. With constant references to his mother, Kaim portrays a sense of limitless yearning, adopted only by the ghostly, white dog who comes to protect him. Yet whilst set up in a recession-ravaged city, the performance focuses less on the economic and social derailments of society and more on the links to animalism which keep us alive, reflecting that fundamental human capability to adapt. So what’s left is a hauntingly audiovisual portrayal of destitution, which finds depth in Ivan’s shelter itself. Metaphorising his home, his cage, his sanctuary, the social realities we face have not been so rhythmically and piercingly detailed for some time, and it’s easy to see why this production was nominated for an Olivier Award earlier this year.