As One Million Tiny Plays About Britain surprisingly and poignantly tells us, every old tissue or discarded crisp packet tells a story. In this imaginative staging of Craig Taylor’s mini-dramas, originally serialised in The Guardian, snapshots of everyday British life were strikingly brought to life by an excellent and endlessly resourceful two-strong cast.

At first it looked as though someone had raided a skip and scattered the contents over the ADC stage, but throughout the evening these piles of detritus were transformed ingeniously, from restaurant to market stall to festival bench. The characters were sufficiently strong and engaging that, despite the limited time we were allowed with each, the audience were irresistibly drawn into the little window of their lives, and the cluttered set rarely felt like a distraction.

The ever-shifting characters were brought to life by some very strong acting from both cast members. From the moment the lights went up for each mini-drama, the audience could tell by posture and facial expression alone what sort of character they would be introduced to. Particularly skilful was the way in which the actors transitioned between highly amusing scenes depicting aggressively generous elderly women and overly honest job applicants, and an unsettlingly moving depiction of a mother dealing with her son’s suicide attempt through false cheerfulness and tacky greetings cards.

Despite the generally comedic tone the production, most characters felt both astute and honest. Whilst the occasional character flirted with becoming a caricature, this was for the most part avoided, with even the most heavily stereotyped characters treated with amused affection.

Almost more entertaining than the actual mini-dramas were the scene changes. The actors gracefully (and occasionally not so gracefully) shimmied in and out of their costumes on-stage, transforming fluidly from tracksuit-wearing teenagers to dressing gown-clad spa patrons, complete with cucumber, in a matter of seconds. Singing scene transitions, in which the actors belted out verses of iconic British songs as they dressed, were particularly well received, and gave the audience (if not so much the actors) a chance to catch our breath between scenes.

This isn’t the cutesy, nostalgic Britain of BBC baking show fame. One Million Tiny Plays About Britain offers us a glimpse at ourselves in the midst of the everyday triumphs and tragedies of life. Its sincerity and surprising depth make it a must-see.