Even in a production as collaborative as this, there seems to be disagreement amongst the cast, crew and directors about how best to describe the concept and events in Road. However, they all agree that it is “a state of the nation piece”. Set on Lancashire Street in 1980s northern England, the play leads its audience along the road, presenting “snapshots” of its inhabitants’ lives.

The characters are described by co-director Kaiti Soultana (alongside Lucy Moss) as “the victims” of their society. “They are the very scum who are suffering the most. That’s what they’re symbolic of.” The cast see the characters as “rejected” and “ignored”, as they wrestle with dissatisfaction at the way their lives have turned out and their powerlessness to change them.

Given the obvious juxtaposition of depicting working class poverty within the “high privilege” of Cambridge, the directors believe it is “a brave play to put on here, for this type of audience.” However, whatever audience reactions may be, they aren’t looking for sympathy. Their aim is to show what “was and what still is”. Katurah Morrish, (playing Louise) tells me of the realistic yet bleak “sense of cycle” the play leaves us with – although set in the 80s, it is undoubtedly still relevant.

The self-confidence of the team is striking when questioned about how they feel putting on a freshers’ play in the daunting Cambridge theatre scene. Joe Pitts (playing Joey and Curt) says that “just because we’re freshers, doesn’t mean we’re not part of that excitement. I don’t feel daunted, I feel energised. It’s such a powerful play, I think it’s apparent in our acting that we all love it.” However, Soultana acknowledges that the show does pose a chance “to prove ourselves” and Morrish admits to some of the particular challenges a freshers’ play poses, such as organisation and time management.

Producer Lola Seaton suggests that the team come up with three words to describe the show. I am presented with: “best freshers’ play...tragic...raw...gritty, hard, powerful” and “heartbreaking” (a description which prompts debate amongst the cast). However, all are certain that the piece remains “very funny”, having already provoked tears of laughter during rehearsals.

Watching rehearsals, it is clear that Road’s structure is far from simple, presenting us instead with what Lola describes as “layers of images”. This is particularly clear in scenes such as a skinhead’s passionate monologue. On this sense of harsh realism, Martha Murphy (playing Carol, Lane, and Valerie), commented that “I don’t think many people are going to be able to... see this play, and not feel uncomfortable in at least half of it”.

The cast and director have faced some practical issues in realising their vision. Accents seem something of a challenge, as not only is mastering a broad Lancashire dialect essential, but some of the actors play up to five or six different characters so have to create multiple tonalities to differentiate between them. The time constraints of a late show have also posed problems – much of the play has had to be cut, but the team are confident that the script’s unusual structure means the show will still be just as effective.

So what will you come away with after viewing Road? Clearly, this question can only be truly answered by actually going to see it, but I am assured that it is “a rollercoaster of emotions” that will challenge its audience to look at society in different and multiple ways. A case in point is the humorous yet highly uneasy scene where an older woman takes home a very drunk young man. Jonah Hauer-King (playing Scullery) asserts, “it’s not going to make you feel uplifted”, but such is the complexity of this play that the directors disagree: “it could do.”