The winner of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club’s prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Fund, Amy Lever’s Life Before the Line tells the stories of four Mancunian Jewish teenagers. Framed by a terrorist alarm going off during a revision lesson, the non-linear narrative allows the audience to glimpse the lives of these four characters and the events shaping their emotions at the moment of the alarm.

The play is set primarily in and around a secondary school, with scenes also taking place at the characters’ homes. In the spirit of the Fringe, where production teams often have less than ten minutes to set up after the previous show, the set is minimal and relies on the creative use of a few tables and chairs.

The simplicity of the set highlights the exquisite lighting design under technical director Yasi Zhu. The space is transformed from school to home, from inside to outside, and from day to night. Scenes taking place at doctors’ or counsellors’ offices are especially effective, making use of spotlights and a voiceover. Here, the actors look directly at the audience, allowing us to share in their vulnerability at this moment.

Lever’s writing does not shy away from complex topics, interweaving how antisemitism, sexuality, and identity are felt or resisted by the characters. The insight into the experiences of Jewish teenagers is an important contribution of the play, showing non-Jewish audience members how this influences their everyday lives. For instance, when Sara (Arabella Alhaddad) talks about her experience of antisemitism while travelling in a taxi, the play contributes to wider discussions around racism in the UK.

Dialogue is refreshingly authentic

Lever masterfully incorporates these topics alongside other issues shaping the characters’ teenage years. Danny’s (Abraham Alsawaf) experiences with cystic fibrosis brings another underrepresented dimension to the fore, demonstrating the visible impact on his life without defining the character only in terms of his disease.

Each of the four main characters becomes the focus for a section of the play. Character development is one of its strongest elements, conveyed by a combination of speech to the audience and dialogue between the characters. The direction of Ben Phillips and Tasmin Jones is commendable, creating a seamless flow between scenes and different types of speech. Dialogue between Esty (Emma Kentridge) and Allister (Jacob Benhayoun) as they flirt or argue is refreshingly authentic, capturing the youth of the characters without portraying them as childish or naïve.

Given that the play covers so much ground, the hour-long structure of a Fringe show does not necessarily do it justice. Characters who become the focus later, especially Allister, feel under-explored and seem to demand a longer show.

In the same way, the non-linear structure and the density of content means that at times the plot becomes confusing. Scenes which return to the moment of the terrorist alarm could be made clearer, both visually and audibly, to ensure that the audience can focus on the outstanding writing and performance without trying to piece together the timeline. For example, there is scope to make more use of costume, especially for the ensemble (Dounia El Barhdadi and Josh Seal) as they switch between multiple different roles.

Overall, Life Before the Line is at its best when it juxtaposes the mundane and the shocking: the everyday experience of friendship, siblings, or school alongside the possibility of life-changing events like a terrorist alarm. The effect of this is to transform what could have been a cliched teenage drama into an astute commentary on what it means to grow up in politically charged times.