Frenchman Bertrand Lesca and British-Greek Nasi Voutsas take on the EU and the Syrian crisis in the first two parts of an “accidental trilogy” linked by a tragicomic visual language. Austere, accessible and entertaining, big themes are explored with a capacity to shift the mood very suddenly from light to dark.

Eurohouse focuses specifically on the Greek crisis. It utilises carefully selected props: attractive packets of M&Ms, folding chairs, a bin and an intrusive French-language version of the song My Way, to show charming Bert (France) befriending, bullying and humiliating Nasi (Greece). While not overtly political, performed in a compact visual space that overtly incorporates the audience as observers – complicit yet frequently frustrated – Eurohouse works its message like a stone dropped in a pool. References circle out to implicate wider abuses of power.

Named after the ancient Syrian city destroyed by ISIL, Palmyra was developed independently yet leads on from Eurohouse, not least with the prominent smashing of plates, an archetypical Greek tradition. It explores notions of Orient and Occident, terms still defined by archaic interpretations of what constitutes civilisation. The atmosphere is tense and precarious. Each object used: a very tall ladder, a hammer, has the potential for danger. As the debris piles up, the sense of danger and hopelessness increase. The audience become implicated, feeling simultaneously responsible yet powerless.