With the soaring rate of knife crime in London making almost daily headlines, David Alade’s Fox Hunting couldn’t be any more topical. Based on transcripts of interviews with south Londoners, this verbatim piece explores the multiple and far-reaching effects of knife crime on the lives of five young men, and in doing so turns faceless statistics into an urgent human crisis.

The five guys in question have gathered to pay their respects – although to whom, we don’t yet know. When one of their number recounts an incident on the way in which he had to swerve to avoid a fox in his path, a surprising debate is sparked over the nature of innocence, and what it is and isn’t okay to do if you think your own safety might be at risk. From there, it’s a small side step to get to the heart of the play, as each member of the group shares his own unique experience. Some of them were victims of knife crime, others were perpetrators; all have had their lives changed irrevocably by what happened, and it’s only now that they’re starting to wonder what it was all for.

It’s a cleverly constructed piece of writing from 21-year-old Alade, who also performs – alongside Chris J. Gordon, Devante Mavour, Joshua Lewis and Quinton Arigi. Each of the five stories stands alone, with the other actors stepping in to play supporting roles, and yet they’re united by a strong discursive thread that allows those most affected by knife crime to be part of finding the solution. What emerges very clearly from the play is the realisation that for many young people, in London and elsewhere, the idea of leaving home unarmed is as unthinkable as heading out without their phone, keys or wallet. There’s a constant fear of violence which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and it’s this attitude, Alade argues, that needs to be addressed if there’s to be any hope of halting the increasing rate of knife crime.

Despite the heavy subject matter and some moments that are genuinely quite frightening (particularly if you sit close to the aisle), the play also contains a surprising amount of proper laugh out loud humour. These aren’t hardened criminals; they’re just five young, normal, likeable guys, who all have plenty to live for – education, career, love, faith – and are just going about their everyday life in the best way they know how. It just so happens that everyday life involves carrying a knife, and being prepared to use it.

The five actors all perform with energy and conviction, unafraid to engage directly with the audience, and creating characters who are as believable in moments of violence as of reflection. Their stories might not always be the ones that make headlines – with nearly 40,000 knife crime offences recorded in the UK last year, it’s no wonder we only tend to hear about the most serious – but that doesn’t make them any less devastating to that one individual whose life has been changed forever, and that raw emotion really comes through in each of the performances on stage.

What is clear from reading the papers is that something needs to be done, but first it’s important to try and understand the root causes of the problem. Fox Hunting is a clear and powerfully effective attempt to do just that – let’s hope both the play and its talented writer have the successful future they deserve.