AS the director of the highly-acclaimed drama Meek which comes to the Lowry, Salford Quays, next week, Amy Hodge knew that she was on to a winner from the outset.

“When I read the script for the first time I couldn’t put it down,” she said. “It was this real rollercoaster of a narrative - I was gripped.”

Set in a mythical Scandinavian country controlled by Christian fundamentalists, Meek is the story of would-be singer Irene who is imprisoned for performing in a coffee bar.

“It is set in an extreme, imagined world,” said Amy. “But it looks at things that could be happening and are happening today.”

Through social media, Irene garners support from all over the world while the authorities appear determined to make an extreme example of her.

“Meek is very much a thriller,” said Amy. “You’re not quite sure what is happening or who is doing it.

“It is a relatively short production - just over an hour - and so we wanted to make it have a televisual feel which quick short scenes which I think makes it even more accessible to the audience.”

Headlong Theatre’s Meek was premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and comes to the Lowry at the end of a brief UK tour.

Written by Penelope Skinner, Meek is very much a play for today.

“I think it feels relevant in so many ways,” said Amy. “You don’t have to stray too far from what is happening around the world to arrive at the scenario we have in the play.

“There is the whole question of what faith means to people and what it does to people; how much of themselves they are prepared to give up to a bigger authority. It is also a story about love which, let’s face it is probably the most important thing in all our lives.”

To make the piece as authentic as possible, human rights’ lawyers went into rehearsals to talk to Amy and the cast.

That all-female cast add an extra dimension to the work.

“It’s interesting for me to explore how women sit within this extreme world we have created,” said Amy. “Then there’s the whole question of how much of a community we are these days.

“There has been so much weird upheaval around the world. Who would have thought Trump would have become president in America? And in this country there’s the whole issue of Brexit. Look further afield and you can find similarities to the world we are exploring within Meek.

“As a director with any production you are always hoping that you can get to an audience and with this piece in particular we have found that different people react to it in different ways which is very gratifying. It is a production which will cause people to have a discussion about what they have just seen on the way home. It is not bleak, there are some very funny moments, but it is thought-provoking which is what theatre should be.”

Meek, the Lowry, Salford Quays, Wednesday, September 19 to Saturday, September 22. Details from 0843 208 6005 or www.thelowry.com