Masterclass not only provides its own headline, it’s also a terse reminder that there is still plenty of need for explicitly feminist theatre. Beginning as a broad yet witty parody of the macho male artist and the obsequious interviewer, it explodes into a battle of wills between Adrienne Truscott and Feidlim Cannon, as they attack male allyship and the restrictions of normative performance.

^{Pictures: Ste Murray}

Truscott, whether in burlesque, comedy or serious mode, always pursues a moment of chaos that then resolves into an articulate and direct conclusion; by shifting from characters to versions of their ‘real’ selves, Cannon and Truscott expose a conflict that exists not in aesthetics but in the means of production. Cannon is uncomfortable with her refusal to compromise, in particular on nudity and calling out his pretensions to feminism, while Truscott ultimately recognises her privilege.

For a two-person show with a basic scenography and none of the stunning tableaux that have characterised Truscott’s previous productions, Masterclass is forceful and persuasive, intelligent and emotive. Cannon and Truscott balance the caricatures of the initial scenes with raw versions of themselves at the end, juxtaposing the artificial and apparently authentic. The work slices through the pieties of scripted theatre and contemporary attempts to preserve patriarchy and privilege beneath the appearance of solidarity.

Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 5.40pm.