We’re told the way to know a man is to walk a mile in his shoes. But let’s face it, they probably won’t fit. Tired metaphors aside, we all have different takes on life, and it’s hard to convey to others what we see. Art has long offered salvation, a bridge to others, and it’s three skewed takes on the modern condition which comprise the Traverse Theatre Company’s triple-bill, Tilt.

Directed by Traverse Associate Director, Lorne Campell, and featuring the same team of actors (Garry Collins, Abigail Davies, David Ireland, Anne Lacey) and designers (Lisa Sangster, David Holmes, DJRed6) this cubed experience begins with a simple tale of modern love, White Point written by Edinburgh-based David Priestley. Set in our capital, this non-linear love triangle explores the difficulties of finding the ‘right’ relationship, and the disillusionment of young people who’ve seen too many happy ending movies. The problem is they don’t imagine anything past the final credits and their emotional isolation from one another inhibits communication and the resolution of problems. Easing the cast gently into their full-evening’s work, it highlights the disposability of the ready-meal-generation, on a sparse, often unnecessary, set, where it’s best just to let the words wash over you.

Second up, is David Lescot’s Broke, presented here in a new version by Iain F MacLeod. Casting Collins and Ireland as increasingly challenging characters, Broke is about a man stripped of all his materially coveted trophies. As his girlfriend leaves, so does the hope of reproduction and marriage. He’s also bankrupt, and a state designated liquidator relieves him of his possessions and final ties to reality. On a set of cardboard boxes, marked only with the names of household items and their descriptions, this versatile playing space illuminates that the less you have physically the more you can discover about yourself. Similarly to film and book Fight Club, the ethos is ‘it’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything’. Ireland gives an inspired performance as the bankrupt man convinced he’s shrinking, but that he’s now more a man than ever.

In the final slot is Elgin-girl Morna Pearson’s Distracted, set in a rundown residential caravan park in Morayshire. As young boy, Jamie, moves into the park with his granny, he’s befriended by George-Michael and his chavvy young mother, Bunny. Obsessed with counting, order and facts, Jamie tries to forget the reason his mother’s not with him, and forget himself. This poignant story of people on the edge allows all four actors the chance to shine, with an especially unforgettable performance from Collins’ Jamie. On an already cluttered stage, which becomes increasingly disordered throughout the production, Sangster reproduces Jamie’s failing mental state, as his ordering and diversions no longer works. He’s haunted by events of the past, and confused by the inappropriate mother-son relationship he sees in Bunny and George-Michael, but fundamentally he just wants to be a wee boy and have a mother to hug him lovingly. This play evokes a true melancholy in its audience, and as events become more abstract, it leaves them to decide what’s real and what’s just a manifestation of Jamie’s deteriorating mind.

Covering complex subjects, this isn’t an easy evening at the theatre, but art was never supposed to be passive. Even if three isn’t a magic number, it seems to have worked for the Traverse, with this triple-bill layering the stage with various off-beat takes on our world; and as the evening progresses so does the strength of the performance and thematic depth. If this is the world on a tilt, then be careful not to fall off your seat.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 25 Nov