THE Pulverised, Alexandra Badea's French/Romanian drama about escaping the rat race, overcoming distances and discovering new life, arrives at the York Theatre Royal Studio on Wednesday after premiering in London’s cutting-edge Arcola Theatre throughout May.

Translated by Royal Shakespeare Company actress Lucy Phelps and directed by Andy Sava, who trained at the Theatre Royal, this unsettling 90-minute portrait of globalisation’s far-reaching grip on our working lives looks at the cost of living in a world where borders between work and life cease to exist.

Across the world, a quality assurance officer from France, a call-centre manager from Senegal, a factory worker from China and an engineer from Romania are all engaged in one struggle: the multinational conglomerate that employs them is trying to engulf their every waking moment.

"The Pulverised is an urgent tale about multinational corporations and how they have changed our lives through eroding all borders and boundaries," says Andy.

"The play tracks the journey of a character who is following the sun on a round-the-world business trip; it reveals how extremely close and how intimately connected we are, from Shanghai's factories to Bucharest's 'silicon valley'. Through the storms of market head winds, the personal dramas of failed performance targets, love stories, despair and death, The Pulverised gives us a full-throttle, unadulterated encounter with our present-day working lives.

Told from a global perspective with voices from four corners of the Earth, this Changing Face, Arcola Theatre and York Theatre Royal co-production of Badea's intimate and urgent story will be performed by Rebecca Boey, Richard Corgan, Solomon Israel and Kate Miles.

The Pulverised runs from Wednesday to June 10 at 7.45pm, plus 2.30pm Thursday and 2pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk