Family ties are stretched beyond breaking point in Northwood playwright Eliza Power’s taut relationship drama Feathers, which achieved critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival last year.

Eliza’s debut play is a modern reworking of Ovid’s myth of Tereus, Procne and Philomela from the Metamorphoses. Queen Philomena asks her husband to bring back her sister Procne but, fuelled by lust, he rapes his sister-in-law, cuts out her tongue and leaves her for dead.

Eliza, (28), a former Watford Grammar School for Girls pupil, brings this tale into the 21st century. After years of estrangement, Marisa and Dan welcome Marisa’s sister Edie into their home. But as Dan’s attraction to Edie develops, a dark history between the two sisters begins to emerge.

Writing a play about rape victims is a sensitive issue, which Eliza has gone to great lengths to research properly.

“I didn’t want to address the topic in a wishy washy way or make it into a horrible pastiche,” says Eliza. “I did a great deal of research into where a person says they have been raped and not believed, particularly when it happens within a family situation where it can lead to depression and other mental health issues.”

Eliza, who takes on the role of Marisa in the performance, says she first discovered the myth while at Watford Grammar and later developed the idea following a classics degree at Kings College and an MA at RADA where she staged a first draft.

Eliza tells me she’s has even introduced fake therapy sessions for Dan and Marisa to flesh out their backgrounds, develop her characters and capture the short sharp dialogue of domestic situation.

“The characters are not black and white, they are intense, complex and manipulative. To convey all that jealousy and passion in just one line, you have to choose your words very carefully.”

Meanwhile, the show’s director Jennifer Tang has worked on heightening the symbolism.

“She’s drawn on the mythology to create a more stylised piece of theatre, taking it away from the kitchen sink drama to give it an emotional punch.”

The play is at The Etcetera Theatre, Camden from March 8-13. Details: 020 7482 4857, www.ticketweb.co.uk