Arson About (Stoked 2026)
Mark Wheeller
Genre: Drama
Cast size: 11 + minimum 5 ensemble
Duration: 55 mins approx
Mark Wheeller | Drama | One Act | 7m, 4f, 5+ m/f ensemble
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
- Reviews
‘Arson About (Stoked 2026)’ is Mark Wheeller’s new and improved version of this already popular play. It has been considerably upgraded allowing it to live up to its reputation as a contemporary, fast-paced, ensemble drama exploring peer pressure, responsibility and the consequences of a single impulsive act, told through multiple viewpoints - including that of a post-death witness.
The play is crackling with wit and urgency before detonating into something far more serious. Told through direct address, physical theatre and sharply observed dialogue, it follows a group of young people whose search for excitement, belonging and status spirals into catastrophe.
Molly Dukes and Ian Thorpe are teenagers caught in the intensity of first love, navigating school, family expectations and the thrill of independence. When the volatile and charismatic Stueey enters their orbit, Ian is drawn into a world of bravado, secrets and boundary-pushing, while Molly grows increasingly uneasy about the pressure Stueey exerts over them both.
On the same night, Shuttle, an isolated and socially awkward boy, is moving through the margins of the town with a wheelbarrow, petrol and a private obsession that no one fully understands. As rumours of arson circulate and threatening notes appear at school, the paths of these young people begin to converge. What starts as bravado and curiosity escalates into a break-in at the school, where jokes, dares and half-truths spiral out of control. A fire breaks out. Someone is trapped. Molly dies.
From this point on, Molly becomes a post-death witnessing presence, observing the aftermath of the fire: the devastation of her parents, the police investigation, the unravelling of Ian under pressure, and Stueey’s self-serving attempts to rewrite the story of what happened. As the truth fractures into competing narratives, the play asks urgent questions about silence, complicity, peer pressure and the stories we tell ourselves to avoid responsibility.
This play is an updated version of 'Arson About' and 'Butcher, Butcher, Burning Bright'.
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