{"product_id":"arson-about-stoked-2026","title":"Arson About (Stoked 2026)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e‘Arson About (Stoked 2026)’\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Body\"\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eMolly 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom 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\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"AR-SA\" dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e’\u003c\/span\u003es 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Default\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12.0pt 0in;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003eThis play is an updated version of 'Arson About' and 'Butcher, Butcher, Burning Bright'.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Default\" style=\"line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12.0pt 0in;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan lang=\"EN-US\"\u003ePLEASE SEE 'MORE INFORMATION' for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSafeguarding Notes for Schools and Youth Theatres\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Wheeller","offers":[{"title":"Preview E-Script","offer_id":56459144036738,"sku":"PW-1059","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"E-Script","offer_id":56459144069506,"sku":"SE-1059","price":4.75,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Printed Script (A5)","offer_id":56459144102274,"sku":"SA-1059","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Script Copying Licence","offer_id":56459144135042,"sku":"SL-1059","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0909\/7003\/0466\/files\/ChatGPTImageMar14_2026_11_03_21AM.png?v=1773925256","url":"https:\/\/www.stagescripts.com\/products\/arson-about-stoked-2026","provider":"Stagescripts Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}