Acclaimed Queer Play ‘Burn it.’ Coming To Melbourne Fringe

You might not expect Burn it., a play about two queer friends on a camping trip after one of them has left an abusive relationship, to have been described as “ridiculously funny” in multiple reviews, but actor and writer Lydia Kuelsen insists that balance was essential when they were writing the script for the show.

“People often ask ‘how do you know when to put the joke in?’” Lydia says. “It’s not actually something I think about. I do have quite a dark sense of humour and I’ve had my fair share of mental health struggles and pretty awful things in my life, and humour has become part of my way to embrace that.”

Cam (Kuelsen) is taking their friend Jayden (Sian Dowler), who’s recently had an extremely traumatic breakup, on a camping trip to help distract them. But in place of the usual outdoor activities associated with camping, Cam and Jayden soon turn to the bottle in this multi-faceted exploration of abuse, trauma, mental illness, sexuality and more; all while promising chuckles from the audience. 

The goal isn’t just to make the audience laugh, though: Lydia hopes that Burn it. can also normalise more regularly checking in with your friends. “With this show, I really want to promote talking to your friends about how you’re going and chatting about the awful things that are happening. It doesn’t always have to be this huge conversation; it can be more casual, more frequent and a bit lighter so people know how you’re doing.”

The balanced tone of Burn it. 

Another way that Lydia made deliberate effort to keep the show universal is by writing the roles of Cam and Jayden as gender-neutral so that they can be played by anybody (with two non-binary actors currently playing both roles). “Part of it came from my own sense of gender and the feeling that I don’t really fit into any specific category, but another element was writing something where gender doesn’t matter. Whether it’s male, female or non-binary, the play is about human experiences; it doesn’t matter who is experiencing them.”  

Director Jacqui Martin has collaborated with Lydia on all three iterations of Burn it. so far to help create that perfectly balanced tone, and mentions that she agreed to be involved in the show even before reading the script: “Lydia and I had worked together previously, and so when they approached me to come be part of the project, I automatically said yes! And then I read the script and said, ‘Oh, I’m definitely doing it.’” 

“There’s a lot to deal with in the rehearsal process of a show like this, because we’re dealing with some pretty heavy content,” Jacqui says. “A huge thing we’ve always talked about is safety, being really open and honest with each other from the beginning and taking the time we need, when we need it.”

Universal and relatable

It’s clear that this approach has resonated with audiences, given the fact that across three productions of the show in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney it’s picked up multiple four- and five-star ratings in reviews. But just as good as great reviews, says Lydia, is hearing from audience members after the show. 

“I’ve been really overwhelmed every single time we’ve done this show,” they say. “In our Qtopia Pride Fest season in Sydney, I had one audience member come to me and say how much they liked the show, and then started crying while saying that you never see toxic relationships portrayed in such a complex way. We’ve had a lot of masc-presenting people come up to us and say ‘I’ve been in a relationship like this.’ Someone in Adelaide said they’d been talking to their therapist about this exact situation that morning, for instance.”

“It’s really sad to see that this seems to be such a universal experience,” Lydia comments, “but it’s also quite comforting to know that we’ve all experienced such similar things and that we’re not alone. If we’re more open with talking about these things, it might make all of it a little bit less scary.” 

Burn it. is playing at Melbourne Fringe from October 9 – 13, returning to Melbourne for the first time since its original run at the Melbourne Fringe Festival. The show is also coming to Brisbane in November through the Melt Development Program.