The Burning

The Burning by Duncan Ley

(0)
Productions (3)
Drama
|
140 - 160 minutes
2 W, 11 M,  (9-18 actors possible: exactly 2 W, 7-16 M)
Content Notes: Adult content
Set: Flexible: multiple locales including a study, a courtroom, a torture chamber, and various homes.

It is Germany in the early 1600s, when persecutions of heresy and witchcraft threaten to engulf the whole of Europe in their fury. A young lawyer finds himself locked in a deadly battle against one of the most feared Inquisitors of the age. As his life and the lives of those he loves increasingly hang in the balance, he turns to his father for assistance. But how can a father help his son when he too is behind the largest witch hunt the world has ever seen?

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Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
Stage Manager Edition $24.99
Archival Video License $150

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.


Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

Play Details

It is Germany in the early 1600s, when persecutions of heresy and witchcraft threaten to engulf the whole of Europe in their fury. A young lawyer finds himself locked in a deadly battle against one of the most feared Inquisitors of the age. As his life and the lives of those he loves increasingly hang in the balance, he turns to his father for assistance. But how can a father help his son when he too is behind the largest witch hunt the world has ever seen?

  • Drama
  • |
  • 140 - 160 minutes
  • 2 W, 11 M,  (9-18 actors possible: exactly 2 W, 7-16 M)
  • Content Notes: Adult content
  • Set: Flexible: multiple locales including a study, a courtroom, a torture chamber, and various homes.

Published Reviews

"Without pandering to cliche, this has to be one of the best pieces of theatre in recent memory...the writing is exceptional, powerful... I cannot recall an audience so moved, so stunned by the time the curtain fell... Go see The Burning. You'll know what I mean."

Rod Quinn, ABC Radio

"An absolute tour-de-force...riveting dialogue and grasp of narrative thrust...in terms of intellectual weight and sheer emotional impact, The Burning rivals...Miller's Crucible."

Coralie Wood, Stage Whispers Magazine

"I am in total admiration of this play...for a script firmly embedded in historical events, the themes of The Burning seem astoundingly contemporary and universal."

Wendy Brazil, Artsound

"The Burning's tense court scenes build to an excellent climax."

Alanna Maclean, Canberra Times

Production History

OCT 24, 2013 - OCT 26, 2013
Canberra Grammar School
Griffith, Australia
 Canberra Grammar School Griffith, Australia
JAN 01, 2005 - DEC 31, 2005
Phoenix Theatre
Sydney, Australia
 Phoenix Theatre Sydney, Australia
JAN 01, 2001 - DEC 31, 2001
New Century Productions
Canberra, Australia
 New Century Productions Canberra, Australia
No upcoming productions.
JAN 01, 2001 - DEC 31, 2001
New Century Productions
Canberra, Australia
 New Century Productions Canberra, Australia

Awards (2)

Canberra Critics Pick: Best Play (2001)

Canberra Area Theatre Award Winner, Best Original Work (2001)

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