The Burning Stage
This is a collection of all my posts and essays about The Burning Stage. Some of it will be copied over from my posts elsewhere but I am rewriting as I go to make a comprehensive overview. It won’t be a “How-To” guide but more a “This-is-what-I-did”. Maybe it will give you some ideas.” Good luck
A firefighter will tell you that a fire needs three elements to begin to burn, - heat, oxygen and fuel. The point at which there is enough of each of these to burst into flame is called the Burning Stage
The Burning Stage challenges the actor to enter a different relationship with the audience by a complete commitment to the limited space they are both inhabiting. In The Burning Stage, the triangle of Writer, Actor and Audience each shares a third of the responsibility for every performance thus turning the play into a truly immersive social ritual. This has led me to experiment with unusual stage arrangements such as traverse or having the audience in the centre of the playing area.
The Burning Stage #3 A Shared Experience
The Burning Stage restores theatre to a shared act of imagination. Writer, actor, and audience—“three equal parts”—create an immediate, intimate world built on empathy and suspended disbelief. Stripped of spectacle, it proves that intensity, presence, and human connection are enough to ignite drama.
The Burning Stage - #4 The Actor
I was never very good as an actor. I was too keen on performing; too easily seduced by the audience’s laughter. I enjoyed being on stage but never really felt the deep emotional truth. I enjoyed dressing up and pretending to be someone else. Yes, I know that’s starting point for any actor but I recognise that there is another level of skill that I never had.
The Burning Stage #5 - Writing for the Burning Stage
When I write a play, it could end up anywhere in the world. But whatever the environment, I must remember that theatre manifests in a sacred space where transformation occurs—not only for the characters in the drama, but, importantly, for the audience. A play that begins as a lowly creeping thing transforms into a butterfly with the work of the actors and the reactions of an audience.
The Burning Stage #6 - Unity
The word “Unity” has a special place at the heart of British Theatre. And it says something important about the way The Burning Stage idea can be practised..
The Burning Stage #7 The Director’s Place
The writer writes the words to guide the actor in what to say.
The actor will decide how to say them to fit in with the character they are inhabiting.
The audience will decide why they are saying them.
So where does the Director fit into this process? If at all. Is the Director’s role any more than telling the actor where to stand and when to say the words for best effect?
The Burning Stage #8 The Experiment
I am looking for a small group of volunteers who might be willing to put some time in over the summer on this project. For this experiment to work I need people who can see the excitement in the unknown. The experiment can encompass actors who are professional and would like to try their hands at something different as well as enthusiasts who have never set foot on a stage before. There is no money.