plays

sean burn has been writing for theatre since the early 90's. below are summaries ov his main recent plays (in alphabetical order) that have been given full-productions.  a number ov other scripts have also received readings or scratch performances. scripts are available for performance (contact details are on the home page). 

calyx. first draft theatre, london.  2007

calyx, deals with a child abducted and kept for 2,000 days (over 5 years) by her abductor.  this play is about her escape from the abductor and her growing again into the world as an adult. calyx is an account ov some ov the strengths and inner reserves that people have managed to hold onto in order to remain whole despite the huge psychological pressures placed on them by abduction and subsequent captivity. calyx is the name given to the outer, leafier part ov a flower which protects the developing bud.  it is also the name that alicia – the child abducted - took for herself in secret, and it is the name, post-escape that she now wishes to live by. 

calyx was originally presented as a one act play.  due to its success it has now been  developed into a full length script which is available for performance in 2008.  please contact sean burn (see home page for details) if yu wish to read this full length script.

cutter – full-length play commissioned / toured by half moon theatre, london.  2004

(time out's play ov the year for children and young people 2004)

cutter is one ov thatchers children.  born in 1979, becoming 18 in 1997, she has lived thru the destruction ov her mining community and watched her family die.  with only her granda, an ex-boxer, ex-miner, to guide her – she has witnessed so much decline.  her granda brought her up to fight but she teaches him when to still the anger, when to temper the passion with justice.  now faced with his death due to emphysema & lung cancer from the mines, she finds it hard to see any future to fight for. boxing is a tool which she uses but still she longs for her mothers tenderness.  her mother died young and its been hard going raised by granda who loves her but finds it hard to show a tender side. she has resorted to self-harm at times because ov her loneliness and her fears and now her grief.  she is encouraged to return to the ring and fight for what she believes. regaining strength, self-determination, free from ghosts ov the past, free ov self-harm, she wins thru – winning the boxing bout.  she gets to achieve her wish.

 cutter is available here for download. 

ghost-tag. under construction.  2006

(one act monologue performed at courtyard theatre, and barons court theatre, london and pleasance theatre, edinburgh festival) 

ghost tag provides a glimpse into the life ov rhiannon, a young single mother, who at nights paints the town ov rochdale with her famous tag, ghost.  her encounters with joan, a dancing lass from manchester and their subsequent partnership, and with a copper whose life she saves, become the catalyst ov change in her life.  it is a compelling story ov how at any time we have the power to rise above our situation and move on

‘ exciting and in fact quite revolutionary in today's theatre, namely giving an optimistic, vivid voice to a culture which is often depicted in the most nihilistic terms.’ missfits

'she starts with small talk, but then begins to reveal little things about her life – things we might never expect if we just went on outward appearances. we learn what she loves, who she loves, what she wants from life and how she’s even saved a life. this is a gem ov a play! it’s a good story, excellently written by sean burn, such that we are drawn into rhiannon's life – wondering what’s going to happen next. maria thomas is perfect as rhiannon – quiet and unassuming, but with a real lust for life. vanessa mobiglia has directed her well and it’s easy to believe that rhiannon is actually speaking to someone opposite her on the train. ...  i enjoyed it thoroughly, funny and moving (and educational) as it was.' gigreviewscotland.net

sweet. ctc, darlington. 2007

sweet is an uplifting and exciting one-woman performance for young people starting from the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the british empire, and weaving together a rich story of four brave women whose lives together span the two centuries since this historic act.

taking the blood ov butterflies. weaver-hughes ensemble, london.  2006.

(www.weaverhughesensemble.co.uk/)

(development partly funded by a peggy ramsay foundation award.)

the play ran for three weeks at the oval house theatre, london

in a war torn country, a mother, her daughter and a peacekeeping force struggle to survive.  under siege and numbed by war, the soldiers are slowly slipping into madness.  soon their war cries ov valour and duty are replaced by death and abuse.  sean burns poetic play explores the effect that war has on the mind and body when exposed daily to horror and conflict.

'a theatrically powerful frieze where poetic, dream-like speeches and dialogues, shift in and out ov incisively directed physical images, abstract lighting and sound effects. ...  the writing surprises with imagery and insight revealed beneath the rubble'. theatre world

images from the development fortnight by sean burn

voices.  pegasus youth theatre, oxford. 2006

sometimes a single spark is all it takes - literally. one trigger and the community is torn apart for a generation. random acts, choices and their consequences are played out as a community loses control. the youth are under curfew, kept in their cages and this is how they respond. voices is a reaction, retaliation, an outpouring ov emotion to the pain felt by the youth in the aftermath ov a tragic incident. yet, there is beauty, love and redemption amidst the hurt - a phoenix arising from the ashes.