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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 鈥渞idiculously funny鈥� in multiple reviews, but actor and writer Lydia Kuelsen insists that balance was essential when they were writing the script for the show.

鈥淧eople often ask 鈥榟ow do you know when to put the joke in?鈥欌�� Lydia says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not actually something I think about. I do have quite a dark sense of humour and I鈥檝e 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.鈥�

Cam (Kuelsen) is taking their friend Jayden (Sian Dowler), who鈥檚 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.听

The goal isn鈥檛 just to make the audience laugh, though: Lydia hopes that Burn it. can also normalise more regularly checking in with your friends. 鈥淲ith this show, I really want to promote talking to your friends about how you鈥檙e going and chatting about the awful things that are happening. It doesn鈥檛 always have to be this huge conversation; it can be more casual, more frequent and a bit lighter so people know how you鈥檙e doing.鈥�

The balanced tone of聽Burn it.听

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). 鈥淧art of it came from my own sense of gender and the feeling that I don鈥檛 really fit into any specific category, but another element was writing something where gender doesn鈥檛 matter. Whether it鈥檚 male, female or non-binary, the play is about human experiences; it doesn鈥檛 matter who is experiencing them.鈥澛犅�

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: 鈥淟ydia 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, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 definitely doing it.鈥欌�澛�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot to deal with in the rehearsal process of a show like this, because we鈥檙e dealing with some pretty heavy content,鈥� Jacqui says. 鈥淎 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.鈥�

Universal and relatable

It鈥檚 clear that this approach has resonated with audiences, given the fact that across three productions of the show in Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney it鈥檚 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.听

鈥淚鈥檝e been really overwhelmed every single time we鈥檝e done this show,鈥� they say. 鈥淚n 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鈥檝e had a lot of masc-presenting people come up to us and say 鈥業鈥檝e been in a relationship like this.鈥� Someone in Adelaide said they鈥檇 been talking to their therapist about this exact situation that morning, for instance.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad to see that this seems to be such a universal experience,鈥� Lydia comments, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 also quite comforting to know that we鈥檝e all experienced such similar things and that we鈥檙e not alone. If we鈥檙e more open with talking about these things, it might make all of it a little bit less scary.鈥澛�

Burn it. is playing at Melbourne Fringe from , 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 .听