Synergy Theatre Project, Burn

Burn

Set in south London over one night, Burn explores the tensions of friendship and loyalty created by crack cocaine culture and the destruction caused by the chaos of unstructured lives. Marking Synergy's first premiere of a new play, Burn was written by ex-prisoner Simon Bennett whose previous play Drummers, directed by Max Stafford-Clarke, had a successful run in the West End.

The cast and crew included five ex-prisoners, one of whom came directly from release to rehearsals. Unfortunately, due to external pressures, she did not complete the tour, highlighting the difficulty of resettlement and the reality of working in this context.

The production was performed during July and October 2004 at HMPs Brixton, Downview, Highdown, Latchmere House, Pentonville, Wandsworth, Central School of Speech and Drama, Croydon Community Drugs Agency, Kingston and Richmond Youth Offending Teams, London Metropolitan University, Nescot College and Southwark Playhouse.