On the surface, Michael and Cheryl have it all: a posh new home in suburban Belfast, good jobs, 2.4 pets.

But things take a sinister turn when, living opposite a bonfire site, they unwittingly become the targets of a hate campaign involving missing animals, graffiti and explosions…

Gary Mitchell's play Burnt Out is a blackly comic psychological thriller exposing the darker side of suburban life. It was first performed in 2023 at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, as part of the Belfast International Arts Festival.

Gary Mitchell is a British playwright based in Northern Ireland. His plays, many of them political thrillers about contemporary life in Belfast, have been widely performed, and he has been called 'Northern Ireland's greatest playwright' (Guardian).

'His writing has the blazing conviction of lived experience combined with an unfashionable relish for strong plots. His best work has a stomach-churning intensity' Daily Telegraph

'A domestic psychodrama laced with menace and sardonic humour, informed by Mitchell's own experiences... genuinely shocking, with an explosive, surreal climax' — The Stage

'A potent portrait of a community marginalising itself' — British Theatre Guide

'An edgy black comedy that delves into the shadows of Belfast's suburban life... about the inexorable descent into nightmare and the vice-like grip that paramilitaries have on communities... a compelling watch that masterfully blends dark comedy with psychological horror' — Love Belfast

'Brilliant... a powerful, darkly comic and excellent play' — Belfast Media

'Will have you on the edge of your seat' — Belfast Live

'An incredible piece of theatre... a darkly humorous piece... The savagery always hits home... genuinely scary — Irish News