The Arsonists

By Max Frisch

Translated by Alistair Beaton

Directed by Patrick Russell

March 12–13, 2020 *
Durham Studio Theater
Running Time: 95 minutes (no intermission)
* Performances scheduled for March 14–15 were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Description

In a nameless town. At an unknown time. A community is on edge as arsonists wreak havoc in the night, going door to door, setting homes ablaze. When the self-assured businessman Biedermann finds himself with the arsonists on his doorstep, will he be prepared for their cunning and coercive tactics?

As timeless as it is timely, Max Frisch’s cautionary comic parable on greed, apathy, and the power of persuasion has the urgency of a ticking time bomb.


Press Coverage

The Daily Californian: UC Berkeley's Theater, Dance and Performance Studies department burns down the house with lively performance of 'The Arsonists'

2020 Studio Production of "The Arsonists"

Photo by Ben Dillon