Overview
Synopsis
What happens to pop culture after the fall of human civilization? What about 7 years after the fall? Or even 75 years? Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, endeavors to find out. When nuclear power plants across the country begin to “go up,” a small group of survivors gather in the woods and begin to recount an episode of The Simpsons. Over the course of the play’s three acts and three-quarters of a century timespan, casual storytelling evolves into theater, theater evolves into ritual, and one Simpsons episode evolves into a myth and legend for a post-apocalyptic world.
Show Information
- Book
- Anne Washburn
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 2012
- Genres
- Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Fantasy/Imaginary, Multiple Settings, Spectacle
- Time & Place
- post-apocalypse, united states, apocalypse, end of the world
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play was originally developed with The Civilians, a theater company dedicated to creative investigations into the most vital questions of the present. Playwright Anne Washburn wanted to explore the question, “What would happen to a pop culture narrative pushed past the fall of civilization?” The Civilians commissioned the project in the summer of 2008, granting Washburn a one-week workshop with members of the company. Unlike a traditional workshop, Washburn gathered
to read the context for Mr. Burns, a Post-electric Play and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
The play begins in the woods on a warm night in early October. There is a group of five people situated on the ground and in folding chairs around a campfire, which provides the only source of light. (Being “post-electric,” the play stipulates that all lighting must come from non-electric sources.) One woman, Colleen, sits slightly apart from the rest of the group, whom we first meet mid-conversation as they very intently work to recount the “Cape Feare” episode of The Simpsons
to read the plot for Mr. Burns, a Post-electric Play and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
|
|
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Spoken |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Guide Written By:
