The dark comedy Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric play debuted to acclaim and award nominations in 2012, and this fall it makes its regional debut in Austin, courtesy of the theater program at St. Edward's University. David Long, artistic director of St. Ed's Mary Moody Northen Theatre, was keen to bring Mr. Burns to Austin because he was "excited about not only the premise, but the content, dealing with something that travels in time, and most importantly... the importance of community [and] theater."
Mr. Burns spans more than eighty years, beginning in a post-apocalyptic near future. With the electrical grid destroyed, a group of survivors bond by retelling the plot of the "Cape Feare" episode of The Simpsons around a fire.
In act two, seven years have passed, and the retelling has grown into a theatrical production, with actors recreating the episode as a play.
In act three, a further seventy-five years have passed, and "Cape Feare" has now become a Greek-style myth, recreated in song and dance from memories that have been passed down year by year.
Long is proud of what his ensemble cast and production crew has accomplished. "The ensemble and the production team that I've assembled have really helped develop this way beyond my initial vision for the show," he says. "I think it will be a really profound piece of theater."
'Mr. Burn, a post-electric play' runs through October 4 at the Mary Mooden Northen Theatre.
