What happens to pop culture during an apocalypse? Pop culture’s enduring legacy amidst environmental change and the influence of The Simpsons on what remains of humanity are explored in the University of Lethbridge’s Fall Mainstage production, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, by Anne Washburn.
The play is a musical in three acts set in vastly different eras that explores how pop culture becomes a living archive of meaning that sustains communities in a post-apocalyptic world.
Mr. Burns is Drama Assistant Professor Pat Chan’s Mainstage directorial debut at ULethbridge. In addition to serving as director, Pat is also the show's fight director and choreographer.
She says she was intentional in changing several aspects of Washburn’s script, including adding original music, extending choreographed fight scenes and making music references more current.
"I wanted it to be more futuristic. With the power plants down and society beginning to unravel, it moves into this post-apocalyptic world. We’re not there yet, but when you look at what’s happening in the world today, you can imagine how quickly we could be heading in that direction. If we don’t take care of the situations we’re facing now, where are we going to end up? We could be dealing with wars, natural disasters and a world where future generations have very little. At this moment, we have everything. But what happens if we have nothing?"
Photos by Angeline Simon (BFA - Art '18).
"The narrative is funny and entertaining, but underneath that is a very serious message about what happens when everything we take for granted disappears and how we will cope," Pat adds.
Student Talent Shines in Fine Arts Mainstage
The production features students in a variety of significant roles, from music composition to acting, stage management and directing.
Assistant Director and drama student Spencer Johnson describes himself as Pat's right hand man, acting like a second set of eyes and helping the cast on their character intentions, particularly focusing on Act One of the play.
He says he's been a long-time fan of the Mr. Burns script, and looked forward to the opportunity to work on the production.
"I'm in my my last year of my program and I've been looking to further my my involvement in my program before I graduate. When I was approached for Mr. Burns, I jumped at the opportunity," Spencer says.
"In my previous directing experience, I've kind of seen the the script as the be all end all, but working with Pat on Mr. Burns has really shown me that a good concept can take a script far beyond the sum of its parts, and I've really been learning a lot from that."
Music student Izzy Paige is the show's Theatrical Music Composer. She composed three unique pieces of music in addition to the music featured in the show. Despite the play's post-electric music and theme, Izzy's compositions are electronic, providing a contrast for the production.
The compositions focused around the titular Mr. Burns, as Izzy says they embodied the character's cartoonish personality and deep malice.
"With my music, I wanted to to tap into that and have it be larger-than-life, but then also still keeping it grounded in reality and grounded in in the stories and the relationships that the show has."
Izzy adds the experience working on a Mainstage production is new for them, but has enjoyed the collaborations it's offered.
"I've never done anything like this before, especially not on the scale with this many people on the creative cast. But it's been fantastic. They really gave me a lot of room to to play. I was allowed to come up with a lot of my own ideas, which was fantastic. I didn't feel constrained."
Drama student Tiana Blackmore plays Bart Simpson and says through the production, she's learned a lot about professional theatre and bringing musical elements to the stage.
"I've always really been into musical theatre. I didn't know Mr. Burns was a musical theatre piece at first. It was just called a post-electric play, but under it, it was like a dance musical extravaganza. I love singing, I love dancing, it's always been a part of my life. This is my first time having a lead role in a musical theatre show, so it's been really interesting, and I've learned a lot."
A Message for the Future
Among the singing, dancing, fighting and laughing, Mr. Burns is a darkly comedic tale with an important message about the present and the future.
"For younger generations, they'll be entertained because it's very current for them," says Pat. "For the mature crowd, they'll be thinking about: Is this going to be true? Is this where we're heading to?"
