Luminous Theatre to Present MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY

 

From the team that brought The Penelopiad to the swing park, comes a story of survival, love, and the enduring power of storytelling. Luminous Theatre is proud to present the Milwaukee premiere of Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns, a post-electric play.

Called "downright brilliant!" by the New York Times, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play has been performed over the last five years in cities from London to New York to Seattle and many places in between. Now Luminous Theatre brings the play to Milwaukee in a site-specific production in and around a warehouse in Riverwest.

Months after the collapse of the electric grid, a group of strangers bonds around a campfire recounting the "Cape Feare" episode of The Simpsons. As the play moves into the future, Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa become the basis for the stories of a new society. Both an outrageous tribute to pop culture and a celebration of storytelling, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play "makes us appreciate anew the profound value of storytelling in and of itself, and makes a case for theater as the most glorious and durable storyteller of all" (New York Times).

Director Leda Hoffmann says, "The first time I saw a production of Mr Burns, a post-electric play, I fell in love with the play. I was enthralled by the pop culture connections and so moved by the play's faith in the human capacity to persevere. That was over two years ago. Since then, I have become a bit of a groupie, travelling to three more cities to see the play. Since I first discovered this story, I knew I wanted to bring it to Milwaukee and have this play be the next step in Luminous Theatre's site-specific work. I'm excited for people to experience this play in this particular space."

The cast of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play includes Dylan Bolin, Alex Campea, James Carrington, Kelly Doherty, Jordan Gwiazdowski, Nick Narcisi, Eva Nimmer, Hannah Ripp-Dieter, Ericka Wade, and Rachael Zientek.

Directed by Leda Hoffmann, the creative team includes music direction by James Kaplan, costume design by Andrea Bouck and Leslie Vaglica, lighting design by Jason Fassl, sound design by Megan B. Henninger, choreography by Doug Clemons, and fight choreography by Christopher Elst.

Additional production team members include Anthony Lyons (technical director), Heidi Salter (props coordinator), Aaron Kopec (car construction), Audra Kuchling (production manager), Kaitlyn Martin (stage manager), and Mattie Voorheis (assistant stage manager). Poster design is by Team Nerd Press.

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play performances take place April 20 - May 8 (Opening Night is April 21) at The Goat Palace 3740 N. Fratney Street, Milwaukee WI. All performances are Pay-What-You-Can with donations accepted at the door. Visit www.luminoustheatre.com for more information.

Mr Burns, a post-electric play is presented by special agreement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.