Photos: Disney Unionization Drama BURBANK Opens At The Wild Project

Thirdwing, an innovative new hybrid theater company that has been presenting bold new works both live and streaming under a subscription model (like Hulu or Netflix) since January 2020, presents the World Premiere of BURBANK by Cameron Darwin Bossert at the wild project.

Walt Disney is out of his depth; Pinocchio and Fantasia are losing money. An outside union is signing up employees and making personal threats against Walt and the studio. When the womanizing genius animator of Goofy finds a female worker passed out on the lawn for lack of nutrition, he decides to join with the union and lead a strike against the studio, threatening to bring an end to the golden age of animation. BURBANK presents a clash of egos, art, and commerce, as the Disney studio faces collapse.

Burbank stars Ryan Blackwell (The Onion News Network), Kelley Lord (Life & Beth), and Cameron Darwin Bossert. Directed by Thirdwing, the production features costumes by Yolanda Balaña, fight choreography by Michael Hagins and sound design by Deeba Montazeri.

Launched in January 2020, Thirdwing is a hybrid theater and streaming company taking inspiration from the classic mid-century teleplays pioneered by Paddy Chayefsky and Harold Pinter. Their mission is to bridge theater and film to tell expansive, world-building stories and make traditional in-person theatergoing more affordable with a subscription model offering new content every month, either on line, in-person, or both. Thirdwing's first narrative offering, The Female Genius, by Rachel Carey, had its first episode premiere on March 8th, 2020, presenting a new streaming theater experience 4 days before the NYC Covid lockdown. The rest of the series was released in April, as the first new streaming play with full staging, lighting, and costumes. Since then, Thirdwing has premiered three more hybrid shows, their in-person offerings being The Disciple, The Fairest, and The United Nations: The Border and the Coast. Burbank will be their fourth live on-stage production in a little over a year. Up next will be Doctors vs. Lawyers, mixing a traditional soap opera online with in-person productions bringing the audience into the courtroom.

BURBANK runs September 6 -18. Performances are Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Running time is 75 minutes. The Wild Project is located at 195 E. 3rd Street between Aves A & B. Tickets are $35 at www.www.thirdwing.info.

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