MR. BURNS, A Post-Electric Play Comes to Vancouver

Nominated for a 2014 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production, this is the first full mount of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play in Vancouver. Mr. Burns is a riveting, wildly funny and dangerous examination of the persistence of capitalism and the power of storytelling. Act one opens shortly after a global nuclear collapse with a group of survivors around a campfire recalling and retelling "Cape Feare", an episode of the TV show The Simpsons. Act two examines the way the story has changed seven years later, until finally, seventy-five years pass to elevate this staple of American pop-culture to a familiar myth.

"Downright brilliant." - Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"This show explores the human tradition of verbal storytelling and turns it on its head," says Producer and Production Designer Johnny Hamilton. "A culture of people near-incapable of telling stories for themselves (modern age TV consumers) grow and turn into a television-inspired, neo-myth revering theatrical society." Hamilton is intrigued by the dialogue Mr. Burns creates around "stories, tradition, and the lasting effects of television on human societal evolution."

"[Mr. Burns is] an acknowledgement of the potential of theatre itself, how it provides a space for ritual in a secular world." - Cassie Tongue, The Guardian

The artistic team of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play features composer and music director, Katerina Gimon, named one of Canada's 'hot 30 classical musicians under 30' by CBC Music, and winner of a SOCAN Young Composers award. Along with director Madelyn Osborne, the two artists are working to create the pop-fueled, post-apocalyptic sounds of Anne Washburn's script. "We get to spend a little time in a very possible, very dark future and explore how community and storytelling can be a place for hope within that," says Osborne. "This is the first time Vancouver audiences will see this incredible, imaginative new show. Its appeal is broad, non-theatregoers are invited and welcomed. It's a story about familiar, fun characters, with a deep reflection about our own communities at its heart," says producer Matt Clarke.

Little Mountain Lion Productions is a Vancouver based theatre company producing plays that explore the overlap between film and literature, engaging in dialogue between the mediums and encouraging movie and book fans to experience live theatre.

Artistic Team: Director Madelyn Osborne, Composer/Music Director Katerina Gimon, Production Manager Matt Clarke, Producer/Production Designer Johnny Hamilton, Production Coordinator Mark Ferns. Cast TBD. Costume Designer Laura Fukumoto, Lighting Designer Jono Kim, Set Designer Heipo Leung

Tickets: $23/$28 online at Theatre Wire www.theatrewire.com