Act II Choreographer: Chelsea Hamm Intrigued by the question of what happens to common culture after the death of civilization, playwright Anne Washburn gathered a group of artists in 2008 to retell a story simply by collective memory. a dark comedy by Anne Washburn D’Ambrosio Sound Designers: Henry Reynolds, Lena Sutter, Ben Zang Though I can tell you that the story begins, as the first human storytelling likely began, around the light of the campfire. The stories of the gods and heroes of 12th Century BC Greece were transmitted orally for four hundred years, written down in the 8th century BC (very appropriately for the purposes our play by Homer in The Iliad and The Odyssey), only eventually to be adapted into dramatic works in the 4th century BC by Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides. a dark comedy by Anne Washburn Score by Michael Friedman Lyrics by Anne Washburn. Department of Theatre & Drama February 16-19, 2017 • Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. Certainly, for the characters in Mr. Burns, storytelling is tantamount to survival. What we do know is that the need for story is universal – it is a pillar of the human experience, ubiquitous across time and culture. School of Music, Theatre & Dance It’s important that I don’t tell you end of this story. E.V. Bart: Alexandra Reynolds Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2085, Requirements for Pre-screening/Portfolios & Auditions/Interviews, Homeschooled & Online High School Students, Non-Degree Admission & Second Bachelor’s Degrees. Scratchy: Christiana Moyle It premiered in May 2012 at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., and then ran from August through October 2013 at Playwrights Horizons in New York City. “When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin? Lighting Designer: Abbey Kojima Gibson: Samuel Bell-Gurwitz It is at once universal and a product of its times. The citizens going to see the plays at the Festival of Dionysus all knew these stories already. Stage Manager: Jenny Barretto, Matt: Ryan Rosenheim Imagine waking up to a world devoid of electricity – everything wiped out, with no backup in sight. Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play. Marge: Kathleen Taylor Act III Choreographer/Movement Coach: Tzveta Kassabova Well get ready to reel…Anne Washburn’s downright brilliant Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play has arrived to leave you dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas” Ben Brantley, New York Times. Maria: Kourtney Bell Costume Designer: Jasper Richter Music Director/Additional Music: Alexander Bonoff This kind of layered referentiality, sometimes ironic, sometimes sincere, creates its own unique aesthetic that our cave painting ancestors would be baffled by. Homer: A.J. Musicians: Charlie Bartlett, Alexander Bonoff. Lyrics by Anne Washburn, Department of Theatre & Drama It is highly referential, and its main reference – The Simpsons – is perhaps one of the most referential story forms ever, each episode packed with scores of references to popular culture, literature, and history.