Mr. Burns | Hedcase Productions

mr. burns: a post electric play

Mr. Burns, by Anne Washburn, was intended to be the final show in the University of Massachusetts: Amherst's Theater department mainstage schedule for 2019-20, before COVID shut down campuses. As students in the Introduction to Scenic Design class that fall, our job was to imagine our interpretation of the show and bring it to life, showing the progression of the world between acts.

Act One takes place right after a nuclear apocalypse, as survivors huddle together around a fire and retell an episode of 'The Simpsons'. Act Two takes place several years later, when the survivors have created a theatrical troupe that reenacts episodes of 'The Simpsons' for survival. Act Three turned the mythos of Springfield into a stand-in for history and religion.

At its core, Mr. Burns is about the evolution of story over time, and the persistence of the human spirit. Stories have always been with us, and they will live on long after we, as individuals (and as the creators of that art), are gone. Artistic spirit is essential to our survival, and even in the darkest times, humans will do what we do best. Create.

My inspiration for the color palette and general aesthetic of my set - the abstractness of how the story of The Simpsons evolves through the plot, the nuclear colors of a toxic world.	While most of the inspiration I took for act one didn't end up working its way into my final, I think this image has stuck around. The concept of post apocalyptic graffiti is so interesting to me -- we always seek to leave our mark.	Inspired by this and similar images, I came up with the idea of the large Mr. Burns looming over the set. His hands hold the strings of fate, manipulating the destiny of the world long after the death of the capitalism he represents. Hellish, right?
The general vibe of act three, and really, the entire show. Mixing this aesthetic with the colors of the first image, and vice versa.

mr. burns: a post electric play

My inspiration for the color palette and general aesthetic of my set - the abstractness of how the story of The Simpsons evolves through the plot, the nuclear colors of a toxic world.

While most of the inspiration I took for act one didn't end up working its way into my final, I think this image has stuck around. The concept of post apocalyptic graffiti is so interesting to me -- we always seek to leave our mark.

Inspired by this and similar images, I came up with the idea of the large Mr. Burns looming over the set. His hands hold the strings of fate, manipulating the destiny of the world long after the death of the capitalism he represents. Hellish, right?

The general vibe of act three, and really, the entire show. Mixing this aesthetic with the colors of the first image, and vice versa.