"Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play" opens Jan. 26 and runs through Feb. 4 in the Sondra & Denis Healy Theatre, 2350 N Racine Ave.CHICAGO — The Theatre School at DePaul University presents “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” written by American playwright Anne Washburn and directed by graduate student Jeremy Aluma, with music by American composer Michael Friedman.
The production opens Jan. 26 and runs through Feb. 4 in the Sondra & Denis Healy Theatre, 2350 N. Racine Ave. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Previews are Jan. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Jan. 28 and Feb. 1 performances will be followed by a post-show discussion.
In three acts, “Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play” is the story of survival and reinvention in a post-apocalyptic world. What starts as a group of friends casually recounting an episode of the animated sitcom “The Simpson’s” morphs — over the course of more than 80 years — into a completely new form of storytelling.
“Our world has changed considerably in the last year,” Aluma said. “The stories we tell have helped shape this change and continue to do so. The act of sharing through story has the power to birth revolution, revision and unity.”
Tickets are $15, preview tickets are $10 and student tickets are $5. Tickets are available by calling the box office or vi
siting
http://theatre.depaul.edu. Members of the active military and their families can receive a discount with a valid ID. Patrons with impaired vision or who require wheelchair accessible or companion seating are asked to call the box office at 773-325-7917 for more information.
The cast features Kayla Forde (Quincy/Bart), Elliot Gross (Sam/Mr. Burns), Maddy Mason (Edna), Juan Pablo Ocasio (Matt/Itchy), Grainne Ortlieb (Jenny/Scratchy), Katie Travers (Colleen/Marge), Garrett Young (Gibson/Homer) and Harmony Zhang (Maria/Lisa).
In addition to the director, Aluma, the production team includes Mark Elliott (musical director), Chuck Coyl (fight choreographer), Ashley Wang (scenic designer), Angela Mix (costume designer), Jay Koch (lighting designer), Alyssa Kerr (sound designer), Frankie Charles (technical director), Trisha Mahoney (dramaturg) and Erin Collins (stage manager).
Aluma is an award-winning Jewish-American theatre director of Iraqi descent. He is pursuing an MFA in directing at DePaul. He is also a company member at Red Theater and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
At the La MaMa theatre in New York, Aluma founded the international touring clown troupe “Four Clowns” and served as artistic director during their first seven years. In New York he also directed “Sublimity” at Theatre Row. Aluma directed “The House of Bernarda Alba” and “The Zoo Story” at DePaul’s Theatre School.
Other directing credits include: “Abraham & Isaac” at the MuBe Cultural Theatre in São Paulo, Brazil; “Pinocchio and Robin Hood” at South Coast Repertory in California and “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” at Red Theater in Chicago. He has also directed several plays in Los Angeles including “Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake)” at Sacred Fools Theatre; “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” at Urban Theatre Movement; “Henry’s Potato” at REDCAT center for contemporary arts; and “Beyond Dark” at the Odyssey Theater.
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Media Contact:Anna Ables
aables@depaul.edu773-325-7938