The Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company MFA Programs in Acting and Directing present Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn with music by Michael Friedman, directed by Molly Houlahan. The production runs from September 22 through October 2 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center on 87 Empire St. in Providence. General admission is $15 with discounted prices for students and seniors. Tickets will go on sale later this week at Trinity Rep’s ticket office, by phone at (401) 351-4242, or online at trinityrep.com/burns.
ABOUT THE PLAY
After the collapse of civilization and sans electricity, a group of survivors share a campfire and begin to rehash the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare” entirely from memory. What follows over the decades that ensue is an exploration of future generations’ inevitable decay through the transformation of pop culture into ritual. This imaginative dark comedy propels us forward nearly a century, following a new civilization stumbling into its future. Mr. Burns is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another.
“This wild dark comedy captured my attention when I saw the immediate parallels to our current climate,” director Molly Houlahan said. “In the face of mass disaster, how do we turn to stories as a uniting life raft? I am thrilled to be working on this with such a stellar team. This piece pushes out imagination while finding the tender heart of humanity at the end of the world.”
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM
Molly Houlahan (she/her) is the previous Associate Artistic Director of Congressional Award-Winning Hypokrit Theatre Company. Hypokrit has developed work with institutions such as The Public, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, New Georges, Rattlestick, Lincoln Center/LCT3, and UNICEF amongst others. Houlahan’s directing credits at Brown/Trinity Rep include Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, The Winter’s Tale, and The Skriker. Other select directing credits include: Transhumance (Austin, TX Fringe, Auckland Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe), In Search of Maria Theresa (Cell Theatre), Gospel of the Marys (Furnace Festival), R+J (Access Theatre), How To Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor starring Zenobia Shroff from “The Big Sick” (Castillo Theatre), Scorched (The Araca Project), and Still Life (NYC International Fringe Festival). Molly has assistant/associate directed for Kate Whoriskey, Anne Kauffman, Rebecca Taichman, Les Waters, Dan Sullivan, Tony Taccone, Lynne Meadow, and Mary Zimmerman among others at institutions such as The Public, Playwrights Horizons, Encores! at NYCC, The Town Hall, Berkeley Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Manhattan Theatre Club, and the New York Philharmonic. She has worked in the producing department at The Public, the artistic department at Steppenwolf, and as the assistant to the Artistic Director at Berkeley Rep. She has assisted artists such as Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”) and Sarah Jones (“Sell/Buy/Date”). 2019 Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellow, 2017 Playwrights Horizons Directing Fellow, 2015-2016 Bret C. Harte Directing Fellow at Berkeley Rep, and the winner of the Louis Sudler Prize upon graduating Yale University.
Molly will work alongside Matthew Requintina (music director) Anton Volovsek (scenic design), Camilla Dely (costume design), Ebony Burton (lighting design), and Caroline Eng (sound design). The cast of this production features Brown/Trinity Rep MFA actors Myka Cue, Claire Koenig, Fiona Marie Maguire, G. Momah, Jenny Nguyen Nelson, Madeleine Russell, and Kai Thomani Tshikosi.
The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs provide a three-year professional training program under the auspices of an Ivy League university and Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning theater company. Brown University’s Department of Theater and Performance Studies is internationally recognized for the quality of its faculty and instruction. Trinity Rep, with its deep tradition of resident artists, provides powerful artistic assets and creates a firm foundation for a new generation of theater artists.
AT A GLANCE
Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play
By Anne Washburn
Music and Lyrics by Michael Friedman
September 22 – October 2, 2022
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Director: Molly Houlahan
Music Director: Matthew Requintina
Scenic Designer: Anton Volovsek
Costume Designer: Camilla Dely
Lighting Designer: Ebony Burton
Sound Designer: Caroline Eng
Production Stage Manager: Josephine Miller
THE CAST
Myka Cue
Claire Koenig
Fiona Marie Maguire
G. Momah
Jenny Nguyen Nelson
Madeleine Russell
Kai Thomani Tshikosi
PERFORMANCES
Thursday, September 22 at 7:30 pm
Friday, September 23 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, September 24 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, September 24 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 25 at 2:00 pm
Thursday, September 29 at 7:30 pm
Friday, September 30 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 1 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, October 1 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 pm
Ticket Office: (401)-351-4242; 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI, 02903
