“Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play” by Anne Washburn, directed by Sanaya Forbes, premiered at The Majestic Theater in Corvallis to an eager crowd last weekend. It is now running for its second and last weekend.
According to Majestic Theater’s website, the show occurs after civilization collapses. A group of survivors share a campfire and begin to piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Fear” entirely from memory.
The theater will run one more evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 and a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 29. Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for students. The show is rated R.
Before attending the play, community members can check Majestic’s website for content and trigger warnings about the show.
“(The play is) a post-apocalyptic exploration of how (our society) continues to tell stories after heavily traumatic events, and what those stories become especially in pop culture,” Fable Schuyler said.
Schuyler is one of the principal actors in the show, playing Marge Simpson. Schuyler said this is the first play they will star in at the Majestic Theater.
“It’s going to be a weird experience,” Schuyler said. “You have to keep an open mind about it because it’s very absurdist.”
Forbes proposed the show because it feels timely “post-pandemic” giving the play a certain “relevancy” to current events.
“This play is a comedic twist,” Lily Diaz said. “(Society) is not ever going back to how it was before COVID.”
Diaz is a junior in high school. She heard about the show and went to auditions at the Majestic Theater.
“This is my first time doing community theater,” Diaz said.
Diaz said she loves the show and wants to be a part of it. Her audition led to her being cast in the role of Bart Simpson.
“Each theater troupe that does (the play) is different,” Diaz said. “The play is about how you (the audience) see and would react in this situation.”
Forbes has a theater background and has acted in other productions before, but this play is her directorial debut at the Majestic.
The Majestic is community-run and operated. Forbes said that anyone from Corvallis or surrounding areas wishing to get involved can visit the Majestic’s website for more information.
If anyone in the community is interested in getting involved but doesn’t want to act, the Majestic has various volunteer opportunities.
“Makeup, props, stage crew, lighting, just about anything,” Diaz said.
For a full list of all upcoming shows and volunteer opportunities community members can visit the Majestic’s website to get started.
To keep up with the latest behind-the-scenes updates, community members can also follow Majestic on Instagram and Facebook.
