The West Liberty University Theatre Department is presenting “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play.” The play, written by Anne Washburn, is based on an episode of “The Simpsons.” A summary of the play by Concord Theatricals states, “After the collapse of civilization, a group of survivors share a campfire and begin to piece together the plot of The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare” entirely from memory. Seven years later, this and other snippets of pop culture have become the live entertainment of a post-apocalyptic society, sincerely trying to hold onto its past. Seventy-five years later, these are the myths and legends from which new forms of performance are created.”

Michael Aulick, the Director of WLU Theatre said, “I chose Mr. Burns for several reasons. First, and always foremost, it was a challenging piece for the students in the program. It really requires three or four different styles of acting. From naturalism, heightened realism, to epic tragedy. There is music and a little dance. Other reasons are that it is a really interesting play that I am fairly sure most people around here haven’t seen.”

“The students are doing more than acting,” said Aulick. “Delaney Bird and Len Batson are serving as the musical directors. Andy Dillie has been instrumental on some of the set design. Odessa Hores has handled most of the costuming. Isabella Costantini is the stage manager. Amethyst Alexander and Greyson Grimmet are the assistant stage managers and handle props.”

Those involved in “Mr. Burns” have been preparing for the performance for quite some time. “We were supposed to perform this show at the end of last semester. However, the first show had to be delayed a bit due to COVID issues that pushed us to the spring. That meant we had a few weeks of rehearsals last fall, three weeks off for Christmas (we had zoom rehearsal) and then a few weeks in the spring semester,” said Aulick.

Odessa Hores is a senior theatre student at WLU. They serve as the costume designer and are performing two different characters in the play. “The show itself is fairly wild to tell you the truth. It’s a very creative device for the topic of change and adaptation.” Hores noted that the show is one of the most out of the box pieces they have ever been a part of. “The post-apocalyptic themes on top of “The Simpsons” may seem crazy, but it’s truthfully such a fun show.”

Greyson Grimmet is a junior theatre student and is serving as the assistant stage manager for the play. “As the assistant stage manager, I essentially help the stage manager with whatever they need. I am either on book to help actors when they call for a line or help take line notes, which assists the actors with what lines they need to study more. Other duties are helping set up for each act, move set pieces, spike the stage and overall just lend a hand to the stage manager.”

Grimmet noted his favorite part of acting and assisting in a play by stating, “It starts off just being a script, words on paper, and we’re able to make it come alive and be something that we’re all a part of. Though, truly my favorite thing about being a theatre major and being in a show is the audience’s reaction. There’s no better feeling than seeing the audience’s faces light up at the wholesome moments, or hearing their laughter at the funny moments. It makes all of the hard work worth it.”

“The mission of the Theatre Program is not to be a producing theatre (doing popular plays). The main mission is to train young artists, so we pick plays that will extend their abilities by challenging them with the season selection,” said Aulick. Aulick said he “couldn’t be happier” with the work produced by students putting this play together.

From Wednesday, Feb. 2 through Saturday, Feb. 5, the play will begin at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Feb. 6, the play will begin at 3:00 p.m. The performance will be located at Kelly Theatre inside the Fine Arts Building.