Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play

Anne Washburn’s *Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play* is a darkly comic, genre-bending work that asks what stories survive when the world collapses. Set in a post-apocalyptic near-future, the play opens with a group of survivors huddling around a fire, collectively retelling the *Simpsons* episode “Cape Feare” from memory. As the years pass, that pop-culture fragment mutates: commercial jingles become parables, pop songs become hymns, and characters from the show—including the title’s Mr. Burns—are transformed into mythic figures from the lost era before the collapse. The production blends theater, pop culture, opera, and commedia dell’arte, and has been praised by *The New York Times* for having “depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination.” This staging is directed by Elizabeth Dinkova, Artistic Director of Spooky Action Theater, and returns to the Washington, D.C. region where the play premiered at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

When: Friday, October 9, 2026 through Sunday, October 18, 2026.

Showtimes: Friday, October 9 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, October 10 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 pm; Friday, October 16 at 7:30 pm; Sunday, October 18 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets: Regular admission is $30 plus a $5 booking fee; students and youth tickets are $10.

Venue: Kay Theatre, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland.

Seating: Reserved seating is provided.

Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible seating, size-inclusive seating, large print programs, assisted listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces are available upon request. ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioning are available for select events or by patron request at least six weeks in advance.

Ages: No age restriction is specified in the event listing.

Note: The event is presented by the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.