The St. Olaf Theater Department staged “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn this fall from Nov. 14 to 17 in Haugen Theater as part of their annual season of four productions. What separates this play from the department’s upcoming productions this year is the fact that “Mr. Burns” was a student-led production. Studio Art and Theater Major Soren Chirhart ’25 was selected out of an application process to produce the show from start to finish alongside a professor.
“Having a leadership role among peers usually feels a little strange, especially where there is no faculty in the rehearsal room to really affirm or enforce it,” Chirhart said in an email to The Olaf Messenger. “Balancing the peer and professional hat can always be a challenge, but I found that establishing a strong peer connection and trust with the cast and production team that I was working with, allowed for a much easier professional space to be created.”
“Mr. Burns” is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the power grid has failed and nuclear plants are exploding. Survivors gather around a fire in the first act, recalling an episode of The Simpsons. By the second act, they’ve formed a traveling theater troupe performing Simpsons episodes across the Midwest. In the third act, which is half musical, The Simpsons have evolved into legendary tales with a new life.
Chirhart was intrigued by the show’s unique plot and narrative.
“This play does not follow the line of traditional storytelling, but rather focuses on character relationships and showing the evolution of storytelling and pop culture, and the ways humans seek comfort and familiarity in unfamiliar circumstances… It is unlike anything St. Olaf Theater has done in recent years,” Chirhart said.
All majors were welcome to audition for the show, but only eight people were on the cast of “Mr. Burns”.
Jessica Thanghe ʼ26 played “Maria” in the show and is a theater education major. One of the most memorable aspects for her was the comradery in the cast.
“We have really grown close as a cast,” Thanghe said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “It’s definitely interesting not only being in a show with a smaller cast, but a show with a smaller cast where everyone has basically equal roles… everyone’s doing the same amount of work essentially. I think, [with the casting] it’s less of a hierarchy than high school, the cast is a mix of class years.”
The production was a large commitment, with three-hour rehearsals five days a week, tech rehearsals, and five showings in four days.
“I really want my classmates to [see the shows],” Thanghe said. “I think that they’re really cool and that it’s something people would really enjoy… I love to share the amazing work that my classmates and I have done.”
For those who missed the showings of “Mr. Burns”, St. Olaf Theater has upcoming shows for the community to enjoy — “Death Trap” will show in early February and “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” will be shown in May. Tickets to any department-sponsored productions are free to students, faculty, and staff. For updates related to the theater department can be found on their Instagram, @stolaftheater, and the St. Olaf Theater website.
