Storytelling After the End of the World
Published: February 25, 2026 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 3 minutes
What stories would survive if the world as we know it suddenly disappeared? That question lies at the heart of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, the upcoming production from Southern Utah University’s Department of Theatre, Dance, and Arts Administration.
Written by Anne Washburn, with a score by Michael Friedman and lyrics by Washburn, the imaginative dark comedy will be directed by Dr. Scott Knowles. Performances will take place in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre on February 27 & 28 and March 2 & 6 at 7:30 p.m. with matinee performances on February 28 and March 7 at 2:00 p.m.
The play begins in the aftermath of a mysterious collapse of civilization. A small group of survivors gathers around a campfire, passing the time by trying to reconstruct an episode of the animated television show The Simpsons entirely from memory. As the play progresses across decades and generations, fragments of pop culture from commercial jingles to sitcom plots and familiar characters transform into myths and legends of a new society.
The result is a theatrical journey that examines how stories evolve as they are remembered, retold, and reinvented over time.
“Mr. Burns, a post-electric play explores the circumstances of a civilization-ending change and wonders at the performances that might result,” said director Dr. Scott Knowles. “All mediated art forms are ripped from the world, and theatre keeps their memory alive. It is here that the true power of living theatre–its constant evolution and continual disappearance—finds purpose: connection.”
In the play’s first act, survivors painstakingly piece together the plot of the Simpsons episode “Cape Feare.” Seven years later, the retelling has become a form of communal entertainment. 75 years later, those memories have evolved into a mythic performance tradition, revealing how cultural fragments can transform into the foundations of a new artistic language.
Blending dark comedy, music, and theatrical spectacle, Mr. Burns celebrates the resilience of storytelling and the enduring power of live performance, even when the world has changed beyond recognition.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for SUU alumni, and $6 for non-SUU students. SUU students, faculty, and staff are admitted free to one performance with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online at www.bard.org/tdaa or up to 30 minutes before each show at the Utah Shakespeare Festival ticket office.
Content Warning: This production contains mature language and situations and is not recommended for younger audiences. The performance also includes simulated violence and references to violence against children.
For more information about SUU Theatre, Dance, and Arts Administration and upcoming performances, visit www.suu.edu/pva/tdaa.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Contact Information
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu