Essay \"Mr. Burns Production Analysis\" - Grade A PDF

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Mr. Burns s Production Analysis
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Anna Radway THTR-T 100 Park, Poole, Emerson November 3, 2015

Mr. Burns Production Analysis

Mr. Burns, a post-electric play was filled with many wonderful design elements. Based on the production I witnessed of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, I have come to the conclusion that the design team intended for it to be a representational production through their use of costumes and scenery. With their use of representational costumes and scenery, they also managed to create empathy between the actors and the audience, rather than aesthetic distance. The design team of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play used very realistic costumes, rather than presentational, to create empathy with the audience. In the first act, the characters were all in outdoor clothing as they were all now homeless and living outside due to the recent catastrophic events regarding the factories. The costumes consisted of modern, everyday clothing that anyone could be seen wearing such as sweaters, vests, tennis shoes, etc. This helped create empathy with the audience because it was so realistic that you forgot you were watching a play. When the second act began, it was clear that the play had progressed into the future. The actors had switched out of their clothing and were now in costumes recording their episode of The Simpsons. I still considered this to be representational theatre rather than

presentational because it was something that could very possibly occur in real life rather than in a pretend world. The costumes in the second act were still relatively modern. People who weren’t dressed up in character could be seen wearing casual wear such as jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. In the third act, it was hard for me to distinguish if the actors were acting out The Simpsons or if they had actually become the Simpsons. The costumes were now very elaborate and almost too realistic. When I realized that they were still acting out The Simpsons, I noticed that the designers had reached their goal of trying to make the costumes as real and believable as possible. Another element of which the design team focused on while trying to create empathy between the audience and the actors was the set. The type of stage used was an arena stage, and each act had a different set used. In the first act, all of the characters were gathered around a campfire. There were a few chairs, but overall, there were very little props being used. This gave us, the audience, the impression that they really were outside which helped to emphasize the empathy between the actors and the audience members. In the second act, there was a set inside of the set. We traveled into the future and instead of being outside we were now in a garage. The new set helped show the progress the characters had made since the last time we saw them. Again, the design team definitely relied on their representational set to bring out empathy in their audience. They used modern living room furniture, artwork, and a television, which made the audience feel like they were in present day watching the story unfold before them. Act three had a very elaborate set. It was clear that, again, time had progressed and the characters were now putting on a very elaborate performance of The Simpsons. Since the set progressed with the characters, it was very

easy to follow the story line. It rarely ever felt like we were jumping too far into the future, which created even more empathy because it made the story extremely easy to follow. Overall, I found Mr. Burns, a post-electric play to be a very well put together production. It clearly displayed elements of representational theatre through the use of costumes and set design. Both of these combined helped create empathy between the actors and the audience, which provided an enjoyable theatrical environment for everyone.

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