Mr Burns
In 2021, I had the honour of working with a variety of talented transdisciplinary individuals of the post-electric play Mr Burns by Anne Washburn. Throughout the process she was introduced to the assistant directing scene and also the wardrobe department. After dealing with the usual ups and downs in theatre, many valuable skills were learnt that she will personally hold throughout all future creative endeavours.
Summary
Mr Burns is a complex, darkly comedic script about a post-apocalyptic world in which a group of characters reminisce on the Simpsons episodes and later go on to perform them to the community. It explores the beauty of passion and storytelling and what a well-known show can become over time with no access to the original show. The world showcases human desperation, loss, grief, coping, little remains of light, development and ultimately what can occur when a nuclear disaster devastates individuals and society as a whole. The play was beautiful to study and opened me up to the world of discovery within theatre.
My Roles
Assistant Director
Upon working alongside Matt Scholten as director, I learnt the wonderful art of abstracting before blocking an act. The actors would walk around the space with their lines read to them, ensuring they take in the context and what the line means, and they would repeat it in any way they deem fitting. As this progresses, the actors would then move around the space, running, walking, or sitting, while paying close attention to where the energy lies in the room at each point in time, what energy and movement choices were made, and why. This process instantly broke me away from the restraints of typical directing in theatre and a sense of freedom and openness was immediately felt within the room. The encouragement of individuality being brought to the roles was inspiring and started the growth inside me of what it means to be a successful director. This technique was beneficial to all within the process and allowed for a deeper interpretation of the text to be discovered.
Wardrobe Assistant
Being part of the wardrobe department taught me what it’s like to work behind the scenes of theatre and how much work goes into all the production. With a new found respect for the backstage crew, I wish to pursue this further as I find adapting to the director’s vision, mobility, aesthetic, and do-ability incredibly rewarding and overall an interesting process. From sourcing and fitting costumes, fixing issues, taking initiative, and making design choices to quick changes, setting upcoming costumes, organising, and assuring everything is running smoothly, this department aligns with many of my passions in theatre.
Front of House Assistant & Technical Production Help
Helping out with the front of house crew gave me the opportunity to learn a little bit of what comes before the show which was very insightful. I learnt how to guide audience around the set and help them to their seats.
In the intermission between act 1 and 2, a huge set change occurred which involved disconnecting the flats from the floor, moving them, re-drilling, removing all seats, disconnecting and relocating rostra, securing them, moving set and props pieces, and making way for the seating bank. This provided me with technical skills such as safety, and deconstructing and reconstructing a set.
Chorus Member
Being a performer is one of my biggest aspirations and in Mr Burns, I was able to take part in the actual show. This gave me insight into following direction, taking initiative, performing, and awareness. I played Troy McClure and had several challenging solos which I performed with confidence and was praised by some of the audience for being a highlight of Act 3.
