Search ErieReader.com
DonateBest of Erie40 Under 40TicketsAdvertiseDistributionIssuesAboutContactEventsNewsletter
Close
Donate!
Best of Erie 2025
40 Under 40
The Reader Beat
Tickets
Newsletter Signup
Erie Reader Business Quarterly
City Guide
Events
Opinion
Features
Issues Archive
Events Calendar
Advertise
More
Arts & Culture
Business
Columns
Community
Environment
Film
From the Editors
Gem City Style
Local, Original Comics
Music Reviews
News & Politics
Recipes
Sports
Theater
Distribution Locations
About Us
Contact Us
Issue Archives
Internship Opportunities
Write for Us
Share:
Arts & Culture / EntertainmentTheater

Enter a Pop Culture Rabbit Hole with Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play at Dramashop

Mr. Burns is a truly unique meditation on pop culture that audiences will not want to miss.

by Aaron Mook
View ProfileRSS Feed
February 14, 2018 at 1:30 PM
Contributed Photo

Friday, Feb. 23

The Simpsons is a pop-culture juggernaut that's spanned three decades of airtime and three decades of viewers. The show has offered critical commentary on the American nuclear family, predicted the future time and again, and gifted us some of the most memorable punchlines in television history. Now, it plays a central role in Anne Washburn's award-winning dystopian dramedy, Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play.

In a future dark age following the downfall of society, a group of survivors find solace in recalling the details of a particular Simpsons episode (the Season Five episode "Cape Feare") — one that eventually becomes a staple of live entertainment for a new society, and nearly a century later, the basis for post-modern myth.

As Dramashop describes the show as "a paean to live theater and the resilience of Bart Simpson through the ages. Mr. Burns is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another."

Mr. Burns is the winner of the 2015 Whiting Award and was nominated for a 2014 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play. The opening weekend of this particular production will be featured as a part of Fringe Fest Erie 2018. In line with Dramashop productions of the past, Mr. Burns is a truly unique meditation on pop culture that audiences will not want to miss. — Aaron Mook

Recommended Event

Oct
6

Mr. Burn, A Post-Electric Play

Performing Arts
10/6/2026
{related-item}1:5780{/related-item}

Fridays & Saturdays through Mar. 10, all shows 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. // 1001 State St., Ste. 210 // $5 Opening Weekend

Anne WashburnMr. BurnsA Post-Electric PlayThe SimpsonDramashopBart Simpson

Featured Events

Today Tomorrow This Weekend

liveFEED: Bonnie Kane and John Loggia (NYC), Dei Xhrist (New Hampshire)

Music
Oct. 8th, 7 PM

THE LEVER: A Tethered Immersive Production

Performing Arts
Oct. 9th, 6 PM to 9 PM

Mallory Run wsg Goalkeeper, Fastfall, Real Fake Doors & Gooch

Music
Oct. 9th, 6 PM

The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?

Performing Arts
Oct. 9th, 7:30 PM

Concert: Bonnie Kane/John Loggia, Dei Xhrist, others

Music
Oct. 9th, 8 PM

Submit Your Event   View Calendar

October 2026: Halloween
Erie Reader: Vol. 16, No. 10
View Past Issues
In This Issue
Erie Reader Best of Erie City Guide 2023-2026

Popular This Week

COVID-19 Cases Rise Slightly In Erie County, Across Country

xRepresentx, Vice, Counterfeit, Cop Torture at BT

Ludacris Shows Behrend Some Southern Hospitality

Best of Erie 2014 Finalists

Hangin' Out at the South Pier

Related Articles

Erie Anime-Fest Comes to the Ambassador Center

by Thomas Taylor10/2/2026, 12:00 PM
Celebrity guests, cosplay contests, and more

Does Love Really Conquer All?

by Cassandra Gripp10/2/2026, 10:00 AM
PACA presents The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Onstage

A Big Event in a Big Space: NANA FEST at FEED Media Art Center

by Dan Schank10/1/2026, 10:00 AM
Four days of art and music

May You Always Be Satisfied: Renee Elise Goldsberry at MIAC

by Erica Stewart9/23/2026, 8:00 AM
Broadway star showcases versatility on Mary D'Angelo stage

Album Review // Weezer // Weezer (Gold Album)

by Aaron Mook9/22/2026, 11:00 AM

September is PACA-ed with Great Shows

by Ally Kutz9/7/2026, 8:00 AM
PACA puts on two very different but excellent shows
Member of Reporters Shield
© 2026 Great Lakes Online Media
PO Box 10963  //  Erie, PA 16514
Editorial Standards Terms of Use Privacy Policy