The cast of Theatre 308’s fall drama — Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, a post-electric play — had the opportunity to deepen their exploration of the play through a videoconference with two Simpsons writers and producers who are also Darien High School alumni.
The Theatre 308 cast took part in a video conference with DHS graduates Brian Kelley (class of ’90) and Tom Gammill (class of ’75) who work on the Simpsons show.
Brian Kelley, DHS Class of ’90, and Tom Gammill, DHS Class of ’75, responded to the students’ questions about the process of writing Simpsons episodes, The Simpsons’ enduring popularity over the show’s 29-year run, and the references to The Simpsons embedded in Anne Washburn’s play.
Photo by George Skidmore (via Wikimedia Commons)
Tom Gammill, DHS Class of ’75
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— an announcement from Darien High School
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Kelley also gave the cast a virtual tour of the FOX studio, including the “writers’ room” where episode ideas are generated and developed, and shared the production copy of the script for this season’s premiere episode, which he penned.
Organized by drama director Andrew Rejan and a parent volunteer, the videoconference was conducted using new technology introduced at DHS this year — Facetime-equipped iPads that sync seamlessly with classroom projectors through Apple TV.
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, which will be performed at DHS on Nov. 16, 17 and 18, is set in a world without electricity, where the survivors of an apocalyptic event entertain themselves by trying to remember a Simpsons episode.
Publicity image for the original 2012 production of “Mr Burns — a post-apocalyptic play”
Seven years later, the memories of this episode evolve into a live theatre troupe’s performance, and, 75 years after that, are transformed into a musical production that blends The Simpsons, fragments of popular music, and the history of the “post-electric” world. Tickets will go on sale in early November.