Play Response #1: Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
What is space like on this planet? Interior or exterior, built or natural? Is space here confined
or wide open? Do you see a long passage with many “stations”?
Do you see a landscape of valleys and mountains? Sea and land? Are we on an island? In a cave? In a desert or
a jungle? On a country road?
Now ask about the time. How does time behave on this planet? Does “time
stand still”? Is time frantic and staccato on this planet? Is it leisurely, easy-going time?
How is time marked on this planet? By clock? By the sun? By the sound of footsteps?
What kind of time are we in? Cyclical time? Eternal time? Linear time? What kind of
line? One day? One lifetime?
Ask about the climate on this planet. Do we have storms? Eclipses of the sun
and moon? Do we have extreme heat? Paralyzing cold? Is the environment on this
planet lush and abundant, sere and life-denying, airless and suffocating? What is the
seasonal “feel” of this world? Autumnal? Wintry?
What is the mood on this planet? Jolly? Serious? Sad? Ironic? Sepulchral? The
mood is not just a question of plot (comedies are “happy,” etc.), “tone” also contributes
to mood.
What is the tone of this planet? Delicate or coarse? Cerebral or passionate?
Restrained or violent?
How are mood and tone created on this planet? Through music?
Light, sound, color, shape? What shapes? Curves? Angles?