Burst is what we have come to call a “ripped from headlines” story. These stories are meant ask the viewer (you) to reflect on a current cultural moment through an editorial lens. Perhaps that is what brought you to The Alleyway Theater tonight. If so, I am glad it worked.

All of the characters in this play hope to find a solution to the plastic crisis in our world. A problem that grows larger by the minute.

As Sarah and her colleagues quest for solutions, the play also asks, What does it take to change the world? How far are you willing to go to succeed? Is any legacy flawless? And most importantly, does the end justify the means when trying to avert a worldwide environmental disaster?

When I first read Rachel Bublitz’s play, I did not make the initial connection to the pop culture story that has permeated television’s award show season. Embarrassingly, I had not heard of Elizabeth Holmes, and had not seen any of the on-screen adaptations of her story. I met Sarah Boyd with no preconceived notions and found her to be fascinating. But the parallels are undeniable.

Sarah (like Elizabeth) shares a level of ambition seen in some of our greatest tragic heroes, like Julius Caesar and The Macbeths. All of these roles are monumental achievements for actors… and we watch these stories to see the rise and fall of a noble person. We clearly see their mistakes, and watch these characters with the hope that we can avoid their missteps ourselves. We can also recognize, however fleeting, that these character’s had good intentions, but became misguided. Where and why this happened might be another question for us as the audience.

I hope that tonight you are first entertained, but I also hope that the play reflects the real world environmental issues ever-present in our world.

I’m bursting to see what questions you have when you leave tonight — send us a message or say hi in the lobby and let us know what you think!