Now this should be deeply weird… BB pal Erik Davis, author of Techgnosis and Visionary State, wrote the libretto for a rock opera about Burning Man. "How to Survive the Apocalypse: A Burning Opera" will be staged at the Teatro ZinZanni cabaret and circus tent on San Francisco's waterfront October 5-7 and 12-14.
Here's what Erik says about the opera:
Designed to communicate the transformational madness of the playa to the "Burning curious" as well as the experienced (or jaded) playa faithful, "How to Survive the Apocalyse" follows three newbies as they stumble through the erotic, psychological, and visionary minefield of the festival. Scored by Mark Nichols, with libretto by yours truly (who also plays a wise-cracking bunny with a bullhorn), the show is appropriate both for Burning Man veterans looking for a familiar boost, and for anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy the Burner mystique without the dust and brain-bubbling sun. Bring your neighbor, your Mom, your co-workers: all those folks in your life who've been wondering what you're up to every August but aren't willing to trek to Nevada to find out.
And from the opera Web site:
“How to Survive the Apocalypse” is a Burning Man-inspired theatrical freak-out that combines rock opera, vaudeville, and a Dionysian revival show that is just as inspired and terrified by current events as you are. Part mutant mystery play, part crash-course in proactive future culture, we welcome you to an ambitious and ferociously inventive radically-altered evening of musical theater, scored by Mark Nichols with libretto by counterculture writer Erik Davis. Prepare to Participate!
