At UBC Theatre and Film, you’ll find a vibrant mix of scholars, artists, educators, and innovators reimagining how we tell stories, analyze culture, and connect with audiences. Whether they’re directing research projects, designing soundscapes, mentoring students, or diving deep into dramatic theory, our faculty, staff, and graduate students are always up to something interesting.
This series pulls back the curtain to share the work, ideas, and everyday moments that shape our community—one human at a time! Next up is Larisse Campbell, MFA in Directing student and Director of our upcoming production, Mr. Burns, a post-electric play. Larisse shares how she came to study at UBC, what it’s been like to direct Mr. Burns, plus her unexpected favourite spot on campus.
How did you come to do your MFA in Directing at UBC?
I grew up as an actor and completed my undergrad degree in Acting and Education. I then started dabbling in directing, mostly for children’s theatre through my teaching work. In 2020, I committed to becoming a director. Terrible timing, I know, as opportunities to make live theatre were scarce with the pandemic underway. But as things began to reopen and theatre recovered, I took every directing opportunity I could find.
I decided to pursue an MFA in Directing to dedicate time to rigorously focus on the craft. I chose UBC because of the incredible faculty and staff, and to cultivate relationships with future collaborators based in the Lower Mainland.
Tell us about Mr. Burns, a post-electric play and your vision for the production
Mr. Burns is an incredibly unique play. It has a bit of everything in it: dark humour, music, dancing, and some danger. The plot follows a group of survivors after an unspecified catastrophe has caused nationwide nuclear damage and widespread power loss. At the heart of the piece is how these survivors rebuild; how they gather around a campfire to tell stories, how remembering an episode of The Simpsons allows them to laugh through the surrounding horror, and how that episode takes on a life of its own in the years that follow.
It’s a big show, both in scale and in detail, so I didn’t feel the need to put a hyper-specific concept onto the production. My vision for the piece was to showcase how the script highlights pop culture as echoes and touchstones for future survival and how stories become profound, almost religious, when shared over and over again. We explored this through costumes, incorporating traditional Greek masks with a twist, through music and sound that reflect both the period in which the play was written (2012) and today, and through dance choreography that feels familiar yet elevated for the word of the play.
Larisse, the cast, and SM team of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play
How do you hope the audience will feel or reflect differently after seeing your production?
I hope that the audience leaves with a bunch of unanswered questions about the production and then spends the journey home engaging with what they saw or felt. I hope they pry open the story and explore it, just like we have. I think the playwright, Anne Washburn, would agree.
I also hope the production grants audiences time to reflect on the impermanence of our lives but encourages space for dialogue about what is eternal and what they would need or want to carry with them into the future to rebuild society under similar circumstances.
And, if all they take away is catching a specific pop-culture reference (the show is littered with them and it’s not just about The Simpsons) that they once loved and they go home and rewatch that movie or episode, or put that song on and share it with someone else, I’d be delighted with that response too.
How do you approach working with actors in your rehearsal room and what environment do you try to create?
Every rehearsal room requires a slightly different approach based on the needs of the show, but a guiding principle that I bring with me to my work is “rigorous joy”. It doesn’t mean that the work isn’t challenging, because it can be, but if everyone comes with an open heart and a joyful desire to contribute, anything is possible.
I see every actor and creative on the team as professional colleagues who are all pulling on the same rope; to produce our version of the production to the best of our abilities. I make it a priority to have a really warm and adaptable rehearsal space. The door is always open for anyone involved in the production to be in the rehearsal hall, alongside us. I spend time getting to know everyone and how they work so I can build the conditions for people to bring their best selves to the art.
If you could direct any play in the future, what would it be and why?
There are so many shows I’d love to direct, from classics to musicals to new pieces. One play that I have been downright desperate to direct for some time is John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberley Belflower. I would also love to direct any Chekhov play as I haven’t yet had the chance to. Lastly, I would love to dig into a new piece that I was introduced to in the spring, 1536 by Ava Pickett. It’s totally in my wheelhouse!
Outside of directing and theatre-making, what keeps you inspired and grounded?
My seven-year-old son constantly inspires my curiosity and keeps me humble. I find inspiration and grounding through spending quality time with my loved ones, travelling (Antarctica and Drake’s Pass is top of my list), and exploring nature with my dog.
Where’s your favourite place on campus?
One of Larisse’s many tree photos
There are so many beautiful spots on campus, like the view from the Rose Gardens facing the mountains—on a clear day that might be one of the most beautiful spots in the whole lower mainland. However, I have an unusual spot on campus that I really love. In the courtyard outside of the Alumni building, near the bookstore, is a large tree that gets lit up at night, usually in bright red. We often leave rehearsals late, so it’s often lit by the time we head off, and I find this single, dramatically lit tree so bizarre and enchanting that I usually just stop and stare at it. I’ll admit that I have way too many pictures of it on my phone.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Easiest question of the lot! Anything by ABBA, but in particular Super Trooper, SOS or, Thank You for the Music. I would even go so far as to say that if anyone wanted to cast me in Mamma Mia, I would come out of acting retirement for the chance to sing and dance in that show.
Do you have a hidden talent or a surprising hobby?
I am actually a huge sports fan, and I usually have a pretty solid fantasy hockey team. I love talking about sports, especially hockey, so much that I once had a podcast with a former Canadian Olympian as an outlet to vent. I think live sports are just another form of theatre.
Mr. Burns, a post-electric play runs November 19–December 6, 2025 at the Frederic Wood Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.
