Our Future Metropolis draws from the archives of the Burnham and Ryerson Library at the Art Institute of Chicago to recreate the initial presentation of Burnham’s Plan to the public.

Lookingglass Ensemble Member Raymond Fox plays Daniel Burnham, who must win over a skeptical audience with a turn-of-the-century PowerPoint presentation using “magic lantern slides” paired with the enthusiastic belief that Chicago is destined for greatness. Musial’s staging brings to life the genius in Burnham’s project while visually linking his plan with today’s Chicago through both authentic original slides and modern-day photography.