Neo-Futurists
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The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater troupe founded by Greg Allen in 1988. Neo-Futurism, inspired by the Italian Futurist movement from the early 20th century, is based on an aesthetics of honesty, speed and brevity.
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[edit] Aesthetic
The Neo-Futurist aesthetic demands that everything that transpires in their theater be non-illusory, which is to say that they pretend nothing; actors only play themselves. All plays take place on a stage, specifically, the stage on which they are performed, in the present. If one of the performers reports that something has happened, you can bet that it really happened. Much of their work contains the possibility of failure, a unique theatrical component that keeps them and the audience honest. Their plays are wildly eclectic, touching on all genres and tones; plays may be political, satirical, personal, tragic, comic, abstract, musical, surreal, poetic, and so on.
The bottom line is that Neo-Futurism does not buy into the "suspension of disbelief" -- it does not attempt to take the audience anywhere else at any other time with any other people. The idea is to deal with what is going on right here and now.
[edit] Art
The Neo-Futurists began with the show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes, often abbreviated as TMLMTBGB (though many refer to it simply as TML). For the first few years, the Neo-Futurist movement consisted entirely of TMLMTBGB, but then expanded to include "prime time productions." These productions began late evening, as opposed to TMLMTBGB's late-night starting time (11:30 in Chicago, 10:30 in New York).
The Neo-Futurists have published three books of plays from TMLMTBGB - two books of regular plays, and one of plays that use only one actor. They've also released one CD recording of plays from Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, one video, and a recording of Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious a play described as an attempt to destroy comedy by analyzing it to death.
The New York Neo-Futurists (who won on of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards in 2006 for 'Best Performance Art Production') have ventured into producing short films under the umbrella of the Neo-Futurist aesthetic.
[edit] Members
Since 1988, the ranks of the Neo-Futurists have included the following individuals (listed alphabetically):
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Claudia Alick |
Molly Flynn |
Erica Livingston |
- Stephen Colbert (now famous for his television persona in The Colbert Report) did audition for the Neo-Futurists and was cast as part of the ensemble, though never got an opportunity to perform with the ensemble. Neo-Futurist Dave Awl recounts Stephen Colbert's relationship with the company here.
[edit] Locations
Chicago: 5153 N. Ashland Avenue (The Neo-Futurarium)
New York: 85 E. 4th St., near 2nd Ave. (The Kraine)
[edit] External links
- The Neo-Futurists - Official homepage
- The NY Neo-Futurists - New York Neo-Futurists Official homepage.
