Neo-Futurists
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
, 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 TMLMTBGBs 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 (New York Innovative Theatre Awards
recipients for 'Best Performance Art Production' in 2006, 'Outstanding Ensemble' in 2009, and Caffe Cino Award 2010) have ventured into producing short films under the umbrella of the Neo-Futurist aesthetic. Also in 2009 the New York company won the Village Voice Readers’ Choice poll for Best Performance Art and was named one of the nytheatre.com People of the Year.
Futurism (art)
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city...
movement from the early 20th century, is based on an aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
of honesty, speed and brevity.
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
Suspension of disbelief
Suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" is a formula for justifying the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literary works of fiction...
" -- 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.
Art
The Neo-Futurists began with the show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 MinutesToo Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes is the longest running show in Chicago and the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York. Starting in 1988, the show has run 50 weekends of the year since then...
, 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 TMLMTBGBs 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
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes is the longest running show in Chicago and the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York. Starting in 1988, the show has run 50 weekends of the year since then...
, 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 (New York Innovative Theatre Awards
New York Innovative Theatre Awards
The New York Innovative Theatre Awards were founded in 2004. These annual awards honor excellence in Off-Off-Broadway Theatre and help nurture and promote the Off-Off-Broadway community.-Mission statement:...
recipients for 'Best Performance Art Production' in 2006, 'Outstanding Ensemble' in 2009, and Caffe Cino Award 2010) have ventured into producing short films under the umbrella of the Neo-Futurist aesthetic. Also in 2009 the New York company won the Village Voice Readers’ Choice poll for Best Performance Art and was named one of the nytheatre.com People of the Year.
In Animation
Academy Award winner Chris Landreth has made an animated short of Greg Kotis's "Disregard this Play" entitled "Bingo." In the short, a man sits in the middle of a circus ring where he is accosted by carnival music and clown-like, disturbing characters. Each character greets the man as Bingo. At first he resists the name, arguing that he, in fact, is not Bingo. By the end of the five minute animation, the man believes he is Bingo/Bingo the Clown/Bingo the Clown-o. The animation's ending of, "Thank you. Next." from a voice over a loud speaker and the subsequent pause in darkness gives almost the same feel as the "Curtain!" the Neo-Futurists yell at the end of each play.Members
Since 1988, the ranks of the Neo-Futurists have included the following individuals (listed alphabetically):
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Ayun Halliday Ayun Halliday is a writer and actor.She is best known as the author and illustrator of the long-running zine The East Village Inky... Spencer Kayden Spencer Kayden is an American actress and writer. Kayden is most notable for playing Little Sally in the popular Broadway musical Urinetown and for her membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv.-Biography:... Greg Kotis Greg Kotis is a New York-based playwright, who specializes in dark, disturbing comedies with socially relevant themes.-Earlier career:Kotis studied political science at the University of Chicago. He dropped out when took a course on the Short Comic Scene, he realised that he wanted to be part of... |
John Pierson (musician) John Pierson, commonly known by the stage name "John Jughead" or simply "Jughead", founded the pop-punk band Screeching Weasel in Chicago, Illinois with Ben Weasel in 1986. He played guitar for the band until its disbanding in 2001... Lusia Strus -Childhood and work as a theater actress:Strus was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Ukrainian school, at weekends, regularly. She had first decisive successes at performing arts, while a high school student, and attended Illinois State University. As a theater major, she joined Greg Allen's... |
- Stephen ColbertStephen ColbertStephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
(now famous for his television persona in The Colbert Report) auditioned for the Neo-Futurists, and was cast as part of the ensemble, but never got an opportunity to perform with them.
Locations
- Chicago: 5153 N. Ashland Avenue (The Neo-Futurarium)
- New York: 85 E. 4th St., near 2nd Ave. (The Kraine)
External links
- The Chicago Neo-Futurists - Chicago Neo-Futurists Official homepage.
- The NY Neo-Futurists — New York Neo-Futurists Official homepage.
- Dean Evans — Dean Evans' Website.
- Performers at Cusp Conference 2009