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Neo-Futurists
The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater troupe founded by Greg Allen in 1988, based on an aesthetics of honesty, speed and brevity. Neo-Futurists in theatre were inspired by the Italian Futurist movement from the early 20th century. Originating in Chicago, branches of the Neo-Futurists also exist in New York City, San Francisco, and London (the latter under the name Degenerate Fox). The Neo-Futurist architects, designers and artists believe in eco-sustainable cities cross-pollinated by arts and technology to provide a better quality of life; the definition of Neo-Futurism in art and architecture came from the reference to the United Nations’ report Our Common Future. 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 perfor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dylan Marron
Dylan Marron (born May 31, 1988) is an American actor, writer and activist known for his voice work as Carlos in the podcast ''Welcome to Night Vale'' and his video series Every Single Word, an art and data visualization project which compiles all the words spoken by people of color in major motion pictures. He is a writer on the third season of Ted Lasso. Early life Marron was born May 31, 1988 in Caracas, Venezuela, where he grew up. Career Acting On ''Welcome to Night Vale'', Marron plays Carlos the scientist, who is the main character's crush and later husband. Marron joined the podcast in 2013 and has appeared regularly since then, and has also featured in all the live shows. Prior to Marron's casting, Carlos was played by Jeffrey Cranor, one of the show's writers. Cranor stepped down from playing the role because, as a white man who is not an actor, he wanted to avoid standing in the way of a talented Latino actor playing a major role in his show. The ''Night Vale'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind
''Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes'' (Too Much Light or TML) was the longest running show in the history of theater in Chicago and was the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York. The show was originally performed by the Neo-Futurists, an experimental theater troupe of which creator Greg Allen was a founding member. Opening in Chicago December 2nd 1988, the show ran 50 weekends of the year through 2016. As its subtitle states, the show consists of 30 original short plays performed in 60 minutes. All were written, directed, and performed by an ensemble. The plays tend to be a mixture of autobiography, performance art, and living newspaper. History Neo-Futurism as an aesthetic, as well as the format of TML, are both creations of Neo-Futurist Founding Director Greg Allen. The Neo-Futurism aesthetic is an updating of the early 20th century Italian Futurism movement with hefty doses of Fluxus, Dada, Surrealism, Brecht, Boal, and performance art throw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Cyril Creighton
Michael Cyril Creighton is an American actor and writer best known for his portrayal of Howard Morris in ''Only Murders in the Building'', Patrick in ''High Maintenance'', Joe Crowley in ''Spotlight'' and his Writers Guild of America Award-winning web series ''Jack in a Box.'' Life and career Creighton was raised on Long Island, New York, by his mother and maternal grandparents. He works regularly in film, television and theatre alternating between comedic and dramatic roles. Sarah Larson of The New Yorker says "Creighton has a gift for expressing the tension between the desire to connect and the desire to protect oneself." On the stage, Creighton's credits include the world premiere of Jordan Harrison's "The Amateurs" at Vineyard Theater and the New York Premiere of Sarah Ruhl's ''Stage Kiss'' at Playwrights Horizons. For his portrayal of Kevin in ''Stage Kiss'', he was named a "Face to Watch" by ''The New York Times'' and nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lusia Strus
Lusia Strus (born December 13, 1969) is an American writer and stage and film actress with Neo-Futurists. Childhood and work as a theater actress Strus was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Ukrainian family. She spoke Ukrainian as her first language 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 Neo-Futurist ensemble, in 1993, which she wrote solo and ensemble performances for. She has played for the Chicago Steppenwolf, Goodman, and Victory Gardens theaters as well as for the Curious Theatre Company, the Northlight Repertory, and others, and has also worked for Yoplait, WBEZ, and the Chicago Jazz Festival. Film and TV actress Strus is noted for her role as Adam Sandler's assistant (Alexa) in '' 50 First Dates'', as well as for playing eclectic characters and sometimes incorporating unusual accents in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jackson Bird (author)
Jackson Bird is an American vlogger, speaker, LGBTQ advocate, and writer. He is the author of the 2020 memoir ''Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place (A Transgender Memoir)''. Early childhood and education Bird grew up in Texas in the 1990s. Bird attended Southwestern University for two years before transferring to and ultimately graduating from New York University. Career ''Harry Potter'' fandom While in college, Bird began volunteering for the Harry Potter Alliance, a nonprofit that mobilizes fans of the Harry Potter series to engage in activism and philanthropy. This ultimately led to a paid job as communications director with the organization, a job he held for five years. When Bird came out as transgender at age 25, he said the Harry Potter fan community supported him, having learned from the books "about being yourself, loving those who are different from you and sticking up for the underdog.” YouTube creator In 2010, Bird launched a YouTube ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desiree Burch
Desiree Lea Burch (born 26 January 1979) is an American comedian, actress, television presenter, and voice actress. Originally from Diamond Bar, California, Burch has also lived in New York, Streatham, Croydon and Peckham, having moved to London to live with her boyfriend in 2014. She won the Funny Women title in 2015 having completed an arduous series of gigs around the UK, she followed up this success with five-star reviews and a Fringe First Award for her one-woman, self written show, ''Tar Baby'' at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Early life and education Burch was born in Diamond Bar, California and attended Yale University where she earned a bachelor's degree majoring in Theatre Studies. After university, she moved to New York City where she became a founding member of the New York Neo-Futurists, and performed regularly as a stand-up comedian and actress on the New York comedy circuit. In 2014 she moved to London, where she achieved wider acclaim in televisi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New York Innovative Theatre Awards
The New York Innovative Theatre Awards (also known as NYIT Awards and IT Awards) are accolades given annually by the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 2004, to honor individuals and organizations who have achieved artistic excellence in off-off-Broadway theatre. Mission statement The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation was created to bring recognition to the great work being done in New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, to honor its artistic heritage, and to provide a meeting ground for this extensive community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. We believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and appreciation of the full New York theatre experience. The IT Awards is a not-for-profit arts organization supporting the Off-Off-Broadway community by: * Celebrating an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Pierson (musician)
John Pierson, known also by the stage name Jughead and by the pseudonym Ian Pierce, is an American musician, writer, actor, and podcaster. Biography In 1986, Pierson and Ben Weasel co-founded the punk rock band Screeching Weasel in Chicago, Illinois. Pierson played guitar for the band until 2006. In 2002, Pierson formed the acoustic pop-punk band Even in Blackouts, with which he has recorded four albums and one EP and toured several times. Pierson is also a playwright and novelist, usually writing under the name Ian Pierce. He formed a theater production company, Hope And Nonthings, in 1990 and produced ten plays before joining the Neo-Futurists; he has been performing in their long-running show ''Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind'' since 1996. His semi-fictitious '' Weasels in a Box'' (2005) is a novelization of Screeching Weasel's history. His last novel, ''Last Temptation of Clarence Odbody Clarence Odbody, also spelled Clarence Oddbody, (born May 1653) is a guardian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greg Kotis
Greg Kotis (born 1965/1966) is an American playwright, best known for writing the book and co-writing the lyrics for the musical ''Urinetown''. Biography Career Kotis studied political science at the University of Chicago, where he was a member of the improvisational and sketch comedy group Off-Off Campus. He dropped out when he took a course on the Short Comic Scene, realizing that he wanted to be part of the theatre industry instead. Kotis became a member of the Cardiff Giant Theatre Company and the Neo-Futurists. He moved to New York City in 1995 where he established a branch of the Neo-Futurists together with his wife Ayun Halliday. While moonlighting in fringe theater, Kotis worked as a location scout for the show Law & Order. ''Urinetown'' By 1998, Kotis had a daughter with his wife, and thus the responsibility of supporting a family. Kotis began writing ''Urinetown: The Musical'', deciding it would be his last work: "I told myself, I tried to find a life in the theater ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chisa Hutchinson
Chisa Hutchinson is an American playwright. Her plays have won multiple awards including the 2010 GLAAD Award, a Lilly Award in 2010, as well as a Lanford Wilson Award in 2015. She was a Lark Fellow as well as a Dramatist Guild Fellow in 2010–11. She was also a cast member of the Neo-Futurists in New York. Hutchinson was a staff writer for the Blue Man Group. She has been a member of New Dramatists for four years. Currently she is a Humanitas Fellow and the Tow Foundation Fellow at Second Stage. Hutchinson teaches creative writing at the University of Delaware."Chisa Hutchinson" ''http://www.english.udel.edu/people/Pages/bio.aspx?i=301'' , accessed November 5th, 2017 Most recently her play ''Somebody's Daughter'' was included on the 2017 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayun Halliday
Ayun Halliday is an American writer and actor. She is best known as the author and illustrator (or, as Halliday herself terms it, "the chief primatologist") of the long-running zine ''The East Village Inky''. The zine got its name from Halliday's living in New York City's East Village, and "Inky" being the nickname of her then-infant daughter India. Her first graphic novel, ''Peanut'', was published in December 2012 and was positively reviewed by ''The New York Times''. Early life Halliday was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Park Tudor School and Northwestern University, where she obtained a degree in theater performance. She is also a licensed massage therapist, who completed her training at the Chicago School of Massage Therapy. After graduating, she joined the Neo-Futurists, an experimental theater troupe in Chicago. It was during her tenure with the troupe that she met her husband, playwright Greg Kotis. Personal life She lives in East Harlem, New York. She a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Futurist Theatre
The Futurist Theatre was a theatre and cinema in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was located on Foreshore Road, on the sea front of the South Bay. The theatre closed on 6 January 2014 after the operator's lease expired. The building was demolished by August 2018. The Futurist was built as a cinema in 1921. It remained in this role until 1958 when the stage was extended to allow live performances at the venue. The Beatles performed there twice, on 11 December 1963 and on 9 August 1964. Extensions to the stage allowed the popular ''The Black and White Minstrel Show'' to perform there many times when it was owned (between 1966 and 1974) by Robert Luff, the producer of the stage version. The extension to the stage meant the closure of the adjacent Arcadia Theatre which became a lounge. During the 1980s, Scarborough Borough Council took over the property and leased the theatre to Apollo Leisure Ltd (UK), who ran it until September 2002. In December 2002, Barrie C. Stea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |