Elastic Future is an experimental theatre company founded in San Francisco with the aim of making plays more accessible to a non-theater visiting audience. Founded in 2004, it moved to London in 2011.

History

Elastic Future was founded by creative director, Marc Blinder, and artistic director, Erin Gilley, with a founding team of artists including Josh Peek, Randy Sterns, Connie Hwong, Evren Odcikin, and Sara Razavi. Later the company added Wesley Cabral and Denmo Ibrahim. Elastic Future's use of Google Hangouts on Air to create digital theatre in Peek A Boo and Longitude, was described as "a world first" and "a brand new art form." Longitude was covered in

Vice (magazine) ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

. Longitude was conceived, rehearsed and performed entirely online, using Google Hangouts, with a cast in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

. Elastic Future had earlier experimented with this format in Peek A Boo which used performers in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Artworks

June 2014, "Longitude",

London International Festival of Theatre The London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) is a biennial festival of theatre, performance and cultural events. The organisation also supports year-round activity in London. The organisation was founded by Rose Fenton and Lucy Neal, ...

and The Space commissioned Elastic Future to make a digital performance for LIFT 2014 using actors in London, Barcelona and Lagos, Nigeria. Longitude aired as a series of three live online performances during LIFT 2014. July 2013, "Peek A Boo", created by Elastic Future in partnership with LIFT. "Peek a Boo" was an experiment using Google Hangouts On Air to perform live theatre with a cast of actors from

and

. Peek A Boo tells the story of two computer programmers, one webcam girl, an NSA agent and a GCHQ agent. April 2011, "The Lily’s Revenge", Elastic Future worked with the

Magic Theatre The Magic Theatre is a theatre company founded in 1967, presently based at the historic Fort Mason Center on San Francisco's northern waterfront. The Magic Theatre is well known and respected for its singular focus on the development and product ...

, to produce The Lily’s Revenge, a 5-hour play written by Taylor Mac. It included elements circus, live music, animation and dance. Over 40 performers and 6 directors participated in the creation of this show. The Lily's Revenge was a political satire created in response to the political debate around California's Prop 8. February 2008, "Not Eye", A video and performance installation, was presented as part of the art gallery

Root Division Root Division is an American arts nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2002, and located in the Mid-Market/South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. They offer a gallery space, exhibition opportunities for emerging and ...

’s show Blackout. Blackout was an exhibition of self-illuminating work shown in a darkened art gallery. October 2007, "Beautiful Redux", a remounting of the original production from 2005. Beautiful mixed elements of cabaret and

drag show A drag show is a form of entertainment performed by drag artists impersonating men or women. Typically, a drag show involves performers singing or lip-synching to songs while performing a pre-planned pantomime or dancing. There might also be so ...

with theatre. Beautiful Redux was described as "decadent, loud, and possibly audience-fondling" by the SF Weekly. January 2007, "The Greek Play", one part art exhibition and one part play. Directed by Evren Odcikin and curated by artist

Katie Vida Katie Vida is an American interdisciplinary artist, curator and arts educator based in Brooklyn, New York. She is best known for her performance art, installation art, film, and sound art but also known to create paintings and sculptures. Biograp ...

. April 2006, "The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Deal", a hybrid rock concert/play performed at Amnesia (in San Francisco's Mission district). This play was intended as commentary on celebrity culture and the mythology people build around their heroes. The show tells a completely fictionalized story of the lives of Kim and Kelley Deal. The show paired live theatre with members of the band

Fans of Jimmy Century Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

playing live

The Pixies Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering ...

and

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ...

covers.

References

External links

*
''Peek A Boo'' on YouTube''Longitude'' on TheSpace.org
{{authority control Theatre in the San Francisco Bay Area Organizations based in San Francisco Cultural organisations based in London Experimental theatre