Tonight (Saturday, April 3) at 11:30 pm, the New York cast of
Neo-Futurists will perform Greg Allen’s "Too Much Light
Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 plays in 60 minutes)" at the
Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope.
Each play is written by a Neo-Futurist ensemble member, honed
by the troupe, and randomly collaged with 29 other plays through
high-energy audience participation. (Each week, two to 12 plays
– literally, depending on rolls of the dice – are replaced as
ensemble members add new plays to the existing body of work.)
"It’s never the same show, even on the same weekend,"
explained Neo-Futurist ensemble member Michael Cyril Creighton,
who made the cut with 10 other members by surviving auditions
hosted by Allen.
"The shows are a mixture of everything, ranging from comedy
to very current events to very abstract pieces, even some movement
stuff," said Creighton. "It’s a hodgepodge of all different
kinds of theater."
The scripts are based on the actors’ real experiences, explained
Creighton. "We are always seeking from ourselves, not trying
to fool the audience," he said. "It’s not just acting.
It’s all based in honesty and truth.
"It’s an ensemble of 10 people and everyone has very different
things to say. It’s a living collage of life experiences – a
wild, crazy spontaneous night with a fun group of people."
"Too Much Light" has been a Chicago institution since
1988 and came to Manhattan in the mid-1990s for a brief run.
Neo-Futurists who might be familiar to Brooklynites include Boerum
Hill residents Ayun Halliday, an author, and her husband, Greg
Kotis – who won a 2002 Tony for his little project called "Urinetown:
The Musical" (which starred another Neo-Futurist, Spencer
Kayden).
"Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind" continues
every Friday and Saturday night at 11:30 pm at the Brooklyn Lyceum
[227 Fourth Ave. at President Street in Park Slope, (718) 670-7234].
Doors open at 10:30 pm. Admission is $9 plus the roll of a single,
six-sided die ($10-$15 total). For more information, log onto
www.neofuturists.org.
