NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS
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Mission Statement
The New York Neo-Futurists are a radically dynamic ensemble of multidisciplinary artists who write and perform original work rooted in the truth of our own lived experiences. We fuse elements of poetry, game, and performance art to create ever-changing theatre and other artistic experiments to respond to the world around us.
About This Cause
The New York Neo-Futurists (NYNF) are a prolific, diverse ensemble of experimental artists now in our 20th year based in NYC. We are best known for our critically acclaimed, high-energy late night show, THE INFINITE WRENCH (TIW). A collage of the comic and tragic, the political and personal, the visceral and experimental, TIW endeavors to tell vital stories while embracing chance, change, and chaos in its ever-changing attempt to perform 30 original plays in 60 minutes. Neo-Futurists create art under four aesthetic tenets: we are who we are, we are where we are, we are doing what we are doing, and the time is now. We believe in empowering artists to share their stories honestly on stage, and we make work for curious audiences who ask questions of themselves and their communities. We create space for artists historically excluded from and undervalued by American mainstream theater and strive for pay equity, guaranteeing our artists compensation. As a group, we are dedicated to: Strengthening the human bond between performer and audience. We feel that the more sincere and genuine we can be on stage, the greater the audience’s identification with the people and issues before them. Providing an incubator for a variety of unique voices and empowering dynamic collaborations among diverse artists. Experimenting in forms of non-illusory theater in order to present our lives and ideas as directly as possible. All of our plays are set on the stage in front of the audience. All of our characters are ourselves. All of our stories really happened. All of our tasks are actual challenges. We do not aim to “suspend the audience’s disbelief,” but to create a world where the stage is a continuation of daily life. Embracing the moment through audience interaction and planned obsolescence. In order to keep ourselves as alive on stage as possible, we interweave elements of chance and change — contradicting the expected and eliminating the permanent. Striving to keep our ticket prices affordable and our productions intellectually and emotionally challenging yet accessible. The NYNF was established in 2004 by ten original ensemble members. After runs at the Brooklyn Lyceum, the Belt, HERE, and Cherry Lane, the company moved to the Kraine in 2006. At the start of 2024, after 18 years in the East Village, we partnered with Out of the Box Theatrics and moved to 154 (formerly The New Ohio). Our weekly performances of TIW are now evolving in this new space in the West Village. To date, our 75+ ensemble members, active and alumni, have written and produced more than 7,000 new plays. Many of our alumni now write and perform for film and TV, work on Broadway, helm hit podcasts, and teach acting, writing, and theater in NY schools and universities. At the heart of the NYNF’s programming is our signature show, THE INFINITE WRENCH. This fast-paced, dynamic and experimental show challenges performers to present 30 original plays in one hour. Every week, a rotating cast writes, directs, and performs 30 short plays that include monologues, abstract satire, high-energy dance, unscripted conversation, audience participation, and more. The Neo-Futurist aesthetic compels us to perform as ourselves–not to play characters or present imaginary circumstances. Our show is founded in the truth of our everyday lives. TIW provides a space for artists and audiences to examine aspects of personhood, engaging one another as stakeholders in that discovery. The audience drive the show as they call out play numbers to determine the order of performance and roll a die at the end of the show to decide how many new plays must be written for the next week. This mechanism ensures that our work is fresh and grounded in the present, creating completely different shows through curated chaos. Each year, we stage several specialty editions of TIW, including The Infinite Pride (honoring the LGBTQIA+ members of the ensemble, technical collaborators, and our audience) and The Infinite Wrench: Family Edition. In past years we have also celebrated our Neos of color with The Blackest Wrench (created and performed by an all-POC cast), and our non-cis male Neos with Smash the Patriarchy. In addition to TIW, we have created 23 full-length productions. Including: THE COMPLETE & CONDENSED STAGE DIRECTIONS OF EUGENE O’NEILL (Drama Desk nominations); STEVE A DOCU-MUSICAL (NYIT: Outstanding Musical); MUTE (NYIT: Outstanding Design); and LOCKER #4173B (NYIT: Outstanding Performance Art). We received the 2010 NYIT Caffe Cino Award and 2018 Fresh Fruit Fest’s Honeyberry Award for Unrecognized Service to the LGBTQ community. At the start of the pandemic, we pivoted to audio experimentation with our New York Times-recommended podcast HIT PLAY. Written and produced by Neo-Futurists, this free podcast features longer-form storytelling and is an accessible entry point for listeners who may be unable to attend our in-person programming. We have performed in every borough of NYC, throughout NY state, across the United States, and abroad. With our 2024 move from the East Village to Christopher Street, we’ve maintained a commitment to the LES Community while developing relationships with our new neighborhood. In addition to regularly offering free shows outdoors and in schools, the NYNF has also been conducting workshops since 2005, with participants aged 6 to 85. Over 20 years, we have witnessed the transformative impact that Neo-Futurist education can have on students’ perceptions of themselves, their stories, and the world around them.