Kurt Chiang

PlayMakers Laboratory will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its popular sketch comedy revue That's Weird, Grandma with a free digital special on Thursday, August 5 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. PML will host an in-person viewing party at The Annoyance Theater, 851 W. Belmont Ave. (proof of vaccine required) in Chicago or guests may stream the show on Facebook Live.

Today the Neo-Futurist Theater announced that Artistic Director Kurt Chiang will step down from his role as the leader of Chicago's premiere experimental theater company to make way for new leadership in early 2020. Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Kirsten Riiber will succeed Chiang as Artistic Director. Chiang will continue his role as a Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member.

The Neo-Futurist Theater is proud to host more than 50 Chicago-based activists, artists and leaders to take part of its 24-hour staged reading of the Mueller Report. The report, which is nearly 450 pages, was originally delivered by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on April 18, 2019 and covers subjects ranging from questions about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to whether President Donald Trump.

The Neo-Futurist Theater announce that it will host a 24-hour staged reading of a redacted version of the report delivered by Special Counsel Robert Mueller beginning on August 9th, 2019 7:30 PM. The Neo-Futurists, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year as an established Chicago company, see the artistic movement's desire to maintain the report in public discourse as a part of the ongoing mission of the company to engage community in a timely piece that addresses the current constitutional quagmire.

The Neo-Futurist Theater is excited to announce Chicago native Jorge Silva as the company's new managing director, effective Monday, June 3. Silva is a writer, performer and producer, and most recently served as the producing coordinator for Goodman Theatre, where he was the producing liaison for community engagement projects and a curator for artistic programming. He is also the former president of the nation's oldest student-run Latinx Theatre company, Teatrotaller.

Continuing their 30th Anniversary Season, The Neo-Futurists present the world premiere mainstage production Remember the Alamo from February 28 to April 27, 2019 (opening March 4) at The Neo-Futurist Theater. In this new show created by Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Nick Hart and directed by Artistic Director Kurt Chiang, an ensemble takes over The Neo-Futurist Theater, refuses to leave and obstructs all production in the theater until the audience and actors work to recreate the Battle of the Alamo in its entirety-through the inevitable 'death' of the audience. Hart assumes the role of William B. Travis, chief commander of the Texas army at the Alamo, with the audience as his faithful and willing soldiers during the siege. Remember the Alamo expands on the grand American traditional of historical reenactment with the meta-theatrical style, honest narratives and personal takes that have defined The Neo-Futurists for 30 years.

Continuing their 30th Anniversary Season, The Neo-Futurists present the world premiere mainstage production Remember the Alamo from February 28 to April 27, 2019 (opening March 4) at The Neo-Futurist Theater. In this new show created by Neo-Futurist Ensemble Member Nick Hart and directed by Artistic Director Kurt Chiang, an ensemble takes over The Neo-Futurist Theater, refuses to leave and obstructs all production in the theater until the audience and actors work to recreate the Battle of the Alamo in its entirety-through the inevitable 'death' of the audience. Hart assumes the role of William B. Travis, chief commander of the Texas army at the Alamo, with the audience as his faithful and willing soldiers during the siege. Remember the Alamo expands on the grand American traditional of historical reenactment with the meta-theatrical style, honest narratives and personal takes that have defined The Neo-Futurists for 30 years.

Continuing their 30th Anniversary Season, The Neo-Futurists get into the voting spirit with a one-night-only performance of Trump's Mug: Portraits of the President on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. At this evening of drinks, food, art and performance, writer-performers Hal Baum, Neil Bhandari, Kurt Chiang, Joanna Jamerson, Jasmine Henri Jordan and Lily Mooney read original essays portraying and satirizing the President's physical features, from complexion to hairdo. The company also reveals the works of four artists commissioned to make their own unique version of a "Presidential portrait" for Donald Trump - with audiences encouraged to vote for the final portrait Nov. 3 through Dec. 2, 2018 at The Neo-Futurist Theater.

The Neo-Futurists jubilantly announce their 30th Anniversary Season, rocketing past 10,300 new plays with a schedule of mainstage Neo-Lab commissions, creative festivals and flagship late-night production The Infinite Wrench-all featuring the company's signature theatrical style fusing sport, poetry and living newspaper.

The Neo-Futurists launch Can't Stop//Won't Stop, their annual campaign supporting the Ensemble's prolific writing and programs. The summer campaign is poised to raise $24,000 and will culminate at the 7 p.m. performance of The Infinite Wrench on Sunday, August 12, featuring a series of 30 two-minute plays all written in a 24-hour period. Reservations to the event will be available to any that can raise the $150 ticket price on the peer-to-peer online fundraising platform Crowdrise; every $150 raised gives an audience member another ticket to the world-premiere-packed-event.

The Neo-Futurists present Ensemble Member Lily Mooney's Empty Threats, directed by Krissy Vanderwarker, in her directorial debut with The Neo-Futurists, playing at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., June 7 - July 14. Previews are Thursday, June 7 - Saturday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m., with opening night Monday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. The running time is currently 90 minutes. Performances run Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices for previews and Thursdays are pay-what-you-can; for the regular run, tickets are $10-25. Tickets and information are available at neofuturists.org or 773.275.5255.

The Neo-Futurists present Ensemble Member Lily Mooney's Empty Threats, directed by Krissy Vanderwarker, in her directorial debut with The Neo-Futurists, playing at 5153 N. Ashland Ave., June 7 - July 14. Previews are Thursday, June 7 - Saturday, June 9 at 7:30 p.m., with opening night Monday, June 11 at 7:30 p.m. The running time is currently 90 minutes. Performances run Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices for previews and Thursdays are pay-what-you-can; for the regular run, tickets are $10-25. Tickets and information are available at neofuturists.org or 773.275.5255.

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, their open-run production at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., reached a milestone Friday, Sept. 29. At the 11:30 p.m. performance, the ensemble wrote and performed the 10,000th premiere in their ongoing show featuring short plays in a race against the clock.

The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, their open-run production at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., reached a milestone Friday, Sept. 29. At the 11:30 p.m. performance, the ensemble wrote and performed the 10,000th premiere in their ongoing show featuring short plays in a race against the clock.

The Neo-Futurists welcome five new members to the Ensemble: Neil Bhandari, Trent Creswell, Joanna Jamerson, Jasmine Henri Jordan and Connor Shioshita Pickett. These new writer-director-performers are the first ensemble members to join the company since The Neo-Futurists launched their new late-night show The Infinite Wrench March 3, 2017.

Goodman Theatre announces a line-up of free staged readings written by 2016/2017 members of its Playwrights Unit - Lucas Baisch, Dawn Renee Jones, Evan Linder and Emma Stanton.

The Neo-Futurists are proud to announce, in addition to a new HVAC system at The Neo-Futurarium, a special pre-season showing of Ensemble Member Kirsten Riiber's Neo-Lab production Tangles and Plaques, Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. In addition, June offers presentations of the ongoing The Infinite Wrench at Steppenwolf's Summer LookOut Series, Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 at 7 p.m. and during Pride Week, June 22 - 25. All performances are at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. (at Foster) in Andersonville, unless otherwise noted.

 The Neo-Futurists are proud to announce, in addition to a new HVAC system at The Neo-Futurarium, a special pre-season showing of Ensemble Member Kirsten Riiber's Neo-Lab production Tangles and Plaques, Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m.

The Neo-Futurists announce spring happenings at The Neo-Futurarium with added Sunday performances from Kurt Chiang and Lily Mooney's The Arrow, an extension of the critically acclaimed Prime Time production of Leah Urzendowski and Anthony Courser's The? Unicorn? Hour? and special presentations of the ongoing The Infinite Wrench at Steppenwolf's Summer LookOut Series and during Pride Week. All performances are at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. (at Foster) in Andersonville, unless otherwise noted.

Pivot Arts is pleased to announce the full line-up for its 5th annual PIVOT ARTS FESTIVAL, featuring ten days of innovative performances and multi-disciplinary works throughout Chicago's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods from June 1 - June 11, 2017. Tickets, ranging from free to $35, are currently available at www.pivotarts.org/festival. Three-show passes are also available.