Neo-Futurist Theater Announces New Managing Director Jorge Silva

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.

"The Neo-Futurists are an ensemble-based company, upholding a unique mission and approach to creativity that keeps us vital and necessary. Jorge connects with and has a vision for every part of what we do and why we do it. Plus, he works hard to get stuff done. We're lucky to have him on the team and to help grow the identity and life of The Neo-Futurists and The Infinite Wrench, said Artistic Director Kurt Chiang.

Silva has a history with The Neo-Futurists, most recently working as lighting designer for the company's Latinx-inclusive world premiere Remember the Alamo this year. He was introduced to The Neo-Futurists early in his career, attending performances of the company's signature late-night show (now known as The Infinite Wrench). Silva received a Neo-Access Scholarship in 2016 and has performed in the company's experimental essay show The Arrow.

As a native Chicagoan, it is my privilege to aid The Neo-Futurists on their continued mission to create radically inclusive, accessible theatre that serves our local communities, said Silva. For the longest time, I have admired of The Neo-Futurists for their innovative style the company's experimental aesthetic can speak so many artistic dialects, and it is that unique quality that initially drew me to them. But it is the inclusive, welcoming philosophy that kept me coming back as an audience member... then a scholarship recipient, a volunteer, a full-fledged performer, a designer, and now as managing director.

An alum of Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, Silva earned a dual degree in Government and Theatre (Advanced Undergraduate Theatre Program) at Cornell University's College of Arts & Sciences. Outside of theatre, Silva is an Affinity Group Leader for the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund's mentoring program and one of the Events and Outreach Officers for their alumni committee. In a similar fashion, Silva also serves as a Career Coach for aspiring theatre practitioners currently in their undergraduate years for The Posse Foundation: Chicago. Recently, Silva was a featured speaker at Latinos Progresando's flagship community event, MEX talks (2018); he is excited to return as a member of the host committee for MEX talks 2019.

Silva's past artistic work led him to join Teatro Travieso (Wooster, OH) in Lima, Peru, where he continues to serve as an artistic affiliate. Before returning to Chicago, Silva was based in Washington, DC, serving as the production manager for the Smithsonian Institution's Discovery Theater, becoming one of the founding members of the arts education program Tools of Discovery, which assisted Pre-K through second-grade teachers in creating English and Spanish curriculum.

ABOUT THE NEO-FUTURIST THEATER

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary this season, The Neo-Futurist Theater is a collective of writer-director-performers who create theater that is a fusion of sport, poetry and living newspaper. The company has created more than 10,600 plays to date within its flagship late-night event (now known as The Infinite Wrench) and more than 65 full-length mainstage productions incorporating its signature non-illusory, interactive style of performance. From humble beginnings launching the first late-night theater production in Chicago, The Neo-Futurist Theater created what became the city's longest-running show and has grown to become one of the most highly regarded experimental theater companies in the United States, with sister companies in San Francisco and New York. For more information, visit www.neofuturists.org.

The Neo-Futurist Theater is partially supported by grants from Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Arts Work Fund, The Chicago Community Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Photo credit: Juancho SC Photography

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