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Read the press release here.

Neo Futurists Announce New Shows, Leadership Changes

By Adeshina Emmanuel | April 21, 2014 10:39am
 The Neo-Futurists.
The Neo-Futurists.
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The Neo-Futurists

ANDERSONVILLE — Andersonville's experimental theater troupe, the Neo-Futurists, have announced new shows for this year and next, and they've promoted a longtime troupe member.

Former artistic director Megan Mercier recently moved to California, and Kurt Chiang, another member of the collective, will now join artistic director Bilal Dardai in a leadership role at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave.

Dardai said in a news release that Chiang, "has an inherent grasp of our aesthetics and makes work that is surprising, honest, and sometimes brain-bendingly weird."

The release also announced new Neo Futurist shows for 2014 and 2015.

The Neo-Futurists are partnering with Salonathon, a weekly performance series hosted at Beauty Bar in Noble Square, to present "INFILTRATION," which the troupe describes as "a collaborative project that connects underground artists throughout Chicago."

On Friday evenings, from Aug. 8 to Sept. 26, performers will explore "what it means to be a fringe artist in Chicago." The show will run before "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind," the troupe's signature performance of 60 flash plays in 30 minutes.

In the world of "Psuedo-Chum," based off the play "Chum," the Neo Futurists will examine the story of the playwright behind "Chum" and "the actors fighting to be in the play." The show runs Thursday through Saturdays from Oct. 20 through Nov. 22, with previews Oct. 16 and Oct. 18.

In "RedLetter," which debuts in February of next year and runs through March, the troupe will take a look at how digital technology helps journalists "capture the defining moments of our time quicker and more comprehensively," but asks "is faster necessarily better?" and "is the modern press living up to its expectations?"

Also in 2015, "Trust Us/Screw You" will feature creators Dan Kerr-Hobert and Phil Ridarelli sharing what they've learned about cons, con men "and how the con game has shaped Chicago, our pasts, and our futures." The show will run Thursdays through Saturdays from May 11 to June 1.