ANDERSONVILLE — The Neo-Futurists have been awarded a $10,000 grant to help develop their inaugural Neo-Lab production and its accompanying art and performance micro-festival.
The Art Works grant came courtesy of the National Endowment for the Arts, an "independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities," according to its website.
“The arts are part of our everyday lives — no matter who you are or where you live — they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society," Chairman Jane Chu said.
The National Endowment for the Arts offers grants every year for "nonprofit theater and musical theater fields" that can be used to fund things such as new plays, development laboratories and showcases, according to a press release.
"The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through 13 arts disciplines or fields," the release said.
"Supporting projects like the one from The Neo-Futurists offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day," Chu said.
According to the release, the two projects were selected because of their "innovative approach" to devised theater, a form of theater in which the script is developed as a collaborative group usually using improv, and their commitment to creating a diverse partnership of artists to develop the art form.
The inaugural Neo-Lab is "Saturn Returns" a two-year exploration that dives deep into "questions about time, patience, and the vast expanse of the unknowable universe." It examines the implications of Saturn's 29-year orbit through the dramatic lives of the characters onstage.
Neo-Lab is an original works residency that commissions a new project every year along with public presentations and options for audience interactions. "Saturn Returns'" first presentation and open house was in October, but another is scheduled for the spring, the release said.
The micro-festival, Neo-Futurist Kitchen, will take place at the Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., from July 21-24. It will feature the latest developments in "Saturn Returns," the fourth installment of "The Arrow" and a panel with artists from around Chicago.
"The Neo-Futurist Kitchen attempts to hold a microscope over the distinctive ways in which like-minded artists do their work, and examine where drastically different methods may overlap. This is a four-day event aimed at anyone hungry for the multifaceted performances of artists building toward a new, surprising cultural identity," according to the press release.
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