Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes (TMLMTBGB) is the longest running show in Chicago[1] and the only open-run Off-Off-Broadway show in New York.[2] Starting in 1988, the show ran 50 weekends of the year until the end of 2016.[3] As its subtitle states, the show consists of 30 short plays performed in a 60-minute space, written, directed, and performed by a small ensemble called the Neo-Futurists. The plays tend to be a mixture of autobiography and performance art, as with much of the Neo-Futurists' work.

History

Neo-Futurism as an aesthetic, as well as the format of TMLMTBGB, are both creations of founder Greg Allen, although, due to the changing roster of plays in TMLMTBGB, Allen did not actually have a play in the show at all times during its run. In 2003, Allen ceased to be a member of the performing ensemble.[4] The Neo-Futurism aesthetic is a variant of the early 20th century Italian Futurism movement.[5] Greg Allen came up with the name from a young autistic child who would smash light bulbs and say, "Too much light makes the baby go blind". Later, when he was creating this show, the saying came back to his mind.

To date, three volumes of plays from the show have been published.

In November 2016, Allen revoked the Neo-Futurists' rights to perform TMLMTBGB in a surprise announcement.[6]

Tone of the show

The show is the work of the Neo-Futurism movement, a variant of the Italian Futurism movement [1] and reflects their aesthetic of non-illusory theater, where, as they describe it, "all of our plays are 'set' on the stage in front of the audience. All of our 'characters' are ourselves... We do not aim to 'suspend the audience's disbelief' but to create a world where the stage is a continuation of daily life" (Allen 3).

Structure

The ticket price for the show is random, with a fixed number (currently $9 for the Chicago show, $13 for the New York show, and $10 for the San Francisco show) being added to the roll of a six-sided die for each person. Upon payment, a member of the cast shouts "What's your name?" at the audience member before giving him or her a nametag with a random and unrelated "name". Audience members are given a "menu" of play titles, and plays are selected by audience members shouting their number, with the first number heard being the play performed. Many of the plays contain elements of randomness and audience interaction; plays end when a member of the cast shouts "curtain!"

The list of plays is perpetually rotating. Every week between two and twelve plays (determined by two rolls of a die by someone in the audience) are removed from the "menu" and replaced with new plays, written in the course of the week.

As part of a lighthearted tradition, when a particular evening sells out, the cast orders pizza from a local restaurant, allowing the audience to shout out toppings. Only a single pizza is ordered, however, which the entire audience must share.[7]

New York troupe

A second Neo-Futurist company was founded in New York City in April 2004. The New York Neo-Futurists perform TMLMTBGB at the Kraine Theater in the East Village. This production has its own ensemble members, and thus contains different short plays from the Chicago show. In 2006, the New York Neo-Futurists were the recipients of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards Outstanding Performance Art Production.[2]

San Francisco troupe

In 2014, a third Neo-Futurist company was founded in San Francisco by producer Lucy Tafler and New York Neo-Futurist alum Adam Smith, performing in various venues in San Francisco's Theatre District. In 2016, they were voted San Francisco's Best Theater Company in the SF Bay Guardian's "Best of the Bay" Reader's Poll.[8] Like the New York Neo-Futurists, the troupe has their own ensemble members and plays. As of July 2015, they perform at SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts.[9]

Notable productions

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind premiered in the state of Tennessee in the spring of 2016 in Nashville with a Gadabout Theater Company production.

References

  1. 1 2 Scotty Zacher (2010-03-30). "REVIEW: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (Neo-Futurists)". Chicago Theater Beat. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  2. 1 2 Collins, Laura. "Theater". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  3. ↑ Jones, Chris. "Longtime favorite 'Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind' to end over dispute". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  4. ↑ "Greg Allen pulls 'Too Much Light' from Chicago's Neo-Futurists". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  5. ↑ Levitt, Aimee. "Too Much Light at 25: An oral history | Performing Arts Feature". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  6. ↑ "'Too Much Light' creator yanks show from Chicago Neo-Futurists". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  7. ↑ Levitt, Aimee. "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind | Performing Arts Review". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  8. ↑ B, Marke (2016-10-20). "BEST OF THE BAY 2016: ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WINNERS". 48 hills. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  9. ↑ "SF Neo-Futurists win race even if they don't finish". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-12-03.

Further reading

Allen, Greg. 100 Neo-Futurist Plays from Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. Chicago: Chicago Plays, 2002.

External links

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