Small story time because I realize the Neo-Futurists don’t seem to record their show and this should be in writing somewhere.
Context: The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater company based in Chicago but have spread internationally. They have a show where they do 30 scripts in an hour, so each “play” is like… 2 or 3 minutes.
When I went they had one play called “How to Kill a King”
The lights went dark. Then the projector turned on and said “put your phone and wallet into the bucket”. The cast came out holding buckets, and everyone did just that, including me. Then the cast left the theater with the buckets.
Then the projector said:
“Your possessions will be waiting for you in the lobby after the show”
“Trust that you will have your wallet and phone back at the end of the show”
“Trust that the people around you won’t steal your wallet and phone”
“Trust that the people around you have your best interest in mind, and don’t wish you any harm”
“That is how you Kill a King”
And sure enough when we left, everyones stuff was splayed out on some tables and everyone got their stuff back.
That’s honestly brilliant. The way the Neo-Futurists turned something so simple into a real, physical experience of trust is kind of unsettling in the best way. It makes the message land way harder than if they’d just said it outright. You literally felt the vulnerability, the risk, and then the relief, which is exactly the point. Also, the fact that it happened in a room full of strangers in Chicago makes it even more powerful. That’s the kind of theatre people remember for years.👌
Small story time because I realize the Neo-Futurists don’t seem to record their show and this should be in writing somewhere.
Context: The Neo-Futurists are an experimental theater company based in Chicago but have spread internationally. They have a show where they do 30 scripts in an hour, so each “play” is like… 2 or 3 minutes.
When I went they had one play called “How to Kill a King”
The lights went dark. Then the projector turned on and said “put your phone and wallet into the bucket”. The cast came out holding buckets, and everyone did just that, including me. Then the cast left the theater with the buckets.
Then the projector said:
“Your possessions will be waiting for you in the lobby after the show”
“Trust that you will have your wallet and phone back at the end of the show”
“Trust that the people around you won’t steal your wallet and phone”
“Trust that the people around you have your best interest in mind, and don’t wish you any harm”
“That is how you Kill a King”
And sure enough when we left, everyones stuff was splayed out on some tables and everyone got their stuff back.
That’s honestly brilliant. The way the Neo-Futurists turned something so simple into a real, physical experience of trust is kind of unsettling in the best way. It makes the message land way harder than if they’d just said it outright. You literally felt the vulnerability, the risk, and then the relief, which is exactly the point. Also, the fact that it happened in a room full of strangers in Chicago makes it even more powerful. That’s the kind of theatre people remember for years.👌