2-18-04
BY BECKY BRETT
Greg Allen
Allen and Karen Christopher began teaching these workshops in 1992 and offered them sporadically as people expressed interest. Attendees learn the basic theory and practice of Neo-Futurism which, according to Allen, is ultimately about simplicity.
"I'm always inspired by going back to the bare bones of what is Neo-Futurism, back to the original ideas and inspiration," says Allen. Although Neo-Futurism originates from high concepts—Dada, Surrealism, the Italian Futurists, 1960s experimental theatre—their mission is to create work that is accessible for everyone.
Neo-Futurism is described as a "new form of personal, immediate, non-illusory, audience-interactive performance"—big words for people who simply specialize in being their authentic selves on stage. Although originally created as an ensemble to perform a specific show, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, the Neo-Futurists have evolved into a highly regarded and well-traveled experimental theatre.
However their workshops are different from their actual methods of putting up a show, and potential students should know that these are not workshops to become a Neo-Futurist in the ensemble. Allen stresses, "It's not like Second City where you slowly work your way up. It's about studying our approach to performance. There is no direct link from taking the workshop to becoming a Neo-Futurist."
According to Christopher, the classes "work on the technique of being on stage without 'performing.' The ensemble writes pieces and directs everyone else in them. The workshop is about solo or collaborative work, instigating the creative process in yourself. It's not about getting a show up."
The class consists of a combination of solo and group work, along with exercises to help people strip off their "performance persona" and be themselves on stage. For example, in an exercise called "The Chair," the sole action is to walk in, sit in a chair and then leave. The hard part is that you are to do this without telling a story or conveying any specific emotion.
Former student Abhay Ghiara says, "During 'The Chair' Karen and Greg wouldn't say anything. It was so nerve-wracking." Of course "The Chair" has become an exercise Ghiara uses frequently in teaching his own performance classes, but more on that later.
"There is a layer of 'performativity' that gets plastered over a person whenever they set foot in a performance space," says Christopher. "You have to shake that off and just be a person on stage. Don't be neutral, just be yourself."
The first solo assignment is usually a two-minute piece, in which each person tells the story of their life in three sentences. They are to include one repeatable gesture and one object. In group work they are to bring in fragments to work with other people, such as their first historical memory and their first personal memory, along with gestures that are inspired by both. Other exercises include drawing on paper without lifting your pen, which then creates a map for how you will move in space.
One of the great advantages of this workshop is its open enrollment policy, and it is quite possibly Allen's favorite aspect of teaching. "You'll have everyone from 70-year-olds with a lifetime of experience to 16-year-olds. But we're all dealing with being ourselves on stage. No one has a leg up." In fact, professional actors may be at a slight disadvantage, as there is apparently much to un-learn.
"The other fascinating thing about the open enrollment," says Allen, "is that people who otherwise might never have met, continue to work together after the workshop. I've had a shocking number of groups that have stayed together and continued to create shows together."
Christopher agrees. "There is a great camaraderie that happens with people in the workshop. They're seeing people's hearts poured into the work."
Allen and Christopher honor the close personal nature of their assignments by choosing to focus in class on what is working instead of what is not working. "That's the difference between the workshop and putting up a show," says Christopher. "We don't have to concern ourselves with what does not work and focus on what does. It creates a very nurturing environment."
"They teach you how to use very personal material but not in a confessional or 'monologue' way," said performance artist Seth Bockley, who recently completed a Neo-Futurists workshop. What he learned in the workshop informed his upcoming PAC/Edge Festival performance piece. "The techniques I developed and learned about how to control and structure the audience's experience of a solo performance were very helpful."
Writer and occasional performer Neal Pollack took some of their early workshops. "The Neo-Futurists are good at teaching how to trust your own intellect. To take your own experience, no matter how thin and shallow, and look at them in creative ways. Now my stuff at its best has elements of that."
One particularly interesting spin-off of these workshops lies in the hands of the aforementioned Ghiara. Along with his wife, Ghiara took the workshop several times, incorporating their methods into his own teaching at DeVry technical college, where he teaches classes in economics and performance. "Economists always talk about how change has to happen at the grass roots level, and performance is a way to bring people together," he explains. (It is worth noting that all students are required to take his performance class to graduate.)
In 2000 Ghiara took a sabbatical and spent time in his hometown of Baroda, India. He intended to teach the Neo-Futurists style, but he wanted to keep it a grass roots, communal experience. He chose to work independently of any institution and specified that no money was to change hands. "Everything has to happen as an exchange," he said. Pretty soon, someone offered them space, people started spreading the word, and 12 people showed up. His workshop lasted three full days and culminated in a public performance.
According to Ghiara, the concepts all traveled well, even if the interpretations were a little different; for example, the idea of time. "Here in the U.S. it is a struggle as to how to get someone to fill a two-minute piece," noted Ghiara. "In India a two-minute piece would go on for 16 or 20 minutes. When I would explain that a piece is to be two-minutes, everyone would nod their heads like they understood, but there is a plasticity to time for them that was really unexpected."
This also appeared in his students' embrace of The Pause. "Karen really liked to emphasize The Pause—that 10 or 15 seconds in which one is simply present in the moment. In India, they love this idea of The Pause, and it would last for four minutes."
Ghiara also noted that there is something about the Neo-Futurists approach that is very circular, that goes around the periphery of things and is not linear, which fit in perfectly with India. At the end of the workshop, the group stayed together and continued to create work, much like in Chicago.
Ghiara taught similar workshops in Bombay as well. He looks forward to going back on his next sabbatical.
In the future, Allen plans to integrate other Neo-Futurists into the teaching cycle so that they may get to the point where they can teach more classes. He will continue to spread the gospel of Neo-Futurism in workshops he teaches worldwide. He is currently fulfilling his mission with the apprentices at Actors Theatre of Louisville and directing the apprentice show for the Humana Festival.
Unfortunately, Christopher will not be teaching in the upcoming rounds of workshops due to schedule conflicts. She will miss working with the Neo-Futurists this time around, but she still teaches similar workshops with Goat Island Performance Group, a movement-based performance company focused more on methods of collaboration.
The workshops are limited to the first 15 people who register. They will be held Wednesday nights, 7-10p.m., March 2-April 6 and again April 20-May 25 at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 North Ashland at Foster. The fee is $200. To register, email neofut@aol.com or call 773/878-4457.
2005 Training Issue