NEWS: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

CULTURE: Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind

The Neofuturists are a Chicago-based troupe of writers and performers who indulge their audience in a fast-paced variety performance titled Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind consisting of 30 plays in 60 minutes every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Visitors are given a menu of titles to choose from, and within the time frame, call out the number of the performance they want to see next. All 30 plays will be performed, hopefully under 60 minutes. When the show is sold out, the Neo-Futurists celebrate by ordering one pizza cut into a billion slices for the audience to share at the end of the show.

The plays range from avant garde and conceptual theater to comedy sketches, political monologues, and bizarre audience interaction. Sound like fun? Get there early. Each weekend, the menu is revised, so you can expect a completely new crop of performances every couple months.


Photo Location: The Neo-Futurists pulling numbers down from the clothesline as the corresponding play is performed.

For those outside Chicago, order Neo-Futurists stuff online including books of collected plays, monologues and audio recordings. And check out NPR's This American Life episode, inspired by the format of the Neo-Futurists' signature show.

I've seen the show. It's rad.

^^^ For real!! But I thought they only order pizza when they sell out: "When we sell out, we order out!"

I'd like to go again. If you're in Chicago or will be soon you should let me know so we can catch Too Much Light.

sounds cool! I've i'm ever in chicago I'll have to go.

I've been going every two months or so for a year now. The shows are beutiful and the performers are all genuinely nice people. Big reccomendation for anyone in the Chicago area.

I saw one of their productions 10 or 12 years ago. It was really fun.

Dude. I need to steal all my friends and go on a road trip!!

I used to go ages ago... it's a good time. I even took my mom.

I was actually just thinking about these guys. I went in 97 with a girl I dated from chicago. It was an awesome show, and I always wanted to go back..

I dig em.

ack, you're right! my memory failed me. but i made the correction, thanks!

+1

I learned about this in my intro Theater class in college. I still have the book of their plays. Look for the book if you can't go to their performances to get an idea of what it's like. It's really cool.

man that sounds so awesome

If you go to the ensamble section of the site and click on individual members you can read a few of the plays written by them to get a clearer idea of what the plays are like
Jonathan Mastro is my favorite. Very creative and incredibly nice in person.

I've seen it multiple times, but not in the past couple years. Hmm, maybe I'll have to make a point to see it when I'm home this winter....