The SF Neo-Futurists are bringing their classic Crash Course in Neo-Futurism to The Elysian for one day only! Looking to expand your artistic practice and create new performances based on your own lived experience? In this three-hour workshop, you'll learn how to create original non-illusory plays based on the aesthetic principles of Neo-Futurism, turning your personal stories into theatre that's absurd, honest, and oddly affecting. Expect easy movement warm-ups, creative writing prompts, and opportunities to collaborate with other students. You'll leave the workshop with new two-minute plays to start or add to your body of performance work!
Also check out our shows at The Elysian on October 2–3: "The Infinite Wrench: 30 Original Plays in 60 Minutes"!
Saturday, October 4th 1-4pm
in the Vault
About the Neo Futurists:
The San Francisco Neo-Futurists are a collective of wildly prolific artists dedicated to the perpetual creation of experimental theatre that is immediate, ephemeral, accessible, and cheap. We believe the stage is an extension of daily life: we perform as ourselves in a non-illusory, interactive style that challenges the audience to create alongside us as active participants with a voice of their own. Named one of “22 San Francisco things everyone must do” by the SF Chronicle, our flagship show The Infinite Wrench is an ever-changing collection of 30 short plays performed in a race against the clock, every Friday and Saturday, 50 weekends a year. Every week, we cut between 2 and 12 plays, to be replaced with new plays the following week. Since our founding in November 2013, we’ve written and performed over 4,000 original short plays. The ensemble has been called “a hotbed of energy and creativity” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and has won “Best Theater Company” multiple years in the SF Bay Guardian’s Best of the Bay Readers Polls.
About the Instructor:
Topher Lin is a Bay Area born-and-raised writer, performer, and producer of theatre, comedy, music, and film. He's been Co-Artistic Director of the SF Neo-Futurists since 2019, and an ensemble member since 2017. He has performed in SF, NYC, and Edinburgh, and his writing has been published in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency and the essay anthology "Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church," earning praise from The Washington Post and The New Yorker. He also produces independent films, most recently premiering By Design and Bunnylovr at Sundance Film Festival. He's studied performance at American Conservatory Theatre, ODC, The PIT, and Upright Citizens Brigade, and serves on the boards of immersive theatre company Odyssey Works and the Roxie Theater.
Class cancellation policy: No refunds, exchanges, or transfers.