Follow Us On Twitter
Acclaimed playwright, screenwriter and film director Neil LaBute discusses his current productions Fat Pig and Wrecks with Theatre In Chicago’s Anne Nicholson Weber. The critically acclaimed Fat Pig is now enjoying an extremely successful run at the Profiles Theatre, while Wrecks, staring Ed Harris, recently opened in New York. The full interview can be heard on Talk Theatre in Chicago.
Neil LaBute studied Theatre at Brigham Young University and pursued graduate studies at the University of Kansas, New York University and the Royal Academy of London. He returned to Brigham Young University in 1993 to premiere “In the Company of Men.” He then taught drama and film at IPFW in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he launched his career as film director when he adapted and filmed the play. “In the Company of Men” won the Filmmakers Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival and several other major awards at various film festivals, as well as the New York Film Critics Circle. His next film, "Your Friends and Neighbors", was based on an earlier play, "Lepers", which received its World Premiere in Chicago in 1992.
In 2000, Mr. LaBute refocused his attentions to the stage with "Bash: Latter-Day Plays", followed by "The Shape of Things" in 2001 (which he also made into a film), and "The Distance from Here" in 2002. His 2002 play, "The Mercy Seat", was one of the first major theatrical responses to the September 11 terrorist attack. His 2005 plays include "Some Girls" (received its NY Premiere with MCC in May 2006), "Wrecks", "This is How it Goes" and "autobahn" (produced by Profiles in March 2006). His current film "The Wicker Man", starring Nicholas Cage, came out in September 2006-this remake of the 1973 classic horror/thriller was adapted and directed by Mr. LaBute.
Critics rate Profiles Theatre’s Fat Pig as one of the most noteworthy plays on stage in Chicago. Fat Pig is a bitingly funny romance about love in the modern age of body image and peer pressure. Tom is a young career guy who hits it off with Helen, a bright, sexy woman who happens to be plus-sized - and then some. As he reluctantly finds himself falling in love with Helen, Tom's colleagues are brutally cruel in their assessment of his new mate. LaBute probes our carb-counting, extreme makeover nation by asking tough questions. How much has our relentless pursuit of beauty turned us into an uglier species?
Neil Labute’s Films and Theatre Productions
Films
The Wicker Man (2006)
The Shape of Things (2003)
Possession (2002)
Bash: Latter-Day Plays (2001) (TV)
Nurse Betty (2000)
Tumble (short) (2000)
Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)
In the Company of Men (1997)
Theatre Productions
Wrecks
Some Girl(s)
This Is How It Goes
Fat Pig
Autobahn
Merge
The Mercy Seat
The Distance From Here
The Shape of Things
Bash: Latter-Day Plays
In the Company of Men
Filthy Talk For Troubled Times
Lepers
Rounder
Ravages
Sangguinarians & Sycophants
Dracula
Woyzeck