Theatre News Wire

Chicago's longest running late-night show, The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, kicks off the company's 2021-2022 Season of programming with a return to weekly in-person performances on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, 19 months after its live shows paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The signature production resumes its 33-year-long run and takes place every Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and every Sunday at 7 p.m. with enhanced health and safety measures. Tickets are $10 and are available at neofuturists.org.

"We are thrilled to bring our late-night, high-energy assemblage of sports, poetry and living newspaper back to the stage, where the audience determines the order of thirty plays written, directed and performed by the Neo-Futurist Ensemble," said Artistic Director KR Riiber. "And for our opening weekend, all thirty plays will be world premieres!"

The Infinite Wrench is The Neo-Futurists' ongoing and ever-changing attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes for a live audience. Each play offers something different, be it funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irreverent, terrifying or musical. All are truthful and tackle the here-and-now, inspired by the lived experiences of the performers.

The Infinite Wrench will also be refreshed for this return to the stage as the company welcomed four new ensemble members in 2020 making their Neo-Futurist debut during Infinite Wrench. Ensemble members performing during the reopening of The Infinite Wrench include Neil Bhandari, Ida Cuttler, Nick Hart, Cat Huck (2020), Joanna Jamerson, Abby Pajakowski (2020), Ale Ramirez (2020), KR Riiber, Annie Share (2020), and Connor Shioshita Pickett.

"We have taken this time to give our theatrical home some much needed care and we are excited to welcome a broader audience to a refreshed Neo-Futurist Theater," said Managing Director Jorge Silva. "The plays themselves will be created with conscientiousness with the health and safety of our audiences in mind, while maintaining that unconventional theatrical experience for which the Neo-Futurists are so famous."

During the performance of The Infinite Wrench, actors will be un-masked. For the safety of the actors and audience members, all audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination and will be required to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. More information about updated health and safety measures can be found at neofuturists.org/health-safety.