Theater troupe the Neo-Futurists has been performing its signature show “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” for 25 years. The show is based around an unusual conceit: It’s an attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes, with new plays added for each performance.
This week, they’ll bring the show to East River Park for four nights.
amNewYork spoke with troupe member Dan McCoy.
How has the show lasted so long?
I attribute it to the fact that the show is never the same. We have our menu of 30 plays, and each week we cut some plays and write brand new ones for the next week. … It’s a new experience every time.
Do you try to get the plays to hang together or is randomness the goal?
Randomness is often part of the goal. We sometimes do plays that have an element of chance in them, where an audience member might decide how something goes, or the outcome of a task is uncertain. But we don’t improvise.
What happens if you fail to do 30 plays in 60 minutes?
If we haven’t finished, then we end the show mid-play. “Too Much Light” is an attempt to perform 30 plays in 60 minutes. The word ‘attempt’ is very important.
If you go: The New York Neo-Futurists Present “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” runs from Wednesday through Saturday at East River Park at 8 p.m., FREE.
