Greg Allen teaches Neo‐Futurism, his innovative performance‐creation theory, all over the world, as well as classes in playwriting, directing, and theater history. All information about the variety of Greg’s workshops and lectures and the full history of his teaching experience can be found here.

Neo-Futurist Residencies

For over a decade I have taught dozens of residencies on Neo-Futurism – in high schools, universities, and professional theaters – all over North America and a bit abroad, from Houston to Montreal, New York to San Francisco. As the Founder of The Neo- Futurists and creator of “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind” and 28 other Neo- Futurist productions, I introduce students to the basic theory and practice of Neo- Futurism – a new approach for writing, directing, and performing original work for the stage. Using the performers’ actual lives, personal experiences, and immediate surroundings, we collaboratively create original, honest, challenging performance pieces for an audience-interactive setting.

Utilizing a series of original Neo-Futurist exercises I have developed over my twenty-five year career, I help students find a sense of what it means to be yourself on stage without artifice or illusion. I also give students specific prompts to bring in their own two-minute pieces, exploring topics like life-story, abstraction, adaptation, ritual, audience-participation, interview, collage, and site-specific staging. Participants emerge from these workshops with a broadened perspective of theater’s potential and a greater understanding of how to turn their own lives into art – to say nothing of viewing their lives as art. Students tend to get really turned-on by this new, immediate approach to creating performance, thrilled to find their own voice for the stage and for the world. From beginners to professionals, students often express how fun and, frankly, lifechanging these residencies can be.

My residencies tend to last from 10 to 14 days although briefer periods can be arranged. If I have more than 25 hours of class-time, a residency can conclude with a public performance of Neo-Futurist plays written, directed, and performed by class participants in a new format. Sometimes this can even be a formal production that fits into a company’s season or continues beyond my time in town. While I’m on campus, I’m happy to speak in classes or make public presentations on my work – whatever you think makes the best use of my time for your community. I tend to think that once I am in town, I am yours to do whatever you wish; I have been a guest in directing, acting, writing, design, and even translation classes in the past. Please contact me here to inquire further about scheduling and fees, and see below for a list of previous residencies and letters of recommendation.

Neo-Futurist Workshops and Lectures

I have taught Neo-Futurism for twenty years to thousands of people in various forms, from a one-hour lecture/demonstration, to a one or two day master class, to the three-part eight-week workshops I teach at my own theater, The Neo-Futurarium. I introduce the basic theory and practice of Neo-Futurism – a new approach for writing, directing, and performing original work for the stage. By using the performers’ actual lives, personal experiences, and immediate surroundings, we create original, honest, challenging performance pieces for an interactive audience.

Depending on your specific needs, I can speak about the historic origins of Neo- Futurism or use a number of exercises that dramatically illustrate the immediacy and power of the theory. I can also pull from a series of original Neo-Futurist exercises that I have created over my twenty-five year career to help give people a sense of what it means to be oneself on stage without artifice or illusion. Given two sessions or more, I can give specific prompts to participants to create their own two-minute pieces, exploring topics like life-story, abstraction, adaptation, ritual, audience-participation, interview, collage, or site-specific staging.

Participants always leave with a broadened perspective of theater’s potential, a greater understanding of how to turn their own lives into art – to say nothing of viewing their lives as art. They tend to be really inspired by this new, immediate approach to creating performance, thrilled to find their own voice for the stage and for the world. From beginners to professionals, participants often express how fun and, frankly, lifechanging these sessions can be. Please contact me here to inquire about scheduling and fees, and see below for a list of previous residencies and letters of recommendation.

Neo-Futurist Workshops at The Neo-Futurarium

For twenty years I have taught dozens of classes at my own theater, The Neo- Futurarium. After many different variations, they have settled on the three different periodically-offered classes described below. Please watch for notice of upcoming classes here or e-mail me to put you on my workshop notification list for future classes.

Neo-Futurism 1: Master Class with Founder Greg Allen

This is a rare opportunity to learn Neo-Futurism from the man who coined the term, The Neo- Futurists’ Founding Director Greg Allen. Over the course of eight three-hour sessions, Greg will introduce you to the basic theory and practice of Neo-Futurism – a new, honest method of devising your own work for the theater. This workshop focuses on how to take yourself, your personal experiences, and your immediate surroundings and turn them into visceral performances which connect to the audience in unique and compelling ways. Using various exercises and assignments created in over 25 years of teaching, Greg creates an environment that is challenging, intimate, and fun. NO ACTING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY, just interest in developing an artistic expression of your life.

Class limited to 15 people on a first-come first-serve registration. Cost is $250 for the eight-week class.

Neo-Futurism 2: Neo-Futurist Collaborative Performance Workshop

This is a great opportunity for new and returning students to learn collaborative Neo-Futurist techniques to write, direct, and perform your own original work. Using the Neo-Futurist aesthetic of being yourself on stage with an interactive audience, participants will focus on creating ensemble performances in pairs and small groups. We will explore such models as adaptation of known text, movement to music, The Interview (both as research and performance), The Silent Partner, choral staging, The Line Play, and audience participation. Over the years I have found many Neo-Futurist Performance Workshop participants have gone on to create work together and this is a class with Founder Greg Allen to advance that preparation. First-time students and returning students welcome!

Class limited to 15 people on a first-come first-serve registration. Cost is $250 for the eight-week class.

Neo-Futurism 3: Site-Specific Performance, Environmental Staging, and Invisible Theater

For those who have already completed a Neo-Futurist Performance Workshop or for people new to Neo-Futurism, this is a great opportunity to take Neo-Futurism to the streets! We focus on creating original performance using your own life and experiences and acknowledging the world around you, but this class will move out into the world to create site-specific performance. Either as obvious street theater or as “Invisible Theater” (as inspired by Augusto Boal), our class will move beyond audience interaction/participation and environmental staging to actually explore public venues for performance. Previous classes have taken place in such diverse locations as on the El, in a coffee shop, Century Mall, Midsommarfest, Navy Pier, and O’Hare Airport. We will explore how much further we can take nonillusory performance and the idea of life = art = life as we involve an unprepared public. Periodic presentations on other artists/art forms such as Dada, Marcel Duchamp, Fluxus, Happenings, and Boal will be included.

Class is limited to 15 on a first-come first-serve registration. Cost is $250 for the eight week class.