Time was when the future looked rather grim indeed for the latest Neos show, 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies, which opens October 8 in a streaming production. It’s the launch of the Neo-Futurists’ 32nd season. But back in 2016, the show was shelved indefinitely in the wake of a presidential election that nobody saw coming.
Directed by Denise Yvette Serna, 45 Plays is as it sounds: a series of playlets about the First Ladies of these United States, Martha to Melania. The six-person cast includes a pair of Neos from each coast and Chicago: Andie Patterson and Brenda Arellano from the Bay Area, Hilary Asare and Robin Virginie from New York City, and Vic Wynter and Ida Cuttler from Chicago.
In some ways, Serna says the limitations wrought by COVID-19 have been freeing. “I think the artists are less precious about their work,” she says. “We’ve been upfront. We don’t have a lot of time. We’re going to make a shape together and fill it with your talent. I think that can make people more comfortable with leaving their comfort zone. Someone who wouldn’t necessarily audition for a rock musical can be like, ‘OK, I’ll wail in my living room because, well, why not?’”
At its core, 45 Plays is upheld by the Neos’ founding principles, tenets that have survived 30 years of history.
10/8-11/2: livestreamed performances with audience participation Thu-Fri 10/8 and 10/9, 7:30 PM CDT, and Sun 10/11, 2 PM CDT; available online anytime 10/13-11/2, neofuturists.org, $15.
