Posted inArts & Entertainment

Getting with ‘The Program’: SF Neo-Futurists adapt to pandemic with two shows, one performed over the phone

When shelter-in-place orders first sprung up last March, the San Francisco chapter of the famed experimental theater troupe, the Neo-Futurists, was one of the first companies to stop performing. This prematurely ended their PianoFight-based show, “The Infinite Wrench.” As with every other form of entertainment the SF Neos went online. Adapting the Neo-Futurist format — a race to finish 30 sketch-like performance art pieces in random order before the 60-minute clock runs out — for the internet was no short order. Fortunately, audiences were all too eager to discover the ensemble’s online redux, “The World Wide Wrench.” What’s more, they continue to experiment: This May saw the premiere of “The Program,” an interactive experience taking place entirely over the phone.

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