The Neo-Futurists to Open HAYMAKER on 5/26

The Neo-Futurists combine Kung Fu, action heroes and Nazis in Haymaker. The show opens Monday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland.

Trevor examines his fascination with physical combat by staging Tears of Shanghai, an action movie he wrote when he was 13 years old. Casting himself as Russell Dakota, a grizzled maverick hiding out in 1930s Shanghai while evading the Nazis, Trevor creates a world where the line between right and wrong is clearly defined. Within the Neo-Futurist aesthetic, Haymaker is a platform to explore our urge to be a hero. Expect intricate staging and visceral choreography, combined with absurd humor and unabashed nerddom.

Trevor Dawkins states, "Have you ever seen a man punched in the face while flying in the air upside-down strapped into an exploding car? And the man punching was pinned to the concrete by a samurai sword through his foot? If you haven't, you're going to see it in Haymaker."

Trevor Dawkins (Creator/Ensemble) grew up in Hastings-On-Hudson, New York. In 2009, Trevor graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.F.A in performance. He was cast by The Neo-Futurists in 2011 and has been writing for and performing in Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind ever since. Trevor has also written and performed in several prime time shows at The Neo-Futurists, including Chalk and Saltwater: The Ladder Project, Daredevils Hamlet and Analog.

Kurt Chiang (Director) has been a Neo-Futurist ensemble member since 2008, and has written and produced 196 plays within the long-running Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays In 60 Minutes. The Neo-Futurists is the center of his artistic creativity, having worked on many of the theater's prime time shows as a performer, designer, choreographer, and director. In 2013, he premiered his full-length show, Analog, for which he was a sponsored artist through High Concept Laboratories. This year, Kurt will have played a key part in the development of the Neo's next book, The Neo-Futurists: Body, for which he was co-editor. As a performance-writer and teacher, Kurt is dedicated to Chicago. He contributes regularly to various readings and live-lit events, including The Paper Machete, Write Club, West Side School for the Desperate, and The Marble Room. He is a company member with Barrel of Monkeys, where he teaches writing residencies at Chicago Public Schools and performs in That's Weird, Grandma. Kurt is also an artist-in-residence with Snow City Arts, an organization that provides bedside art tutoring to children and young adults in hospitals throughout Chicago.

The cast of Haymaker includes: Indra Andreshak, Brenda Arellano*, Daiva Bhandari, Trevor Dawkins*, Kevin Duvall, Sarah Fornace, Mike Hamilton, and Dallas Tolentino. *denotes Neo-Futurist ensemble member

The Haymaker staff includes: Erik Newman (Scenic and Props Designer), Jacob Snodgrass (Lighting Designer), Andrew Tham (Composer), Nick Keenan** (Sound Engineer), Victoria Johnson (Assistant Director), Victoria Golden (Production Manager), Maggie Fullilove-Nugent (Seasonal Production Manager), Kate Hardiman (Stage Manager), and Danny Cron (Production Assistant/Understudy). ** denotes Neo-Futurist Artistic Associate

The Neo-Futurists, performers of Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind and creators of over 60 other original, full-length productions, are a collective of wildly productive writer/director/performers who create immediate, non-illusory, interactive performance presented at head-slappingly affordable prices.

The Neo-Futurists are partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Alphawood Foundation, Arts Work Fund for Organizational Development, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, and The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.

Photo by Evan Hanover