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After seeing Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, Miriam caught up with Neo-Futurist actor and managing director Rob Neill to talk about the show. Here's the Q & A:

M: You work with a group of actors to produce "theatre that is fusion of sport, poetry and living-newspaper." What is your own acting background?

R: Well I'm originally from Wisconsin. I did the thing where I avoided being an actor for a while...but then I studied acting in college, and in programs in Connecticut and London. I went on the road for six months doing kid's theatre, and I did slam poetry at the Green Mill in Chicago.

M: The original Neo-Futurists are based in Chicago, right? How did you wind up getting involved with them?

R: I went to see them out in Chicago. After that, I went to an audition. They said fine, great, you're in...but there's a catch: You have to go to New York. I figured I had no attachments, so why not? I was supposed to be here for the first six months. It's been eleven years now.

M: Eleven years! What has kept you with them for so long?

R: Doing the show every week allows you to create, to challenge what theatre is, with politics, religion, pop-culture -- everything. I've gone through the struggle here. Now I want to ride it out for a while. The show in itself is a challenge...but ultimately, it's rewarding.

M: How are the NY Neo-Futurists related to the ones in Chicago?

R: We're officially split from the Chicago Neo-Futurists. We pay for the rights to the show--so basically we pay for Greg Allen's format.

M: What does that format include?

R: There are 30 plays in 60 minutes, with some new plays each week. We all write our own stuff. It's an amazing opportunity, to write something and then be able to see it on the stage so quickly. On Wednesday, we rehearse the new plays that'll go in on Friday.

M: For how long will a particular two-minute play stay in the show?

R: It depends...but it's odd for a play to stay in the show for as much as ten weeks.

M: So you've retained the original format...but what makes the NY Neo-Futurists different?

R: Well the Chicago Neo-Futurists are more established -- practically iconic -- there. People drive from all over to the see them; they have regulars who keep coming back to see them. Here in New York, we have to put up more of a fight for what we're doing. The core audience isn't a given, so what we do has a different quality of risk, a different demand and challenge to it. But I still think that once you come and enjoy the show, you'll come back. The show works.

M: You have a policy that when you sell out, you buy the audience pizza, right? Have any audiences earned their pizza?

R: Some...but hopefully more in the future.

M: Aside from the shot at free food, why should people come see the Neo-Futurists?

R: The show is vital, because it changes so much. There is so little that's static. I mean the chaos of the show relies on an aesthetic, a structure, a procedure...but the built-in change means that there's always something new.

M: What's that experience like, as an actor?

R: You have to create things that are worthwhile, but also entertaining. To believe in what you're doing, to make other people believe in it...I guess that's what passion is about.

M: How well do you work as a group?

R: It's such a privilege to work with 14 diverse, talented writers and performers every week. It's great to give other people opportunities, and to see what they do with them. The show asks a lot of you -- and there are many ways to answer that call. Plus, you never know. One of the best things about the show is that it can totally fail. Having that sort of an arena is a gift.

M: What hopes do you have for the show's future?

R: I hope we'll be able to expand what it is now, maybe work with some longer material in the new year. We also have some things planned for the summer.

M: What are the Neo-Futurists doing for the summer?

R: In July, we're doing 60 plays in 30 days. That's two plays a day in the East Village. They'll be in the same place, at the same time, every day. It's artistically interesting, and kind of epic.

To learn more about Rob Neill, the New York Neo-Futurists and their show Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, visit www.nyneofuturists.org. Be sure to join their e-mail list for the latest news!

Too Much Light...actor and managing director Rob Neill

Writer & High 5-er Miriam