The Neo-Futurist Theater

What The Neo-Futurist Theater does

The Neo-Futurist Theater is a 501c(3) nonprofit theater company founded in 1988 and based in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood, operating from The Neo-Futurarium, a 140-seat venue at 5153 N Ashland. Its core offering is "The Infinite Wrench," a weekly late-night show in which the ensemble performs 30 original plays in 60 minutes, written by ensemble members, run 50 weeks per year and recognized as the longest-running show in Chicago. The company's underlying "technology" is a non-illusory, interactive performance aesthetic—a fusion of sport, poetry, and living-newspaper—governed by consensus-driven ensemble decision-making and radical honesty, with 80+ ensemble members and alumni having produced over 12,600 original plays across 37 years.

The business model blends earned and contributed revenue across several streams: Pay-What-You-Can ticket sales from live performances; recurring Patreon subscriptions ($3–$100/month tiers including digital plays and unlimited theater access); individual donations supporting 501c(3) operations and accessibility programs; education revenue from 8-week courses ($300), summer classes ($60 individual or $200 bundle), guest workshops, and the Artists of Color Scholarship program; facility rental of The Neo-Futurarium (140 seats) and State Park (100 seats); touring performances and teaching residencies; and grants (notably the Donnelley Foundation). The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral, a digital adaptation launched in 2020, has produced 900+ two-minute plays distributed globally via Patreon since 2021.

Customer segments span theater-goers seeking experimental live performance, students and educational institutions (the company is an official Chicago Public Schools vendor with residencies at Tulane University and Loyola University Chicago), independent artists renting space, and community/donor supporters aligned with the organization's mission of accessibility, racial equity, and queer liberation. Sister ensembles in New York and San Francisco extend the model beyond Chicago. The technology stack supporting operations is standard nonprofit infrastructure (Salesforce/PatronManager for ticketing and CRM, Mailchimp for email, Elavon for payments, Google Analytics for web analytics), with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

Name

The Neo-Futurist Theater

Legal name

The Neo-Futurist Theater

Website

https://neofuturists.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Neo-Futurist Theater is a Chicago-based 501c(3) nonprofit theater founded in 1988, presenting The Infinite Wrench—30 original plays in 60 minutes weekly—and offering Patreon digital content, classes, touring performances, scholarships, and venue rentals to experimental-theater audiences, students, and community supporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Experimental Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

akta.pro primary industry

Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Improvisational Theatre (MPAGABAJ), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Improv Comedy Performances (MPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Experimental theater
• Live performance
• Arts education
• Theater classes
• Digital theater

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from live performances of The Infinite Wrench and special events. Pay-What-You-Can pricing and low prices maintained year-round for accessibility.
2. Individual Donations: 501c(3) nonprofit organization with tax-deductible donations supporting production of The Infinite Wrench, health insurance for staff and ensemble, accessibility programs, education expansion, and guest artist programs.
3. Patreon Subscription: Monthly subscription tiers from $3 to $100 per month offering digital content, exclusive material, and unlimited theater access depending on tier.
4. Education Classes: Revenue from 8-week courses ($300), individual summer classes ($60), workshop sessions, and guest workshops. Includes Artists of Color Scholarships.
5. Space Rental: The Neo-Futurarium (seats 140) and State Park (seats 100) available for rehearsal, performance, readings, video shoots, and events. Staff House Manager available at $18/hr.
6. Touring and Bring Us To You: Touring performances and teaching engagements at theaters, schools, and events worldwide. Flexible options for any budget or space tailored to specific group experiences.
7. Grants and Corporate Support: Programs partially supported by grants from organizations including the Donnelley Foundation. Community partnerships with local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Neo-Futurist Theater is a nonprofit theater company producing weekly live experimental performances of The Infinite Wrench (30 original plays in 60 minutes), supplemented by arts education classes and workshops, digital programming distributed via Patreon, touring performances and teaching residencies, and venue rental of The Neo-Futurarium theater space in Chicago. The organization operates as a 501c(3) nonprofit and practices consensus-driven ensemble decision-making.

Product overview

The Neo-Futurist Theater operates as a single unified theater company offering live performance as its core product. The flagship offering is The Infinite Wrench, a weekly show of 30 original plays in 60 minutes. The company extends its core product through digital programming (The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral via Patreon), educational services (intro and advanced classes, summer workshops, Open Gym sessions), scholarship programs (Artists of Color Scholarship), touring services (Bring Us To You), and space rental (The Neo-Futurarium). The company is a 501c(3) nonprofit theater collective.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Infinite Wrench: The flagship ongoing show featuring 30 original plays in 60 minutes, performed 50 weeks per year. Each play offers something different—funny, profound, elegant, strange, topical, or a song—all truthful and tackling the here-and-now.
• The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral
• Artists of Color Scholars Program

Products and services

• The Infinite Wrench The Neo-Futurists' flagship late-night show featuring 30 original plays performed in 60 minutes, written and performed by The Neo-Futurist Ensemble with new plays every week. Performed 50 weeks per year on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30PM and Sundays at 7:00PM. The longest-running show in Chicago.
• The Infinite Wrench Goes Viral Digital adaptation of The Infinite Wrench launched during the pandemic, producing monthly world-premiere two-minute plays distributed via Patreon. The Chicago Tribune called it 'the most successful online shows of the pandemic'. Over 900 digital plays produced.
• THE COMPLEX WHOLE SO FORMED New production at The Neo-Futurist Theater running during the 2026 season.
• Intro to Writing & Performing the 2-Minute Play 8-week introductory class teaching core Neo-Futurist tenets of honesty, brevity, and transformation. Students learn play formulas and styles, culminating in a public performance on the Neo-Futurist stage. Tuition: $300.
• Level 2: Writing & Performing the 2-Minute Play Advanced 8-week course building on the Intro curriculum. Explores dialogue, non-verbal storytelling, monologue variation, audience interaction, and living newspaper. Prerequisite required.
• Summer Classes Series of four weekly workshops taught by different Neo ensemble members, exploring various creative approaches to overcome writer's block. Priced at $60 per individual class or $200 for the 4-week bundle.
• Open Gym Bi-monthly workshop sessions held on the third Wednesday of the month at The Neo-Futurarium. Led by ensemble members, combining guided exercises, free work, and sharings. Pay-what-you-can pricing.
• Artists of Color Scholarship Program Scholarship for BIPOC artists providing full tuition ($300) to an Intro or Level 2 class, travel/props stipend ($50), free show tickets, AOC Scholar Night, 3-hour workshop, and 1-week scholar residency with mentorship.
• Bring Us To You (Tours) Touring program bringing Neo-Futurism to classrooms, workplaces, and organizations. Includes The Infinite Wrench performance, talk-backs, workshops, guest lectures, and group sales. The Neo-Futurists are official CPS vendors.
• Space Rental (The Neo-Futurarium and State Park) Theater space (seats 140) and State Park venue (seats 100) available for rental for rehearsals, performances, readings, video shoots, or events. Includes technical elements (lighting, sound, video) and optional staff House Manager at $18/hr.
• Guest Workshops Individual guest-led workshops priced at $60-$120, some including a ticket to The Infinite Wrench.

Quantifiable outcome

• Longest-running show in Chicago with 30+ years of continuous weekly performances
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Konak Pizza & GrillminorOthersCommunity partner providing local business support to The Neo-Futurists.
• JC LichtminorOthersCommunity partner providing local business support to The Neo-Futurists.
• Fat Chris's Pizza & SuchminorOthersCommunity partner providing local business support to The Neo-Futurists.
• Pizza LobominorOthersCommunity partner providing local business support to The Neo-Futurists.
• Strange CargominorOthersCommunity partner providing local business support to The Neo-Futurists.
• PlayMakers LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest artists and partners that play on The Neo-Futurists' stage, creating collaborative performance opportunities.
• The New York NeoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister ensemble of The Neo-Futurists operating in New York. Part of the broader Neo-Futurist network.
• The San Francisco NeoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister ensemble of The Neo-Futurists operating in San Francisco. Part of the broader Neo-Futurist network.
• Edinburgh Fringe FestivalmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational performance venue where The Neo-Futurists have performed as part of their global touring.
• Woolly Mammoth TheatermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrestigious theater venue where The Neo-Futurists have performed during their touring engagements.
• Tulane UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching residency partner where The Neo-Futurists have conducted educational programming.
• Loyola University ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeaching residency partner where The Neo-Futurists have conducted educational programming.
• Chicago Public Schools (CPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial CPS vendors providing educational programming to Chicago Public Schools students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Long-established Chicago theater company with a similar ensemble-driven ethos. Comparable as a Chicago-based nonprofit producing original and contemporary theater, but Steppenwolf operates at much larger scale across multiple venues and prioritizes more traditional dramatic productions.
• Theatre Wit: Chicago storefront theater producing contemporary plays and new works. Comparable as a small-to-mid Chicago nonprofit theater running multiple productions and educational programming, with similar earned-revenue plus donation model.
• Lookingglass Theatre Company: Chicago-based ensemble theater producing original and adapted works with strong physical-theater tradition. Comparable in ensemble-driven model, original-content orientation, and educational programming targeting Chicago audiences.
• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Washington, DC-based experimental theater company that Neo-Futurists have toured into. Comparable as a nonprofit producing bold, contemporary, socially-engaged theater with an ensemble tradition and similar donor/grant funding mix.
• Strawdog Theatre Company: Chicago storefront nonprofit theater producing contemporary and new works. Comparable as a small Chicago ensemble-driven theater with a similar production cadence, education/outreach programming, and nonprofit funding model.

Direct peers

• Second City: Iconic Chicago improv and sketch comedy company. Directly comparable as a Chicago-based live performance organization producing original ensemble-driven work multiple nights per week; overlaps with Neo-Futurists on improv/innovative live-performance DNA and audience demographics.
• iO Theater: Chicago improv theater offering long-form improvisational performances and training. Comparable in format (weekly ensemble-driven original live shows), pricing model (low-cost ticketing with classes), and audience targeting of late-night arts crowds in Chicago.
• Annoyance Theatre: Chicago-based experimental theater and comedy company with a comparable DIY, nonprofit-ish aesthetic and affordable ticketing. Overlaps with Neo-Futurists on experimental ensemble model, low-price ticketing, and class/workshop offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Goodman Theatre: Large Chicago-based regional theater producing a wide repertoire. Comparable as a Chicago nonprofit theater with educational programming (one board member previously held roles there), but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple stages.

Emerging players

• Pivot Arts: Chicago-based experimental performance organization. Comparable as a smaller Chicago nonprofit focused on interdisciplinary/experimental live performance, with educational and festival programming; led by a former Neo-Futurist Managing Director, creating direct institutional overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/neofuturists
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@theneofuturists
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNeoFuturists
• Instagraminstagram.com/theneofuturists

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Neo-Futurist Theater