(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Futurity, an indie-rock song cycle about the Civil War, written and performed by the Brooklyn-based ensemble the Lisps, will be staged at MASS MoCA on Saturday, April 27, 2013, at 8pm.
Within a theatrically staged song cycle, Futurity fuses found text, experimental music, and The Lisps’ own brand of quirky pop to tell the story of young Julian Munro, who spends his days breaking up Confederate railroad tracks as a soldier in the Union army. Julian copes with the destruction around him by imagining a far-fetched science fiction future. Guided by his brilliant mentor, the famous metaphysicist Ada Lovelace, Julian weaves an epic fantasy that folds a utopian, high-tech future into the dark reality of war. Together, Julian and Ada attempt to devise an all-powerful steam-powered machine destined to end war and all of humanity’s miseries.
Originally funded via Kickstarter with financial contributions from theatrical collaborators and fans of The Lisps, Futurity is directed by Sarah Benson, current artistic director of the renowned Soho Repertory Theater. Futurity features choreography by the innovative Annie-B Parson, founder of Big Dance Theater and choreographer of Here Lies Love, the collaboration between David Byrne and director Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Peter and the Starcatcher) which was in residency at MASS MoCA before moving on to performances at the Public Theatre.
Broadway World advises, “Leave your presumptions about musical theater at the door. Born of the art world and the indie rock scene, the show is part performance art, part rock concert, and totally defies conventional labels.” In the words of the Boston Globe, Futurity is “a DIY rock musical that just happens to concern itself with string theory and the possibility of a technological singularity.”
The Lisps’ energetic performances frequently involve bloody tambourines, wrestling, lipstick-smeared melodicas, old filing cabinets, and film reels suspended by rusty chains on a set designed by Emily Orling. Sammy Tunis and César Alvarez sing and act the roles of Ada Lovelace and Julian Munro, backed by drummer Eric Farber. The book and music were written by César Alvarez and Molly Rice.
The Lisps will perform Futurity in MASS MoCA’s Club B-10 on Saturday, April 27, at 8 PM. Club B-10 is an intimate, casual venue on the third floor of MASS MoCA. Full bar plus dinner and snacks from Lickety Split are available before and during the show. Tickets are $12 in advance, $16 on the day of the show, and $10 for students. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office, located off Marshall Street in North Adams, from 11 AM until 5 PM (closed Tuesdays). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased online at MASS MoCA.
MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA is an independent 501(c)(3) whose operations and programming are funded through admissions and commercial lease revenue, corporate and foundation grants, and individual philanthropy.