The New York Neo-Futurists brings the viewer an interactive experience, in their usual style, through a dance performance called You Are In An Open Field at the HERE Arts Center. The stage is unusually video-gamed themed; upon the audience’s entrance, a computerized voice does several repetitions of the show’s title, “you are in an open field.” The tech-vibe sounds throughout the show combined with hip-hop free style rapping, engage the viewer in an amusing way.

You are in an Open Field is set in a basement from one that seems right out of That 70’s Show. The make-shift props contributed to the live quality of the play, such as boxes, buckets, volleyball(s), a dirty couch, marshmallows (which were fed to the human audience). The characters, Kevin R. Free, Martha Rainer, and Adam Smith, are total dorks.  Each character has a specific quest, much like Joseph Campbell’s established archetypes: Martha Rainer aspires to be a water breather, and makes several failing attempts, Kevin, who insists upon being called Kevin “R. Free,” wants to fly, and the most outlandish desires amongst them all, is Adam’s dream to fire bend. Purposely off key, the characters collectively sing, dance, and rap out their misfortunes and obstacles. At most times, the audience was in a fit of hysteria because of the heaping portions of humor the actors served, but at other times I puzzled over the esoteric nature of the jokes.

In the common fashion of a hero’s journey, each character learns the meaning of the game. After much improvised acting, the game master is defeated and the moral the story is rules are meaningless and can be defeated by the collective forces of song and dance. The vibrant performance of the actors was enhanced by the performance of a live band that dished out tunes through drums, a keytar, a bass guitar, and an outdated accordion. This performance was definitely an unusually form of typical performance art.