The Neo-Futurist Theater has announced that it will host a 24-hour staged reading of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, commencing on August 9th, 2019 7:30 PM.

Two events will bookend the 24 hours. Chicago veteran director and Goodman Theatre Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper kicks off the reading on Friday, August 9th at 7:30 PM with a curated one-hour program. Wishcamper is serving as a co-producer to the project. The closing event on August 10th, 2019 at 7:30 PM will be curated by Neo-Futurist Artistic Director Kurt Chiang. The theater will be open at all hours between the two events, as the report is read by the company’s ensemble members, artistic associates, and theater and community members-at-large. The entire 24 hours will be free to audiences to attend.

A New York reading was organized earlier this year by Jackson Gay, receiving national attention. Chiang and Wishcamper see the continued act of reading Mueller’s report as a part of their civic responsibility as artists. “The Neos are happy to be taking part in this nationwide conversation of politics-as-performance-art,” said Chiang. “But I also think The Mueller Report is a particularly fitting document to be read at The Neo-Futurists, in that it’s an earnest attempt to get at the truth of a matter like Russia’s interference with the election, or the whirlwind manipulations of the President of the United States. It’s a text that is both serious and absurd in its form and content, and it’s going to be fun and weird to try and read the whole thing out loud. We really are the perfect people to make it happen.”

Wishcamper added, “I am incredibly excited to be working with the Neo-Futurists to present a free 24 hour reading of the full, redacted Mueller report. Robert Mueller has said repeatedly that if Americans want to know what he thinks about […] President Trump’s attempt to obstruct the investigation they should read the report. This 24-hour reading featuring politicians, artists, activists and faith leaders will provide Chicagoans with a dynamic opportunity to engage with this vital report.”

The reader schedule for the hours outside the curated section will be opened up to activists, civic leadership, and members of the Chicago theatre community. Participating readers will be announced closer to date. Information regarding the reading or the venue should visit the Neo-Futurist’s website: neofuturists.org.