HOPSCOTCH: POP-UP PLAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE, 2021, NEWELL PARK; PHOTOS BY LINDSAY MARCY
Who are Futurists?
People in all walks of life are trying to help us find our way into a better future for all. We’ve enlisted expert economists, labor historians, educators, civil rights attorneys, self-described “futurists”, and artists (who are always futurists) to imagine what the world might be 10, 50, 100 or 1000 years into the future.
We’d love to hear what you envision too. Send your ideas!
What kind of futurist are you?
Humans have been trying to predict the future since our earliest myths, prophecies, and drunken campfire story nights. Why are we usually wrong? And why does so much of our modern sci-fi and speculative drama tend toward the apocalyptic? Well it turns out there are lots of reasons that we aren’t very good at imagining the the future accurately or positively. We made a quiz to determine what our future predicting tendencies are (our quiz results so far on right). Which kind of futurist are you?
Fatalist – Things are falling apart, it’s really just a matter of time, and so much we can do, before it all ends for us. Trust entropy.
Chill – People will always be people, things won’t change that much, try to relax and be accepting. Trust a higher power.
Romantic – People are good, technology is fun, robots are our friends. Trust our innovation.
Revolutionary – We need radical intervention to turn things around. Trust our passion.
Institutionalist – Change happens slowly, with patience and tenacity. Trust the systems.
Play our New Futurist Table-Top Game
SCENARIO is a simple world-building/role-playing game about the future! Designed by Wonderlust to be played over and over again with 3 or more people of any age, this thought experiment was created by table-top gamers and creative writers to evoke the imagination and spark storytelling. Download the game here!
Make a Wish for Future Generations
We asked our HOPSCOTCH audiences if they would make a wish for the future. Wonderlust collected those responses. Send us your own wish and we’ll add it to the growing digital tree.
Art We’ve Made
What will the future look like if we learn from this moment right now?”
Hopscotch 10-minute play prompt
HOPSCOTCH: Pop-Up Plays About the Future
HOPSCOTCH: POP-UP PLAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE ran September 4-12 in Newell Park and Frogtown Park and Farm. In 2020, Wonderlust asked playwrights what they thought the future might look like if we learn from ourselves this year. Wonderlust exchanged visions for the future with various futurists and experts, and artists participated in a speculative fiction writing workshop with Marcus Broaddus. From there, Wonderlust wove together a series of imaginative ten-minute original plays about the future, straight from the brilliant minds of 10 Twin Cities’ playwrights.
The plays were covered by The Pioneer Press, The Star Tribune, and Cherry and Spoon blog.
Production Team
Co-Artistic Directors: Alan Berks and Leah Cooper
Production and Stage Management: Gabriel Peñaloza-Hernandez and Rosie Tabachnick
Sound Design and Engineering: Maje Adams, Rachel Brees, and Peter Morrow
Cello Player: Elise Butler-Pinkham
Marketing and Communications: KD Bauer
Audience Services: Emma Halper
