“My parents are very proud of me and very real and definitely exist and they are certainly not a large collection of chicken nuggets held together with Elmer’s glue and dressed up to look like the people from the American Gothic painting.”

Responder: Phil Mann
Name of Company: Phil Mann
Name of Show: Cyberpunk’s Not Dead

1. Why should anybody see your show?
It contains vitally important information on how to survive the future. Now, I can’t guarantee that everyone who sees the show will either a) be alive in the future or b) be part of my cool, new “Moon Base”, (note: base not actually on the moon) but do you really want to risk not getting one of these sweet, futuristic tin foil spacesuits? (Note: spacesuit foil not actually tin)

2. Why Atlanta?
In the future, after the nuclear fallout subsides, it’s pretty much all that’s left. Except New Jersey, and… y’know. C’mon guys.

3. What inspired you to create this?
Apart from “the future is terrifying and also kinda cool?” Well, you know, I’ve been asked this question about some of my other work, usually accompanied by some kind of sigh and the shaking of the head and exasperated comments about how the Elmer’s glue has ruined all those chicken nuggets. And y’know what? I still don’t have a good answer other than, “I have been advised by my legal team not to comment.”

4. What’s your process for creating and rehearsing something like this?
My doctor says it’s something to do with my glands.

5. What have you learned from working on your show so far?
The whole glands thing.

6. Tyler Perry, Jane Fonda, Killer Mike and Donald Glover roll up at your show. There is one ticket left. Who gets it?
If I’ve told them once I’ve told them a thousand times that the correct method to do this is to stand on one another’s shoulders and wear a giant trench coat to disguise the fact they are four people and not one obscenely tall person with a weird taste in noir fashion.

7. Atlanta’s foodie scene is really on point these days. What does your show taste like? (Bonus points if you can name-check an ATL restaurant.)
It certainly does NOT taste like a large collection of chicken nuggets held together with Elmer’s glue and dressed up to look like the people from the American Gothic painting. (Bonus points because the nuggets came from McDonald’s on Memorial Drive).

McGothic

[Above: Not the dumbest thing we’ve ever made in Photoshop, but it’s up there.]

8. Fringes are the place to really push the boundaries so we gotta ask: would you want your parents in the front row or would you tell them, “Maybe skip this one, guys…”?
My parents are very proud of me and very real and definitely exist and they are certainly not a large collection of chicken nuggets held together with Elmer’s glue and dressed up to look like the people from the American Gothic painting.

9. Will your show save mankind?
Yes. I have learned from my previous mistakes and I can assure you there will be NO human sacrifices during the duration of this show, NOR during the pre-show OR after-show party but I can make no guarantees for the behavior of Jane Fonda if she is at the bottom of the trench coat stack.


10. Oh boy! After your first show a genie pops out of a bottle and offers you a choice – world peace or your show enjoying a ten-year run on Broadway. What shall it be?
I’ve dealt with genies before and they are sneaky. So I will be asking for none of these things thank you very much. I will ask for something sensible like, “make all paint taste like a fruit the same color as the paint.”

11. Describe your show in three words.
Foil not tin.

[Ed note: Phil has many wonderful videos on his YouTube channel and we suggest you check them out!]