Kevin R. Free

I have always wanted to belong to something, so I jumped at the opportunity to join the New York Neo-Futurists. For a long time (a little over 38 years), I’ve been a member of the African-American community, but my affinity to country music constantly puts my membership in jeopardy. I am spared the chopping block because of my lack of knowledge of the music of The Beatles.

When I was a child, I wanted to belong to Menudo or the Drummond Family on “Diff’rent Strokes.” Unfortunately, national talent searches never reached me in not-so-rural North Carolina. To help ease the pain of an ordinary life, in high school I joined the show choir, Key Club, French Club, the Rifle Team, my church youth group, the Drama Club, Perfect Attendance Club, Honor Society, Junior Marshals, and S.A.D.D. I became President of Student Council and a minimum-wage earner at around the same time.

In college, I embraced my blackness by reviving the black theatre organization on campus. It was in the theatre where I embraced my gayness (which has never been in jeopardy).

It was as an adult in New York City when I realized that all of my memberships were either short-term (relationships), risky (Off-Broadway gigs), or sketchy (AEA, SAG, AFTRA). I recalled that I had always belonged to an artistic community, so I decided to commit myself fully to my career, for better or worse. Since then, I’ve committed to my relationship, several teaching artist organizations, the business theatre community, the voiceover world, and FringeNYC. I am also a member of Loretta!,a long-form improv group. I now know the importance of commitment, so as a Neo-Futurist I look forward to playing the race card (because that’s the only way I can keep it).

For more info about my commitments, visit me at http://www.kevinrfree.com.