James A. Neu (November 18, 1943 – July 19, 2010) was an American playwright who was best known for his quirky, experimental plays, many of which were staged Off-Off-Broadway.
Neu started a career writing plays of his own, many of which were staged at Ellen Stewart's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club.
In a 2001 collaboration with choreographer Douglas Dunn, Neu presented Aerobia, his first dance theater production, which told the story of six characters at a health club of the future where people come to exercise their "sociomuscularity".
[3] In what The New York Times called "a brief but engaging torrent of intriguing ideas and dizzying wordplay" that "rewards repeat viewing", his 2008 production of Gang of Seven directed by frequent collaborator Keith McDermott featured seven stage cliche characters who are part of a focus group for an unidentified product interacting with each other using marketing neologisms.
[1] A resident of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Neu died at his home there at age 66 on July 19, 2010, due to lung cancer.