I’ve been following the powerful, funny, offbeat storytelling of Ariel Pinkerton since she first landed on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2015. Since then, either under her own Mermaid Productions moniker, or with other collaborators, she’s been delivering great Fringe shows for over a decade (at least the ones I’ve managed to keep up with)
Since I saw The Abortion Chronicles in its previous iteration back in 2016, I already know it works like gangbusters. A five star show about which I said at the time:
“enormously compelling viewing, and quite possibly the most powerful show in the Fringe this year. (If I see too many more shows that knock me back on my heels with the same force this one does, I may need to call for backup.) That said, I welcome theater that moves me like this, over theater that feels safe, any day of the week.
There are any number of ways that something like this could go off the rails. It could be angry, it could be overly sentimental, it could be repetitive, it could just be too damn painful to sit through. The Abortion Chronicles not only avoids all these pitfalls, it opens up and humanizes the issue of abortion in ways I was not expecting.”
And that was back… you know, when Roe v. Wade was still a thing, rather than the Dobbs decision out of our current Supreme Court.
New stories, new cast, and a different sense of urgency (or perhaps the same sense of urgency, just cranked up to 11).
If you’re looking for catharsis, I think we may have your show here.
The Abortion Chronicles
Mermaid Productions
Created by Ariel Pinkerton
Venue: Rarig Arena
Show Description:
True Abortion Stories. New stories, same old fight. Because abortion is sometimes more terrifying, funny, heartbreaking, liberating, and necessary than you might expect.
The Abortion Chronicles returns. This award-winning show returns with new stories about true abortion experiences gathered from Minnesota women and men. As clinics close and rights are restricted, we continue the dialogue about the many needs for abortion services. New stories, same old fight.
Genre & Content:
Spoken Word, Storytelling, Drama, Historical Content, Political Content
Warnings:
Adult Language, Sexual Content, Other Divisive Content
Ariel says on the show’s Fringe page:
“These stories are true, entrusted to us from women and men throughout Minnesota. We are grateful.
Some of them are performed by the authors. Some of them are not.
Some of the performers are the right age, ethnicity, orientation as the authors. Some of them are not.
When seeking an ensemble I looked for performers who embodied the story they were performing. That is truly all that matters, that the authenticity of the story is embodied in the voices you hear.”
The cast includes Ariel herself, along with Alexis Bartholomew, Laura Delventhal, Kevin Ealain, Winifred Froelich, Patti Gage, Isabelle Hopewell, Christy Johnson, Tara Lucchino, Gregory Parker, Penelope Parsons-Lord, and Kyra Richardson - an ensemble with a lot of performers I’ve seen and admired before, and new names I’m excited to get to know.
Other folks may or may not be up for this, but I’ve definitely got it on my list.
I can say from experience that this format makes for a great show. Check it out.
Update 7/24/2025, their Fringe preview:
Here’s some handy links to my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, as well as all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
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