Review on the fly:
#mnfringe show 17: Witness Loudly: storyteller Kyle Dekker puts his work as a constitutional observer into the larger context of MN’s response to ICE occupation earlier this year (and still ongoing); compelling, justifiably angry but also hopeful and funny; 1st draft of history - 5 stars
When Operation Metro Surge brought armed ICE agents to Minnesota streets (no, not just Minneapolis, but Saint Paul and other areas of the state as well), storyteller Kyle B. Dekker didn’t just sit in his house and worry. He joined his neighbors out on the streets, patrolling the neighborhood to keep their fellow citizens safe. “Witness Loudly” is a show built from the written and video documentation Kyle has from that time, along with recreations of the rapid response calls to incidents around the city of Saint Paul (with voice work by actors Quincy Anderson, Jennifer D’Lynn, Jei Herald-Zamore, Derek Lee Miller and Allison Vincent).
“Armed with nothing but 3-D printed whistles and their cell phones.”
“Witness Loudly” is, understandably, a show with a lot of anger in it, but it’s just as much a testament to the sense of community that built up around the efforts to fight back - whether it was following ICE patrol cars so they knew they were being watched, or arriving on the scene of neighbors being brutalized or kidnapped off the street in broad daylight, or making sure that kids had escorts to and from school, or providing families with food when they felt they couldn’t leave their homes. The sense of hope, the discovery of things about your neighbors and neighborhood you didn’t know before. The new appreciation of things you used to take for granted, now under threat.
“I got to know more neighbors in one winter than I had in the past 15 years.”
“Witness Loudly” is also Kyle’s celebration of the protests that took place during the surge, and the art and humor of the many protest signs and street art that popped up all over the city during that time. A neon yellow vest and a whistle around your neck was a sign you were one of the good guys during those bitter cold weeks of the worst of the abuse.
“There are simply some things I will never forgive.”
If you need a reminder of how Minnesotans stood up to the stormtroopers, or need a dose of hope about how good human beings can be to each other, “Witness Loudly” is a compelling and humorous living document of those times earlier in the year, when things were a lot darker. The fight isn’t over, but we’ve learned how to band together when the times call for it, and it’s good to be reminded of that. (Also, the proceeds from “Witness Loudly” go to the arts and community activism organization Indigenous Roots, which continues to provide mutual aid and community support. Throw them a donation in addition to buying a ticket, while you’re at it.)
5 Stars, Very Highly Reommended
You can find reviews of other shows in these links to my listings of 5 and 4.5 Star Shows (VERY Highly Recommended) and 4 and 3.5 Star Shows (Highly Recommended). Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival. And here's links to the 2026 versions of my pre-Fringe Top 10 list and Top 11 through 20 for the 2026 festival.
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