Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #5 - The Wickie - Richie Whitehead

Any touring show that can win awards for both:
Most Outrageous Fake Accent (Ottawa Fringe), AND
Best Strip Tease Dance Scene - (Providence Fringe)

I have to admit I’m curious, even if it’s for the most random of reasons.
I also have a soft spot for traveling solo performers, I know it’s tough trying to get an audience even when you live in the Twin Cities and have contacts, much less coming in from out of town.
And traveling clown shows in the Fringe have seldom let me down.  If you’re gonna take a show on the road, it better be entertaining.

The Wickie
Richie Whitehead
Venue: Barker Center
 
Show Description:
A maritime tale of madness.
A salty man vs an angry ocean.
A clownesque, physical comedy about a lighthouse keeper who loses his shoe.
 
Genre & Content:
Clowning, Comedy, Physical Theater, Solo Show, Storytelling, Audience Participation
Warnings: Flashing lights

The More Information tab on their Fringe page has some helpful context:

It takes a village to raise a child - and a clown show is no different! Created over residencies and performances, The Wickie is a mosaic of insights from those who helped creator/performer Richie Whitehead bring their comedic vision to fruition. A graduate of the French clown school, École Philippe Gaulier, Whitehead has collaborated with contemporary clowns, physical theatre devisers, and traditional directors to craft the playful audience interaction and physical comedy of this one-person show. After two years of preparation, The Wickie is touring this summer through the Midwest and Canada.

FAQ

What is a clownesque, physical comedy?

Contemporary clown is a theatre genre that mines the messiness of the human experience for comedy and drama. It encourages the performer to share their playfulness, imagination and ridiculousness with the audience in pursuit of laughter.  Clown emphasizes creating rapport with the audience and embracing the risk and aliveness of live performance :)  

Is there audience participation?

Yes! There are a few moments of audience participation. They are opt-in, consent-based opportunities for the audience to play a small part in the show if they wish!

Doing a little digging around, I found some interesting details on Whitehead from a bio for another past clown show of his called Captain Curiosity (a comedic science show touring libraries and schools in the U.S.):

Richie Whitehead (Captain Curiosity) is an actor, clown and teacher who finds great pleasure in combining his love for playful performance with his passion for education.

His first dive into creating theatre for younger audiences was when the French Ministry of Education contracted him to create and perform The Emotions Show (2019), a show about emotional intelligence that teaches students basic English, throughout the Paris suburbs.

Since 2019, he has collaborated with WOW O'Clock to direct, write and perform in 5 original shows that have toured extensively across the US and Europe, including the Professor Universe Show (2020), The Great Chicken Melodrama (2021), Into the Deep (2022), All Inside Together (2023) and Found in the Stars (2024).

(So, it appears he knows what he’s doing.  Also, how can you not be curious about someone who created a show called The Great Chicken Melodrama?  I look forward to the fake accent.)

 

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. 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Jim Stowell (Dogdog-Beardog) - Ranger Jim

Jim Stowell landed in my pre-Fringe Top 20 back in 2018 on the strength of all the past work I’d seen him do as a storyteller, first as a stage manager who had to watch him tell the same story night after night and yet somehow never got bored.  I’ve followed his work since shifting my theater roles to being a playwright and theater blogger and thoroughly enjoyed his last 5-star Fringe outing.  Looking forward to another hour of compelling stories both light and dark.  (His bio is epic if you need more convincing :)

Ranger Jim
Dogdog-Beardog
Jim Stowell
Venue: Rarig Arena
 
Show Description:
Jim worked 16 seasons as a Park Ranger in three National Parks. He takes you to different places than most National Park stories. Stories of going eye to eye with an eagle, the out-of-nowhere event of man dying in Jim's arms, and living and working in a lighthouse on an island in Lake Superior.  Comedy, death and magic in our National Parks.

Jim has been onstage somewhere in the Twin Cities or the state of Minnesota for the last 57 years. Starting as an actor in 1968 to performing a one-man play at the age of 82 in Minneapolis in 2025.
 
Genre & Content: Drama
Warnings: Adult Language

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 11 to 20 - #14 - All Your Shimmering Gold - SUPERMOON (Michael Torsch)

There is precious little detail about this one.  However, the name Michael Torsch is all I really need to see here.  Torsch’s theatrical past includes a whole lot of work with Sheep Theater, some of the most fun I’ve had watching theater in the pre-pandemic years.  So if he’s striking out on his own and creating new shows, I’m extremely curious to see what he’s up to.

All Your Shimmering Gold
SUPERMOON
Created by Michael Torsch
Venue: Rarig Thrust

Show Description:
Four employees from the defense contractor Northrop Grumman perform Wager's Das Rheingold. 
 
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Drama, Musical Theater, Opera, Physical Theater, Literary Adaptation, Political Content
Warnings:
Flashing Lights, Other Divisive Content

So… Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer for the military arms and space industries.

Wagner, genius opera composer, but also notorious antisemite.

Das Rheingold, first of the four part Ring of the Nieblung saga, based German and Norse legends of gods, heroes and mythical creatures - a favorite of a certain German dictator from the 1930s and 1940s.

Not a recipe for lighthearted fare, and we are warned of “other divisive content.”

I know it’s weird to say I can’t wait to see it, but I can’t wait to see it.

(Random six degrees of separation note: a co-worker of mine, Caleb Byers, happens to be one of the four performers in this.  Teeny tiny world.) 

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #4 - The Kendra Plant Variety Hour: Good Things Edition! With Special Guests

In addition to being a Fringe show hostess, Kendra is a fellow theater blogger here in the Twin Cities, so I couldn’t very well skip over her variety show, now could I?

The Kendra Plant Variety Hour: Good Things Edition! With Special Guests
Kendra Plant
Venue: Mixed Blood

Show Description:
This variety show brings together music, movement, and story telling to celebrate those messy, funny, and sometimes difficult steps we take on the way to something good.
 
Genre & Content: Comedy, Dance, Original Music, Storytelling
Warnings: None

Kendra has an intriguing mix of guests, including storyteller and burlesque dancer Jolie Meshbesher, Taiko Arts Midwest bringing both taiko drumming and Japanese lion dancing, and composer and pianist Emily Boyajian, whose impressive musical Fringe show last year (Transition: a Story of 2 Trans People  Becoming Themselves) was the very first thing I saw in the festival, and remained among my favorites even after seeing another fifty shows.  So it all should make for a very eclectic hour of entertainment.

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Mike Fotis Productions - Rec League

After Lauren Anderson’s one woman show, Rec League is a very close second for “best reason to get out to Strike Theater and see a Fringe show” this year.

Rec League
Mike Fotis Productions
Venue: Strike Theater
 
Show Description:
Summer Softball Season Bronze Level 3 is about to start. Gary has joined a new team. F%ck that dude. They're terrible at softball but amazing at holding grudges.
A new improvised one act from the makers of “The Camp Out” and “The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers” about the joys of summer, friendship and the joys of intramural softball. Featuring a who's who of Twin Cities improv comedic talents: Rita Boersma, Anna Fotis, Mike Fotis, Bobby Gardner, Tim Hellendrung, Nels Lennes, Jim Robinson, and Alison Vincent.
 
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Improv
Warnings:
Adult Language, Crude Humor
 
Honestly, that cast is all I need to see.  Collectively, these folks are responsible for some of the best laughs I’ve had in the past two years (with “The Camp Out” and “The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers”) so, please, give me more reasons to laugh.  (I really need them.)

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 11 to 20 - #13 - Cabin Fever - Small Waves (Mikela Anderson, Naomi Brecht, and Katie & Della Christ)

It turns out I know one of the playwrights on this one, plus even without that it sounded super queer, so I’m down.

Cabin Fever
Small Waves
Created by Mikela Anderson, Naomi Brecht, and Katie & Della Christ
Venue: Barker Center

Show Description:
Get ready for reality TV meets improv meets sapphics in the woods meets... a drag queen? With many opportunities for audience participation, the only thing that's sure is every performance will be different.

"Cabin Fever" is a fictional TV show and its epic season finale, during which our performance, "Cabin Fever," is set. We'll rely heavily on improv to tell our story, so there's little we can tell you about what will actually happen during the show. Especially when our audiences can affect things, too! The only thing that’s sure is that every performance of "Cabin Fever" will be different. Featuring local artists and collaborators, “Cabin Fever” seeks to provide a home in the woods for us to do what we love most – create art together.
 
Genre & Content: Comedy, Improv, Audience Participation, LGBTQIA+ Content
Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Sexual Content
 
The write-up in Lavender Magazine makes a good case for the show 
(“Confessionals in reality TV shows are like the modern soliloquy” is a little depressing, but also true…)
 
“In another reinterpretation of pop culture, partnered playwrights Naomi Brecht and Mikela Anderson have teamed up with Minneapolis-based company Small Waves to put on “Cabin Fever,” a sapphic reality game show set in the Minnesota Northwoods akin to “The Ultimatum: Queer Love.”

Hosted by drag queen Buttercream, the performance is of the show’s season finale, with contestants vying for the bachelorette’s hand and the “key to the U-Haul.”

Besides scripted beats, the show will be completely improvised and even influenced by the audience, so no two performances will be alike.

“We’re putting a bunch of our gay friends on stage and seeing what happens,” says Small Waves co-owner Della Christ.

Christ’s wife and Small Waves co-owner Katie Christ explains the connections between theatre, reality TV and sapphic culture as key to their inspiration.

“Confessionals in reality TV shows are like the modern soliloquy,” she says. “Also, in both reality TV and sapphic culture, you have these archetypes of character: the U-Haul lesbian, the lipstick lesbian, the Hey Mama’s. I’ve been telling people this show is kind of secret nerdy.”

The four say the show will exemplify queer joy as resistance and poke fun at the messy lesbians they all know and love.”

So if that sounds like your cup of tea, go check it out.  I will be.

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #3 - Death! A Musical - Gabriel Shen and Twin Cities Youth Theatre

A musical about death, written by a 7th grader, who’s the artistic director of a newly formed theater company.  What’s not to like?

Death! A Musical
Gabriel Shen/Twin Cities Youth Theatre
Venue: Southern Theatre

Show Description:
All youth, high energy, uplifting musical exploring life after death. Performed, directed, composed, choreographed, and musically accompanied entirely by kids!  This high-energy show follows the journey of Alana Hemming, who dies, meets Death, and completes seven tasks in the Afterlife to become alive again.

Death is a complicated topic, especially what happens after it. Death! A Musical provides a positive perspective on death, emphasizing the importance of the circle of life and the greater order of things. The musical combines many common beliefs about death into one plot, from Heaven and Hell, to the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Unlike many adults, the kids in this cast aren't afraid to talk about death! 

Genre & Content: 
Comedy, Musical Theater, Original Music, Kid Friendly
Warnings: None

They did a five person version of the show last summer, and now this summer, they’re in the Fringe, expanding the cast, orchestra and crew to 20-some middle school kids, who will rehearse during a weeklong summer camp preceding the festival.

The “become alive again” part could be anything from resurrection to reincarnation (for now, I’m ruling out zombie).

Bonus points, it’s a project where a lot of queer youth are in charge.  The coverage of the show in Lavender Magazine notes, “Shen describes the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and theatre in general, as a welcoming community for queer youth, including the more than one-third of the “Death!” cast they say identifies as LGBTQ+.

“It shows that youth, especially queer youth, are capable. They have opinions, they want to help the world. Hopefully, it’s an empowering musical for youth,” they say.”

C’mon.  You’re not curious?  I am.

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Michael Rogers - That Which Is Green

Having just a few weeks ago seen Michael Rogers’ latest one-man acting/writing tour de force Berlin To Rugen over at the Phoenix Theater, my mind boggles that he also had the time to write and rehearse a whole other production for the Fringe this year as well (even if he isn’t entirely alone this time and has Alex Van Loh to share the acting duties).  Needless to say, after the big step forward that Berlin to Rugen was (and that’s saying a lot, considering how great Fringe 2024’s As Above, So Below was), I’m fascinated to see what’s next from Rogers.

That Which Is Green
Michael Rogers
Venue: Southern Theatre
 
Show Description:
Two friends reunite hiking to a great and holy tree deep in the woods, but arrive to find it withering. As they confront its looming demise, they must face what the tree and their friendship ever meant to them.
 
That Which Is Green is a new emotional roller coaster from award-winning writer/director Michael Rogers (2024 MN Fringe Artist's Pick and Best Drama award from What the Fringe!?) Inspired by the silly sincerity of "Over the Garden Wall" and the downfall of societal pillars we all count on, That Which is Green is about two friends coming to terms with a changing world, the chaos in their own lives, and the lies we tell each other to preserve some sort of safety amidst it all.
 
Genre & Content: Comedy, Drama, Religious Content, Political Content, LGBTQIA+ Content
Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Mental Illness, Violence
 
Michael Rogers’ output is oftentimes daunting to me, struggling as I am some days to get my playwriting legs to be a bit less wobbly under me, but I’m grateful for the example, the entertainment, and the ample food for thought.  It’s the kind of new play creation I go to the Fringe for every year. 

 

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.

 

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 11 to 20 - #12 - Apsara, The Musical - Narate Keys

Apsara, The Musical
Narate Keys
Venue:Rarig Arena

Show Description:
Apsara is a musical dating back to the land of Angkor in the 12th century. It highlights the prosperity of thed kingdom of Khmer, the story of King Suryavarman II, and the queer love of dynamic dancers.
 
Genre & Content: Dance, Dance-Global, Musical Theater, Original Music, Historical Content
Warnings: Gun/Weapon Usage

Narate Keys in the playwright on the project, and it must be nice as an author to have a name that looks like the word “narrate.”

Keys describes the work as “a passion project.”  

“This production is important to share the history of the Angkorian people in our Khmer community. The Khmer are the largest ethnic group in the country of Cambodia.  With a population of over 100,000, Minnesota is home to one of the largest and most thriving Southeast Asian diaspora communities in the nation. We are honored to share a story to enrich our underserved community including the Hmong, Khmer, Lao and Viet diaspora communities on reclaiming language through theatre and collective storytelling.”

Historical fiction, romance, original music, dance, a culture I don’t know a lot about - perfect Fringe fare.

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #2 - The Show Must Go On: a Backstage Escape Game - David Pisa

Having found myself in the middle of several of David Pisa’s previous puzzle/escape room scenarios for Walking Shadow in the past (their first with 1926 Pleasant in 2006, just a handy walk from home in my old neighborhood at the time, then Saboteur in 2011 and Cabal in 2019), I can attest to the fact that they are all fun, slightly trippy experiences.  If you go, you will have a good time.  So of course David’s solo outing was going to be in my Top 10 (as Walking Shadow has been in the past, 2005, twenty years ago - phew!)

The Show Must Go On: a Backstage Escape Game
Venue: Phoenix Theater Lobby

Show Description:
A theater-themed escape room for just 8 players at a time. 
The Diva’s diamonds are missing!
Are they merely misplaced, or is something sinister afoot?
The backstage crew must crack the case and save the show!

Game creator David Pisa is not just the Executive Director of Walking Shadow Theatre Company, he’s also an award-winning escape room designer. He’s the co-creator of Utopia at Southdale Mall, which was declared one of the best escape rooms in the world by Room Escape Artist. For Walking Shadow, he crafted the puzzles for four immersive plays-with-puzzles: Cabal, REBOOT, Saboteur, and 1926 Pleasant (which sold out its run at the Fringe Festival in 2006, years before the first official “escape room” in the US!) Shows at all 55 timeslots in the festival, but with an audience of just 8 people.

Genre & Content: Mystery, Audience Participation
Warnings: No late seating allowed

The only trick with David Pisa’s Fringe outing is that there’s only room for eight people, so reservations are probably a good idea.  There’s a couple of other shows at the Phoenix in the theater itself (this show is out in the lobby), and there’s other nearby venues like Open Eye and American School of Storytelling if you try your luck without a reservation and don’t make the cut.  And it’s running in quite literally every single slot of the Fringe schedule, so there are a lot of chances to catch it over the 11 day stretch of the festival.

They have a super-quippy and informative FAQ so I’m not going to re-invent the wheel, I’ll just post it here as well for handy reference when I myself try to make a go of seeing the show…

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a play or an escape room?
This is an actual escape room, set backatage at a theater. There aren't any actors. YOU are the main characters.

Did you do this before?
THE SHOW MUST GO ON has previously been at DalekoArts in New Prague, at the Zephyr Theatre in Stillwater, at the Phipps in Hudson, and at the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing. If you played it there, this is the same game.

Am I really locked in the room?
Nope! The goal is not to escape – instead, you’re solving a mystery! This game will take place in the Phoenix Theater's lobby.

Do I need to know anything about theater?
No! Patrons take on roles including “stagehand,” “hair and makeup artist,” “assistant stage manager” and “lighting technician” to solve theater-related puzzles. But no theater experience is required!

Wait, does this require role-playing?
Gosh no. This is different from LARPing or a murder mystery dinner party. You'll just be you, solving puzzles. No drama please.

Is it scary?
No.

Are there any age requirements?
We recommend ages 16+ (due to puzzle challenges, not content). 

Is the game physical?
There are no physical challenges, but you should be prepared to move around as you search for clues.

How many people can play?
The game can hold up to 8 players. We'll run the game with however many people buy tickets, whether thats's the max of 8, or just you!

Will I be paired with strangers?
Yes! If you don't book all 8 tickets for your group, you can expect to make some new friends. We're all theater people, it'll be fine.

Do I need to make an advance reservation?
We will sell tickets at the door if they're avaiable. But due to the small capacity, we expect shows to sell out in advance.

How long does the game last?
Before the game we’ll give you some brief instructions and an introduction — less than 5 minutes. Then you will have 55 minutes to solve the mystery. After the official hour of the show is over, you’ll also have a little time afterwards if you want to celebrate or ask any questions.

Do you allow late seating?
No, please. Once the game starts, any latecomers will have missed important information, and can't be integrated into the group.

Do I need to bring anything with me in order to play the game?
No! Everything needed to play the game is provided. Just bring your friends and your puzzle-solving skills.

Are you really doing 55 performances?
Yep! Every slot of the festival. And we wonder if this might be a Fringe record.

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 – Returning Favorites – Comedy Suitcase (Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen) - The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club

Sometimes, you just need to take a break and watch a couple of guys fall down a lot.

And you couldn’t ask for a better pair of clowns than Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen of Comedy Suitcase.
 
The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club
Comedy Suitcase
Venue: TRP
 
Show Description:
A struggling actor and a cruel French clown battle for the most coveted role in children’s television: Captain Clumsy. The creators of Bob and Reggie Go to Bed bring you an uplifting comedy about falling down.
 
The Gentlemen's Pratfall Club is a two-person all-ages physical comedy about the joys and dangers of falling down in pursuit of your dreams. It was first produced in 2012 when the creators - Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen - were much younger. Thirteen years later, the themes of the show have more depth and the pratfalls more pain.

Comedy Suitcase is a Twin Cities-based theatrical production company dedicated to creating live comedy for all ages. Founded in 2010 by Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen, Comedy Suitcase strives to bridge the gap between imaginative theater for children and sophisticated comedy for adults. In the words of Groucho Marx: “A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!”
 
Over the last fifteen years, Comedy Suitcase has produced multiple Fringe Festival hits, including: The Harty Boys and The Case of the Limping Platypus, Smothers Brothers Grimm, The Averagers, Intermediate Physical Comedy for Advanced Beginners, and Bob and Reggie Go To Bed.
 
Genre & Content:
Clowning, Comedy, Physical Theater, Kid Friendly
Warnings:
Crude Humor, Abuse/Physical Violence
 
I didn’t get to see this show the first time around back in 2012, so I’m looking forward to it.

Previous reviews for this show included:
“Comedy hurts. Well, physical comedy of the slapstick stripe, anyway. Joshua Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen prove it in this clever, colorfully written comedy about a desperate-for-work actor trying to fill the slippery shoes of the recently deceased Captain Clumsy and keep his kid-targeted TV show alive.” – Pioneer Press
AND
“Scrimshaw is fearless in his antics; he is both the Acme steamroller and Wile E. Coyote.” –Twin Cities Daily Planet

Anyone who’s seen Joshua and Levi in any of their previous shows, whether they’re talking as the Harty Boys, or silently clowning as Bob and Reggie, knows they can deliver comedy in many forms.

I was going to say “So if you need a laugh…” but I’m sure we all do so, treat yourself and go see The Gentleman’s Pratfall Club.  I certainly am.

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 11-20 - #11A/B - Comfort Zone Presents: CHEMISTRY, and Ping Prov

Two of the improv comedy shows I’m most interested in seeing have a common factor, performer/producer Ryan Klima - so rather than pick one over the other, I’m spotlighting both.

#11A – Comfort Zone Presents: CHEMISTRY
Venue: TRP

Show Description:
Elite secret agents Scabbard and Jameson have lost their mojo after failing multiple missions. To get it back they must examine famous duos throughout history and pop culture in order to regain their CHEMISTRY!

Genre & Content: Comedy, Improv, Physical Theater, Audience Participation
Warnings: Adult Language, Flashing Lights

Any study of the chemistry of duos that includes pairings like: Statler & Waldorf, Batman & Robin, Buzz & Woody, Barbie & Ken, Bert & Ernie, or Han & Chewie - has my vote.

There’s also a very detailed Periodic Table of Elements style ranking of famous duos. 

#11B – Ping Prov

Venue: Southern Theatre

Show Description:
A kaleidoscopic showcase of innovative Twin Cities Improv! Each show will feature three groups performing a unique style. Then in the second half, the teams combine to play Ping Prov—a sporty artistic endeavor!

Loosely inspired by the 1971 film Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, Ping Prov comes from a desire of unconventional means to tell a story. Thinking of an improv scene at its most basic elements, an entrance is among the easiest things to do–what happens when that becomes more difficult? In this show beer pong, typically associated with frat house buffoonery, becomes a picky director that doesn’t accept the actor’s first, second, or even seventh idea. There is no drinking, only thinking. The first time we did this show at Strike Theater was a very exhilarating experience for the performers and audience.

Genre & Content: Comedy, Improv
Warnings: Adult Language

There’s an amusing rundown of the various inspirations (and rules) for Ping Prov on Instagram

The Rules of Ping Prov!

On one side of the Southern Theater will be an improvised narrative based on the audience's suggestion. 
 

 

 

On the other side of the stage will be hundreds of colorful Dixie cups arranged in the shape of a flower. 
The only way a performer can enter the story is to sink a ping pong ball into diamond of red plastic cups in the center of the flower.

Characters may exit as they please -- but the only way to enter is to sink a ball into the plastic cups!

Before attempting a toss, the performer has to declare what character they intend to enter the scene as (ex: "Joe the Mailman") but if they miss, they can't be that character anymore.

 

  

If a missed character is integral to the plot, teammates can also make a toss to be "Joe the Mailman." 
But if everyone misses, that character can no longer be part of the story.
 
 

 

 

At least one performer must stay in the scene at all times. 

 

 

 

 

"Cut to--" edits are allowed to change the location of the story. (ex: "Cut to the Grammy Awards")

Improv group names are often half the fun. Competing teams, with rosters crossing over with nearly every other improv show in the Fringe this year (full artist rundowns and bios on the Cast and More Information tabs of Ping Prov’s Fringe page), will be:
Friday, August 1st 10:00PM: BVTT MVNCH, Soap-Prov, Goof Goof
Saturday, August 2nd 2:30PM: Too Bad We Don’t Vibe, Diesel-Powered Bees, Sympathetic Magic 
Tuesday, August 5th 5:30PM: ROLLY, Tracktastic! With Bret, Waiting for… Oh No, Godot!
Friday, August 8th 8:30PM: Slumber Party, Comfort Zone, Very Good Improv
Sunday August 10th 7:00PM: Primal Delusions, Doubtless, PHXDC

Update 7/24/2025, Ping Prov's 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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #1 - Jewelry Power Elite - Lauren Anderson (Rogues Gallery Arts)

Yes, I could have probably grandfathered or grandmothered this in under the banner of Duck Washington’s Rogues Gallery Arts but c’mon, it’s the first solo show from Lauren Anderson, how can you not get hyped up about that?

Jewelry Power Elite
Rogues Gallery Arts
Venue: Strike Theater

Show Description:
Lauren Anderson, a comedian who wears jewelry for sport, recounts personal stories about her life and the jewelry she wore while she lived and survived it. A celebration of whimsy and courage over the mundane.
 
Genre & Content: Comedy, Drama, Solo Show
Warnings: Adult Language, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm

I’m with producer/director Duck Washington on this one:

“We are so excited this is finally happening!!! I've been telling Lauren Anderson for the longest time that I wanted to see her put together a one woman show and Rogues Gallery Arts is over-the-moon excited to help bring that vision into reality. If you've spent anytime around the Brave New Workshop over the past few years you are probably already aware of what  an exceptional writer, comedian and performer Lauren is. She is bold, adventurous, lovable, and is able to create comedy containing a lot of insight and a whole lot of depth. She is a storytelling dream and the size of her talent is only dwarfed by her alarmingly large and exotic jewelry collection. Lauren, we at Rogues Gallery Arts are honored you are letting us help you tell your story and the stories of the many accessories of your life!!!”

For those of you who need a refresher on Lauren, her bio gives you the impressive rundown:

Joined The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre, the longest running satirical comedy theatre in the country, as an actor/writer back in 2004
Now in her 20th season, she’s starred in more consecutive shows there than any other actor in the 65 year history of the Brave New Workshop (currently in her 65th show there).
She is a co-founder and co-producer of the The Twin Cities Improv Festival, now in its 19th season.
Lavender Magazine's Artist of the Year (2015)
Growler Magazine's Best Local Comedian (2019)
Performs around town with the improv groups Five Man Job, FOTERSON, and Mud Coven, among others. 
Creator and host of Noodle Pie Island, a children's show on YouTube
Author/illustrator of the children's book “Spaghetti Head Ned''
Founder of her Trampoline passion project Trampnation!

Really can’t think of a show I’m more excited to see this year than Jewelry Power Elite.  No shade to the other artists at the venue but Lauren Anderson is hands down the best reason to get your butt over to Strike Theater to see a show this Fringe season.

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.

 

 

 

Fringe 2025 – Returning Favorites – Lady Z Productions (Maureen Bourgeois) - The 4 Ws and the H of Murder

The thing I appreciate most about the way Maureen Bourgeois engages with the Fringe Festival is that she uses it to workshop new material, whether that’s a new script like Daybreak Diner (which popped up on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2022) or a new long-form improv comedy experiment like 2023’s Choose Your Own Fringe Adventure.  Even when the results are mixed, I like watching an artist take a swing to see where they can go.
 
The 4 Ws and the H of Murder
Lady Z Productions
Written by Maureen L Bourgeois
Venue: Mixed Blood
 
Show Description:
What happened on the dark dusty patio of the 8th-and a half oldest gay bar in Minnesota that warm August night? Join the hosts of the local podcast “The 4 “W”s and the “H” of Murder” as they uncover the truth.
 
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQIA+ Content
Warnings:
Adult Language, Crude Humor, Sexual Content, Abuse/Physical Violence, Other Divisive Content
 
The press pitch on this one offers a bit more detail:
 
“The 4 “W”s and the “H” of Murder” is a comedy written by local artist Maureen L Bourgeois. This production is set in a podcast recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota hosted by Suss and Sparks who are dedicated to the truth of a murder in a local gay bar. Be a part of this dark comedy as the What, When, Where, Why and How of murder are uncovered with dark unexpected twists and turns.
 
Now I’ll be honest, normally “dead gay person” as an element of the plot is enough to put me off.  Murdered gay person even more so.  (If you can do a variation on the famous funeral speech from the movie Heathers – “I love my dead gay son!” – in describing the plot, then I’m probably not interested.)  Cold case shows on TV also leave me a bit sad because, well, even if they solve the case, the person’s still dead, the damage is still done.  However, I do trust Maureen as an artist, and if she’s doing this story, in this way, it’s for a reason.  So I’m still curious to see how it plays 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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 – Returning Favorites – Brad Lawrence – The Big Secret

Brad Lawrence is such a great storyteller.  I’m very happy he keeps coming back to our Fringe because I love listening to him spin a tale.  He’s also remarkably good at weaving elements of the clash between religion and “real life” into his compelling, and unexpectedly funny, solo shows.  Like another regular Fringe visitor, Les Kurkendaal-Barrett, I’m always happy to see Brad’s name appear on the schedule, and look forward to whatever story he’s got up his sleeve next.  Whether it’s The Gospel of Sherilyn Fenn (which landed him on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2016), or The Idaho Jackson Action Playset, or Life Underground, I never know what I’m in for, and I sometimes struggle to convey exactly what the experience was like, but I’m always glad I went along for the ride.  This year will be no different.
 
The Big Secret
Brad Lawrence
Venue: Rarig Arena
 
Show Description:
When Storyteller Brad Lawrence was 14, a friend in his Evangelical youth group told him a secret and made him promise to tell no one. And he didn't. After she died and he lost his faith, for over thirty years.
 
Genre & Content:
Storytelling, Religious Content, Political Content
Warnings:
Adult Language, Blood, Drug content, Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Sexual Violence, Abuse/Physical Violence, Gun/Weapon Usage, Violence, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Other Divisive Content
 
The press pitch for the show offers some more enticing (and foreboding) details:
 
At fourteen, Brad Lawrence made a promise to keep a secret for his friend Jessica, a secret that, decades later, he realizes may have contributed to her untimely death at the hands of her abusive husband. Brad and Jessica’s story begins in an Evangelical youth group, where they form an unlikely bond amid apocalyptic sermons and purity culture. Years later, Jessica was murdered and Brad’s silence, born of loyalty and habit, kept her truth locked away just as she had told it to him—until the world events forced him to confront whether he had kept her story faithfully, or if he had let secrecy warp her memory and her loss. This show tackles themes of reproductive choice, violence, murder, suicide, basically all the trigger warnings, and still finds some humor in spite of the darkness. Because a little light is needed to see our way to the truth.
 
The Fringe is always chock full of solo shows and storytelling.  It’s nice to have a surefire performer I know I’ll enjoy on the schedule, and then take a risk on some other newcomers as well over the course of the festival (after all, that’s how Brad Lawrence first crossed my path).

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 – Returning Favorites – The Young Artist’s Council of Youth Performance Company – Delete Later

The thing I enjoy most about theater by younger artists, like those of the Young Artist’s Council of Youth Performance Company, is that it’s often wild and adventurous in very unexpected ways.  The artists haven’t been doing theater that long, so they haven’t developed any hard and fast ideas about what the “rules” of theater are, and consequently, they’ll try pretty much anything onstage.  No one’s told them “you can’t do that” yet.  So off they go…
 
Delete Later
Young Artist’s Council of Youth Performance Company
Venue: Mixed Blood
 
Show Description:
Delete Later is a cabaret-style peek into the minds of Gen Z teens. Honest, funny, and raw—it’s everything they'd put in their notes app.
 
Genre & Content:
Musical Theater
Warnings:
None
 
The pitch in the press document isn’t that much different, or more informative:
Delete Later is a cabaret of Gen Z thoughts—like a diary, but in the Notes app onstage.
 
Since I know precious little of use about Gen Z, this should prove very illuminating.
 
Youth Performance Company is one of the best theaters for young artists and young audiences in town.  They may be scrappy and not have huge production budgets, but they’re devoted to developing young people into theater artists who take the work seriously.  They have high expectations, and those expectations are met, and quite often exceeded.  (It’s not an “oh look how cute they are up on stage!” and that’s it - kind of company.)  The Young Artist’s Council was created as an additional outlet for the older members of the company, an offshoot from the regular programming of the YPC where they could develop their own new work, or try something a bit more “out there” than the traditional seasonal programming.  It’s been a while since they’ve been on the Fringe roster (YPC and the Young Artist’s Council were on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2008), and I haven’t had a chance to see their work outside the festival in recent years, so I’m excited to see what they’re up to these days.

 

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Tim Uren - This

The passage of time really smacked me in the face with this latest Tim Uren Fringe offering.

Tim Uren has been doing Fringe shows so long that he appeared on my second ever pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2004 with his production of “10,000 Comic Books” (which Mom and I both found delightful and amusing, words that apply to many Tim Uren Fringe shows, oddly enough even the ones in the horror genre sometimes).

I’ve also been blogging about the Fringe so long that my brain had completely forgotten that Tim and I were actually part of the same Fringe show back in 2000, before I ever started this blogging thing.  That would be “Will The Real Superman Please Stand Up?”  Seeing it on his impressive, but by no means fully exhaustive, list of past Fringe shows was what jogged my rusty memory bank.

Needless to say, I’m always fully on board for a Fringe artist’s trip down memory lane, and when that artist is Tim Uren, with all the stories he’s got to tell, I’m doubly down for the experience.
 
This
Tim Uren
Venue: TRP
 
Show Description:
This is a journey from one word to a life on stage. Let’s stagger through the booze-soaked cabaret of Look Ma No Pants, get the boot from The Brave New Workshop, and hide secrets in Fantasy Flight board games.

One Man.  Three Shower Curtains.  55 Years.  (and maybe a chair if I get tired…)
 
Fringe veteran Tim Uren invites audiences to find their words with this collection of memories/dreams/delusions about a life in the Twin Cities theater. The show combines Uren's distinctive comedy with behind-the-scenes accounts of his time at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society, and other assorted institutions with oddly long names. Follow a Fringe survivor's journey from one word to booze-soaked cabarets and the end of the world.

Don't miss your chance to attend theater created by someone whose work regularly needs to be qualified with the phrase, "No, really. This was a real show."
 
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Solo Show, Storytelling
Warnings:
Adult Language, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm
 
Half the fun of researching this post was taking a look at Tim’s sample production list and hearing myself say, “Oh!  I remember that one.  And that one.  And that one…”

A random sampling of that would include, among others:

10,000 Comic Books, The Complete Works of William Shatner (abridged), Frankenstein: Two Centuries, H.P. Lovecraft's "The Rats in the Walls,” Jumpin’ Jack Kerouac, Look Ma No Pants, Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party, Melancholy London, The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Versus the Nazis, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Dr. Jekyll, The Tourist Trap, Wilhelmina and Theodore's Exquisite Victorian Adventure, and (as previously noted) Will the Real Superman Please Stand Up?

Fascinating to contemplate what Tim might have up his sleeve this time.

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Mermaid Productions (Ariel Pinkerton) - The Abortion Chronicles

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.

 

 

Fringe 2025 - Returning Favorites - Raffish Ripoff Productions (Phil Gonzales) - Trust Exercises Exorcises

It’s hard to replicate the title for this one correctly, as it’s sort of a strikethrough line scratching out “exercises” and replacing it with “exorcises” - you know, fun with words, etc.

Phil Gonzales was in my pre-Fringe Top 20 for 2023 for his last Fringe outing, Lost In Bear Country: Birth, God, Death...and the Bearenstain Bears, which I quite enjoyed:

“high-energy verbal whirlwind of a show, randomized by the spin of a wheel; topics this time: God, Sports, Race, sprinklings of autobiography; funny and serious at the same time - 5 stars”

Well, the spinning wheel of many colors is back again, outfitted with different topics, along with the theatrical crates one also expects in any Fringe show, for…
 
Trust Exercises Exorcises
Raffish Ripoff Productions (Phil Gonzales)
Venue: Rarig Xperimental

Show Description:
Phil Gonzales spins his Wonder Wheel of Wonder and spins a few tales of his messed up high school theater experience. Storytelling + improv + pathos + trauma + acting lessons! Also, it's apparently funny? (shrug emoji)

Phil Gonzales spins his “Wheel of Trust” to explore how high school theater shaped, and warped, his understanding of trust, performance, and identity. Blending absurdist comedy, audience interaction, and deeply personal storytelling, the show uses ensemble-building exercises to explore the cult-like control his teacher had over the children in his theater program. Part monologue, part satire, and all exorcism, this is a story about reclaiming your narrative, confronting the roles you were forced to play, and learning to trust in spite of the trauma.
 
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Improv, Drama, Solo Show, Storytelling, Audience Participation
Warnings:
Adult Language, Drug Content, Mental Illness, Abuse/Physical Violence, Sexual Content, Sexual Violence, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Other Divisive Content
 
As Phil puts it on his Fringe show page:

“Look, it's been a while since I've done a show. I'm a little older, a little heavier, and a whole lot... sillier? I guess? We'll go with sillier.

A few years ago, I really started delving into my lack of trust: in myself, in my loved ones, in society, in authority. Pretty much in everything. My therapist was all "What gives?" And I was all, "I think I know what gives." And he was all, "Wanna talk about it?" And was all "Lights up... on an empty stage." AND I WAS BACK IN THE GAME, BAYBEEE!

This show is a comedy and a traumady. It's funny because life is funny. Is it graphic? No. I don't go into gory details. Plus, the gory details? Not really mine to share. The truly terrible stuff is someone else's story.

This is the story of my experience in a brutal, horrible, messed up, manipulative, cult of personality. It's the tale of being the inside outsider. The example. The second best. It's the story of self-worth, and how precious a thing that is.

It's also completely randomized! I spin a wheel to guide me through the story! Come every night! I get bored easily, so I tend to make up the show as I go along. Bring a friend! Want to audience participate? We can do that! 

PLEASE COME TO MY SHOW.”

Sillier and somehow also more traumatic than last time?  In this format?  Sure, I’m down.  Spin that wheel!

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.