Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Alex Church

Dutch: Made in America
Alex Church

A busy actor sits down for a screen test that quickly devolves into a reality-bending examination of one of the most controversial figures in American history. Portion of proceeds donated to Women Winning

Venue: Open Eye Theatre
Tagged For: Comedy, Drama, Storytelling, Historical Content, Political Content
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Violence, Flashing Lights, Gun/Weapon Usage, Sexual Violence, Other Divisive Content
Ages 16 and up

Few things on Monday were as deeply strange as the preview for Dutch: Made In America.

Playwright/actor Alex Church’s website describes it as “a kaleidoscopic interrogation of the early life and legacy of Ronald Reagan.”

It’s also quite horny.

Alex as a young Ron (nickname Dutch) and Stephanie Kahle as a young Nancy, meet and almost immediately start slipping back and forth through time during the course of a conversation that’s under three minutes in which they first meet, aggressively flirt, then are suddenly married with kids, and back again.  And there’s roughly 45 more minutes of this - and according to the cast & crew bios there’s a puppet designer so… puppets, too.  And of course there’s the catch-all warning about “other divisive content.”  Last year’s “Primary” was about fictional politics.  This year’s “Dutch” is plumbing actual biography and historical events and then apparently sticking them in a blender just to keep things interesting.

Given that Alex wasn’t born yet when Reagan was president, and I’m old enough to have fond memories of Ron and Nancy ignoring the AIDS crisis (and friends reaching out for help from their old Hollywood days), I’m fascinated yet again with what Alex is up to, and the form in which he’s exploring his subject.  He’s endlessly inventive, never quite trying the same approach twice, so after that very weird preview, I’m very much looking forward to seeing this one.

 

 

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #17 - Juliet & Juliet: Improvised Shakespeare - Meghan Wolff & Sami Haeli

Juliet & Juliet: Improvised Shakespeare
Juliet & Juliet (aka, Meghan Wolff & Sami Haeli)

Juliet & Juliet improvise eloquent, oddball, feminist Shakespeare. They love language. They love murdering one another. They love traveling all over the US improvising Shakespeare.

Venue: Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Tagged For: Comedy, Improv, LGBTQIA+ Content, Shakespearian Elements
Content Warnings: (none)
Ages 12-15 and up

Precious little information on this one, and sadly the video trailer currently posted on their Fringe show page is experiencing technical difficulties.

Never fear, I believe I found it, and shall post it below.  Give it a look and you’ll know if it’s your kind of thing or now.  It’s a decent sampling of the two actresses improvising in iambic pentameter, which is enough to sell me on the concept.  Queering Shakespeare with comedy, I’m on board.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #7 - Teen Wolf Killed My Grandma: A Memoir - On Whee Puppet Theatre (Hannah "Twitch" Twitchell)

Teen Wolf Killed My Grandma: A Memoir
On Whee Puppet Theatre

A fuzzy look at how fiction can make reality a little more bearable. Watch a family through their matriarch's final chapter while also learning way more than you ever needed about MTV's Teen Wolf.

Venue: Open Eye Theatre
Tagged For: Puppetry, Storytelling
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Mental Illness, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Other Divisive Content
Ages 16 and up

It’s the title.

It’s the name of the theater company.

It’s the fact that it’s puppets.

It’s the fact that it’s Teen Wolf.
(It was a guilty pleasure of mine, and remains so.)

If you want a quick idea how “extra” Teen Wolf is, just observe and listen to a late season version of the opening credits:



If you want a quick idea of how cheesy Teen Wolf is, MTV has an eight minute recap of the first season.

If you want to do a deep dive, there’s a lot of them:

For a quick 10 minute deconstruction of the pilot episode, check out Alex Meyers

For an exhaustive and amusing video thesis on the entire series, Ryan Kearns has you covered (it’s over five hours and yes, I watched all of it, as well as his follow-up half-hour riff on the misbegotten recent reunion movie)

For a pop-culture expert’s dissection of both the series and later that movie, I recommend the Friendly Space Ninja.

For loving series autopsies from a female perspective, I endorse both Jane Mulcahey (part 1 and part 2) and Julia Cudney (both series, and reunion movie)

So, if writer/director/actor Hannah Twitchell is bringing my love of Fringe and Teen Wolf together, I’m sold.
 

 

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Mike Fotis Productions (So Many Improvisors)

The Camp Out
Mike Fotis Productions

An Improvised One Act Play About friends in their 40s and being all alone in the woods

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre
Tagged For: Comedy, Drama, Improv, Physical Theater
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Flashing Lights
Ages 16 and up

This, like last year’s Fotis (& partners in crime) offering The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers, is revealing next to nothing.

But it does say that it’s an improvised one-act play about friends in their 40s and being all alone in the woods - and those friends in their 40s are

Mike Fotis
Rita Boersma
Tim Hellendrung
Nels Lennes
Heather Meyer
Danna Sheridan

Heather and Danna were the hosts of the Fringe previews last night, and the hosts of fake improvised podcasts in last year’s very funny Fringe show Let Me Say This About That.

Mike, Rita and Tim were the trio behind last year’s The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers which very well may have been the thing I laughed at the most in last year’s Fringe, just off the chart ridiculous from start to finish.

Nels is one of the trio of improvisors who launched HUGE Improv Theater so he also knows his stuff, improv comedy-wise.

So, all these people in the same show…?

The likelihood that I’m going to laugh my butt off is incredibly high with this one.

If you need a laugh, it should probably go on your schedule as well.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #16 - Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You! - Linnea Bond

Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You!
Linnea Bond

A sales rep clown pitches you on Existing in this (mostly) comedy about pain. Part timeshare presentation, part pity party, part existential howl. Cincy Fringe Critics’ Pick, Encore. ATL Fringe Producer's Pick.

Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Tagged For: Clowning, Comedy, Solo Show
Content Warnings: Crude Humor, Drug Content, Sexual Content
Ages 12-15 and up

Not gonna lie, this is another one that I’m drawn in by the pedigree.  Each time some part of my brain resists, another part of my brain responds with “People are saying such nice things about it, though.”  Sometimes, artistic peer pressure works with me.

At the Cincinnati Fringe, the show got both Critics’ Pick of the Fringe and the Artist/Audience Vote for Encore Performance.  In Atlanta, the show got Producer’s Pick of the Fringe.

Critics in Philadelphia said it “pairs gallows humor with creative storytelling… witty and moving.”

An Orlando critic said it “manages to transform some of the most painful medical trauma imaginable into an achingly funny plea for existence” so… yikes?

And a self-described “sappy critic” in Cincinnati said it was a “change-motivating piece” that nonetheless “never feels like a sermon.”   Also, “brilliant script and a stunning piece of performance art.”

While the show doesn’t have an LGBTQIA+ tag on it, the writer/performer Linnea Bond’s bio mentions that she has “created and devised performances solo and collaboratively around a myriad of social themes, including addiction, aging and dementia, and queer history” and also acted in the Todd Haynes film Carol.  So it’s at least queer-adjacent, if nothing else.

You can also check out her video trailer for reactions from stunned audience members:

HeartRippedOutTwiceAndSoCanYou!Trailer24 from Linnea Bond on Vimeo.

(It’s not exactly Ha Ha Da Vinci, but it’s filling that niche for me this year, I think.)

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #6 - They Still Make Film For That? - Dark Roast Arts (Kevin Ealain)

They Still Make Film For That?
Dark Roast Arts - Kevin Ealain

AI got you making you feel uneasy? Tired of the digital deluge?! Then They Still Make Film For That? is for you! See a live film development demo and why printed photographs are important to our mental health!

Venue: Strike Theater
Tagged For: Solo Show, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Kid Friendly
Content Warnings: Flashing Lights
Ages 12-15 and up

A bunch of the Top 20 shows I was most curious about this year, and a whole lot of returning favorites from past years were all part of the Fringe previews last night at Mixed Blood.  So that should push the rundown along a bit faster (one hopes, anyway - the day jobs have been kicking my butt, plus there’s a steady stream of work to be done for an upcoming production of one of my plays in the spring that has been pulling my attention sideways, but at least that is more fun to contemplate).

They Still Make Film For That? was one of the previews that was already situated in my Top 10 list at the #6 berth, and nothing I learned last night would cause me to dislodge it from this spot, so on we go.

They’ve posted more info on their Fringe show page than the last time I checked, so I’ll be borrowing from that liberally here.  The artist’s nine-year-old son was handing out postcards before the previews got started, a form of child labor that someone near me enthusiastically endorsed - good marketing strategy, children on the whole being more adorable and less pushy than your average Fringe artist handing out postcards. (Though I will admit some adult artists can also be adorable and shy - you do you, everyone.  We’re all in this together.)

Fun fact about the postcards: If you happen to pick up a postcard for the show, take note that all postcards are handmade on gelatin silver photographic paper! Those who pick up a postcard are highly encouraged to keep them.

The preview used a chunk of the text from the website, which lays out the show’s mission statement pretty clearly:

“In 2011, film was declared dead. Beaten down by the digital dynamo.

But in 2024, film photography is not only alive but it's thriving, with new film stocks being produced, new film cameras released and the sales of vintage cameras booming. Is this a hipster fad, or is there a scientific explanation to the burgeoning enthusiasm for the tactile medium?

"They still make film for that?" will explore some of the scientific importance of getting off Instagram and cracking open a photo album instead, all while taking the audience through a live demonstration of how easy it is to develop film at home.

Come relish in the photo gallery with all the physical media presented, and enjoy the time honored tradition of darkroom film developing away from AI and the digital image deluge.”

This show seems to be exactly the kind of relaxing break from the rush of the rest of the Fringe I was expecting it to be, and for that reason I’m very much looking forward to it.

(Also, I wrote a screenplay for an independent film once - got to the finalist stage for a production grant, though it didn’t ultimately go anywhere - but it was very much based in the world of physical photography and darkrooms, so I’ve got a soft spot for the subject matter.)

If the audience participation tag has you (like me) worried about what might be involved, there’s a reassuring note:

“Audience members may have the opportunity to have their photo taken before or during the show. No audience member will have their photo taken without consent. The use of a camera flash may be used intermittently.”

Kevin Ealain’s artist statement is also just the vibe I was expecting for a show like this:

“As a film photographer based in the vibrant city of Minneapolis, MN, my work is deeply rooted in the exploration of mood, mystery, and the tactile nature of the analog medium. Drawing inspiration from the evocative imagery of Sylvia Plachy and James Hamilton, the shadowy allure of film noir, the haunting narratives of Tom Waits, and the whimsical darkness of Edward Gorey, my photographs invite viewers to ponder the enigmatic stories captured through my lens.

Each frame I compose is a deliberate meditation on the interplay of light and shadow, texture and form. The inherent tangibility of film photography allows me to engage intimately with my medium, imbuing each image with a sense of authenticity and depth that digital processes often lack. My work is a quiet rebellion against the instant gratification of contemporary photography, favoring instead a contemplative approach that honors the craft's rich traditions.

In a world saturated with fleeting digital images, my photographs stand as tactile artifacts of a deliberate and thoughtful process. They evoke a timeless quality, encouraging viewers to linger and delve into the layers of narrative and emotion embedded within each shot. Isolated and moody, my subjects often inhabit spaces that blur the lines between reality and imagination, inviting a sense of curiosity and introspection.

Through my work, I strive to create a visual dialogue that resonates with the introspective and the inquisitive, those who find beauty in the shadows and stories in the silences. By embracing the slow, deliberate nature of film photography, I offer an antidote to the haste of modern life, celebrating the deliberate, the curious, and the tactile.”

So, I’m there.  If it sounds like the kind of change of pace you might want on your schedule, They Still Make Film For That? is one of several reasons it’s a good idea to head over to Strike Theater’s side of town and catch a few shows.
 

 

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Transatlantic Love Affair

5x5
Transatlantic Love Affair

An anthology of five tales in a classic “tréteau” style, keeping the performers in one tiny square on the stage with no sets and no props. The biggest stories in the smallest space.

Venue: Open Eye Theatre
Tagged For: Physical Theater, Historical Content, Literary Adaptation, Non-Verbal
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Drug Content
Ages 12-15 and up

That’s it.

That’s literally all they’re giving us in terms of content other than the cast & crew bios.

Oh, and the show art also says “5 performers, 5 stories, 1 five foot square.”

But this is Transatlantic Love Affair we’re talking about, so do they really need to say much more than we’re doing a show?

This is a company that bloomed in the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2010 with Ballad of the Pale Fisherman (and an Ivey Award-winning remount at Illusion Theater), which they followed up Red Resurrected in the 2011 Fringe (and another Illusion remount), and then Ash Land in the 2012 Fringe, and These Old Shoes in the 2013 Fringe, and Solitaire in the 2014 Twin Cities Horror Festival, and 105 Proof; or, the Killing of Mack “The Silencer” Klein in the 2015 Fringe - for starters.  

If you’ve seen any or all of those, I don’t need to convince you to go see their new show, do I?

The cast this time around includes familiar faces Derek Lee Miller (who has his own returning solo show The Banana Wars just added to the Fringe schedule) and Allison Vincent (#3 on my Top 10 list this year with her show Daddy Issues), as well as TLA vets Cristina Castro and Peyton McCandless, plus equally notable local actor Mark Benzel, all under the direction of Amber Bjork so… it’s almost not fair to throw a hundred other Fringe shows up against this one.  I’m still gonna want to see it, and other shows will have to get in line.

Still no idea what I’m seeing, but given all the artists involved and their collective track records, I’m gonna enjoy myself.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #15 - every.single.one - Cherie Sampson

every.single.one
Cherie Sampson

A one-woman multimedia performance portraying intimate personal, familial and community stories about hereditary cancer, integrative oncology and survival from a patient's perspective of modern medicine.

Venue: Southern Theater
Tagged For: Dance, Dance - Global, Drama, Original Music, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling
Content Warnings: Flashing Lights
Ages 12-15 and Up

Not for everyone, I realize, given the subject matter, but the more I read about this one, the more drawn I am to see it, so it’s on the list.  

The More Information tab and the Cast and Crew tab for this show’s Fringe page really are a wealth of information.  Some excerpts:

“In 2017, when artist Cherie Sampson posted images of a series of photographs taken in a natural environment of her body made hairless from chemotherapy, a friend and ovarian cancer survivor commented, ‘Every. Single. One. of us who has been with this disease is validated, loved and to a certain extent, freed by this image.’

(The photos are powerful - you can check them out here)

‘every.single.one,’ is a multi-media performance by Cherie Sampson that depicts personal, familial and community stories about hereditary cancer while exploring topics of genetics, integrative oncology, and healing from a patient’s perspective of modern medicine. It interweaves three levels of testimonial – Cherie’s own, her sister’s, and those of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer survivors and previvors, whose stories were conveyed to Cherie in a series of interviews. (‘Previvors’ are people who take prophylactic measures to prevent cancer when they carry a known genetic risk, such as a mutation in the BRCA gene). The artist documented her cancer experience in audio-visual material, including the phone call delivering the news of the diagnosis. That collection of material has been edited into short film/video vignettes and soundscapes to comprise the audio-visual environment of the performance that, along with spoken word and expressive movement, is integral to the storytelling. Dance as a healing practice is an important throughline in the performance as it was during Cherie’s treatment and recovery. Shortly after her diagnosis, she informed her dance mentor in south Indian classical dance, Anjali Tata-Hudson, that she wished ‘to keep dancing through this.’  Together, they worked on traditional dance items that would provide focus for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength, then later re-envisioned them into creative movement segments co-choreographed for this performance. “every.single.one” is a dramatic interpretation of an intimately personal and simultaneously universal human reality that explores the body as a site of uncertainty in illness, loss, sibling, and community interrelationship and survival. Initiating the project during treatment provided Cherie with a means to process the life-altering ordeal in which to, in the words of Black feminist poet, Audre Lorde, ‘examine it, put it into perspective, share it and make use of it.’
 


After each of the five performances of ‘every.single.one’ at MN Fringe, audiences will be invited to participate in an optional survey for a research project being conducted by the artist called ‘every.single.one: Assessing Impact on Audiences of a Theatrical Performance About Cancer.’  The purpose of this research project is to observe changes in attitude, empathy, understanding, and knowledge in audiences after seeing the performance. The survey will be mentioned by Cherie Sampson’s stage assistant before and after each performance. A postcard will be circulated after each performance with a QR code printed on it that can be scanned to access the survey.

The performance of ‘every.single.one’ for the MN Fringe is a 56-minute version of the full production (100 min). The full production will debut in early 2025.”

Just… wow.  I’ll be there.

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #5 - Dream of Me - Team Rand-McKay

Dream of Me
Team Rand-McKay

Mia, grieving the loss of her husband, begs her friend Tanna to let her try an AI dream device so that she can see him again. But what starts out as romantic turns into a nightmare when the AI has other plans.

Venue: Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Tagged For: Dance, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Flashing Lights, Mental Illness
Ages 12-15 and up

So I was looking for dance shows, and this one had tags for

Dance
Drama
Horror
Sci-Fi

Which is not a combination you see every day of the week :)

The synopsis is compelling, and the cast includes the wonderful Natalie Rae Wass, who, in some strange error on my part, has never landed on my pre-Fringe Top 20 list before, even though I’ve enjoyed her work in many a Fringe show, both her own and those created by others, for years now.  So let’s take care of that ridiculous oversight while we’re at it.

Also, you have to love a show with bios including phrases such as:

“That’s a lot of murder!” and
“Three raccoons in a trench coat”
(that second phrase is the full bio for their stage manager)

I look forward to this dance-drama-horror-sci-fi show.  Probably(?) the only one I’ll see this year :) 

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Mahmoud Hakima

Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon
Mahmoud Hakima

A surprise hit of the 2009 MN Fringe! Seeking escape from his traumatic home life, a boy finds comfort in a "Mystery Girl." But her life begins to parallel his own, leading to a dramatic turn of events.

Venue: Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Tagged For: Drama, Physical Theater, Solo Show, Storytelling
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Drug Content, Abuse/Physical Violence
(performance also includes a reference to incest and a scene involving police)
Ages 16 and up

Mahmoud Hakima is a great storyteller.

Based on how much I enjoyed his first solo show “Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon” back in 2009, he easily landed in my Top 5 for the Minnesota Fringe Festival in 2010 with yet another 5-star solo show, “Can Michael Come Out and Play?”

I have followed Mahmoud’s work ever since in both scripted and improv shows (he’s part of the ensemble for this year’s Blackout Imrov Does Something!!! as well, which I’m also looking forward to seeing).

But it’s been a minute since he’s done a solo show of his own in the Fringe that I’ve had a chance to see, so I’m excited to get a chance to revisit “Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon,” mostly because it means that a whole other group of audiences will also get a chance to see it.  And Mahmoud’s grown as a storyteller and performer in the intervening years, so I’m sure revisiting this tale from his younger years resonates with him differently now, 15 years on.  I’m very interested to see how time has impacted both the performer and the story, and how I’ll be engaging with it again myself as an audience member.

Very highly recommended.  If you didn’t get a chance to see Mahmoud’s solo shows back in the day, he deserves a spot on your schedule.  Really good solo shows are few and far between.  This is one of them.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #14 - Mae West's The Drag - The Feral Theatre Company (Braden Joseph)

Mae West's The Drag
The Feral Theatre Company

Originally written by Mae West in 1927; The Drag follows Rolly, a closeted gay man, juggling the facades he must keep up. With drag balls, his ex-lover, and his wife, he tries to stay afloat and live his truth.

Venue: Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Tagged For: Comedy, Drama
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Loud Noises, Violence, Gun/Weapon Usage
Ages 16 and up

A queer play written nearly 100 years ago by Mae West.  OK, I’m in.

Another local theater person made me aware of this script for the first time just a little over a year ago.

Interestingly, it was at one of Threshold Theater’s New Play Reading Series offerings.

And the person who’s adapting and directing this Fringe production, and started The Feral Theater Company, Braden Joseph, was part of the cast of yet another new play reading for Threshold Theater about four months prior to that.

I first noticed The Feral Theater Company when they took part in the Virtual Fringe back in 2020 (in addition to being on the scheduled roster of nightly offerings, I recall they also cranked out a lot of other content that folks could access through the digital Fringe hub.  They were very busy during the pandemic.)

I’m intrigued by what Braden and his cast of 10 have done to adapt Ms. West’s source material into a Fringe-sized package.  The original script my friend shared with me was only sixty pages long, and yet it was structured as a three act play with 17 designated characters, plus a catch-all line for “detective, guests, musicians at the drag ball” - so, no small feat to get one’s arms around in its original form.

Are we liable to have some “trauma of the secret life of self-loathing homosexuals,” given the time period in which it was written?  Probably.  

Do I have pretty low threshold for the “homosexual suffering as entertainment” genre?  Yeah.  

Am I willing to wait and see it myself before passing judgement?  Yup.

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #4 - Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves - Emily Boyajian

Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves
Emily Boyajian

Two trans people experience the joy of living authentically, face internalized transphobia, overcome their self-doubts to find happiness outside of the gender binary, and sing with music from a live orchestra!

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre
Tagged For: Drama, Musical Theater, Opera, Political Content, LGBTQIA+ Content
Content Warnings: Other Divisive Content
Ages 12-15 and up

It addition to the queer content tag, which is always a good starting place for me when looking for shows…

It’s the only show using the Opera tag this year.  Makes me curious.

And even though it says its about two people and doesn’t have a solo show tag, there’s only one actor/singer listed in the cast.

Everyone else listed is a musician.

And they have a cello, a clarinet, a double bass, a flute, a French horn, an oboe, a trumpet, a viola, and two violins.

I have zero idea how this show is going to play out, but I’m extremely curious to watch how these elements manifest the show described in the synopsis.

If nothing else, I’m not likely to find a show with more musical instruments in one place this year.

This might just be a me thing, but I’m gonna follow my instincts and see where they lead on this one.

 

 

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Broken Wing Productions (Sheree & Scot Froelich, Nicole Wilder)

The Wind Phone
Broken Wing Productions

The Wind Phone is found in a quiet park, not connected to any earthly system. On it, mourners will call their loved ones passed in hopes of finding the peace to work through their pain.

Venue: The Ribs of Humanity at Campbell Plaza
Tagged For: Drama, LGBTQIA+ Content
Content Warnings: Adult Language
Ages 16 and up

So many reasons to see this one.

First, it’s the return of Broken Wing Productions after their award-winning previous Fringe show “My Empty Arms” back in 2022.

I caught it late in the festival so it didn’t get a full review from me at the time, but this was the tweet response (remember tweets? I’ve shifted to threads now…) I posted after seeing it:

"My Empty Arms: Sheree Froelich recounts the absurdity/cruelty of what it's like to be pregnant, want to keep the child, and live in a society that makes it impossible to do anything but give it up for adoption; devastating and beautiful - 5 stars"

So if Sheree Froelich is the playwright, I’m already on board.  This time she’s co-creating the piece Callie Aho.  Nicole Wilder is back again as director.

In the cast, some of my favorite local performers, including Sheree, Anthony Sisler-Neuman and Boo Segersin.

And you’d think after the grief journey I’ve been on these past five years, I might have tripped over the concept of a wind phone before now but this is first I’ve heard of it - and it’s fascinating!  Here’s some further detail from their More Information tab:

“Based on the therapeutic concept of speaking to our lost loved ones to gain closure and catharsis, The Wind Phone takes its inspiration from Japanese garden designer Itaru Sasaki. In 2010, Sasaki installed a phonebooth in his garden so he could call his deceased cousin - someone he'd loved and communicated with regularly. In 2011, the Tōhoku tsunami killed over 15,000 citizens of the region Sasaki lived, and he opened his wind phone to his neighbors.

Since 2011, wind phones have popped up in regions all over the globe. At the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, you can see their therapeutic value in action. Who would you call?”

They also have some links to wind phone resources, which I’ll layer into this blog post as well.

I’ve walked by the outdoor sculpture The Ribs of Humanity many a time on my West Bank Fringe walks between the Rarig Center and other venues in that corner of the Minneapolis theater scene (Mixed Blood, TRP, Southern, and the Barbara Barker Center for Dance, to name a few).  So it’s cool that I already know where this is, and it’s right nearby so many other Fringe locales this year.  Limited shade and it’s outdoors, so be forewarned, but I’ll bring sunscreen and a cap and I should be good for an hour.

Original work, compelling subject matter, off-beat presentation - very Fringey all around.  Can’t wait.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #13 - old growth - Loom Lab (Re Edahl, Cal O’Brien)

old growth
Loom Lab

old growth draws from shapeshifting mythology and the language of the forest to present a physically virtuosic exploration of transformation, community, and self-acceptance. Dance, puppets, fights, circus!

Venue: Southern Theater
Tagged For: Dance, Dance - Modern, Physical Theater, Puppetry, Non-Verbal
Content Warnings: Violence, Gun/Weapon Usage
Ages 7-11 and Up

I'm always a fan of seeing as many different kinds of dance shows as I can at the Fringe each year and this one looked intriguing.  They’ve had critical and audience success with past Fringe shows pre-pandemic that I missed, so I’m going to see if I can rectify that this year.

The More Information tab on their Fringe show page gives some more detail of what they’re up to this time:

“Loom Lab’s old growth is a devised meditation on transformation, community, and acceptance, inspired by global mythology on shapeshifting, underworlds, and our innate connection to nature.

Part nonverbal storytelling and part catharsis via contemporary dance, old growth draws on the varied movement backgrounds of its cast to weave an exciting and captivating world where the laws of trees rule and honoring your truth is the only way to bloom. We use contemporary dance, circus arts, puppetry, fight work, and physical theater, to witness our characters try - sometimes successfully, sometimes not - to make sense of themselves against a background of engaging ensemble work.

About Loom Lab
Loom Lab is a collaboration between movement artist Re Edahl and theatre artist Cal O’Brien. Born of a desire to create truly interdisciplinary work, Loom Lab uses devising as a frame upon which to weave stories, finding our voice at the intersection of genre, identity, and form. Our desire to devise new work is emergent of our commitment to process and development. With our collective skills in dance, theatre, film, independent production, company management, and education we exist as a collective of individual artists eager to invite in the experiences of fellow artists as well as audience.”

Mythology, dance, circus arts, puppetry, fight work - sounds eclectic and funky - count me in.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #3 - Daddy Issues - Pretend Productions (Allison Vincent)

Daddy Issues
Pretend Productions - Allison Vincent

Daddy Issues is a solo show recounting Allison Vincent's caretaking for her father while also negotiating their complicated relationship and the demise of his memory and her childhood home.

Venue: Phoenix Theater
Tagged For: Drama, Physical Theater, Storytelling
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Mental Illness, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm
Ages 12-15 and up

The reason for this one making the list is also simple - Allison Vincent.  I’ve seen her in more great Fringe shows than I can enumerate (her bio lays it out better than I could), many of them with the company Transatlantic Love Affair where she’s a founding member and co-artistic director (beautifully crafted storytelling through physical theater) and also turning up on the inspired lunacy end of the artistic scale in Josh Carson’s Mainly Me Productions, just to name a couple. I’d heard Allison was creating a new solo piece through the Naked Stages program at Pillsbury House Theatre, but didn’t get a chance to see it.  So I was very happy to see she’s bringing a version of that story there.  Very much looking forward to seeing this one.

Allison can also be seen in Transatlantic Love Affair’s Fringe show this year, 5x5, as well as guesting during the run of the Fringe game show Pants On Fire, so clearly she’s not planning on sleeping for a week and a half. 

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Blackout Improv

Blackout Improv Does Something!!!
Rogues Gallery Arts

Blackout Improv, Minnesota's premiere all Black performer improv group returns to the Fringe bringing guests and our renowned approach to comedy which mixes humor, and heart with a social Justice bent.

Venue: HUGE Improv Theater
Tagged For: Comedy, Improv, Puppetry
Content Warnings: Adult Language
Ages 12-15 and up

It’s Blackout Improv.  That’s kind of all I need to know.

They were #2 on my Top 10 list back in 2017 when they were last in the Fringe, and delivered the kind of 5-star Fringe experience I expected.

They make a better case than I can - here’s a pitch from the More Information tab on their show’s Fringe page:

“Blackout Improv is the Twin Cities premiere all-Black performer improv team. Its players have performed on stages all over the world but the group is based right out of the Twin Cities area. The troop was founded in 2015 and continues to grow and expand, currently containing 16 active members! Locally Blackout Improv has been involved in shows at HUGE Theater, The Phoenix Theater, Mixed Blood, The Guthrie, Strike Theater, Bryant Lake Bowl, the Ordway and so many more. We've run workshops in schools and with special groups. We strive to connect with our audiences in a way that promotes honest and inclusive dialogue and conversation. Our troupe consist of seasoned improvisers, teachers, actors, comedians, clowns, cartoonists, storytellers and so much more. You may spot our members on stages across town, on screen, or producing their own works across the creative industry.

It has been a while since Blackout Improv had a venue selling best run in the Minnesota Fringe Festival six years ago. Since then we have been performing all over, gracing stages from Amsterdam to the Ordway just a few weeks ago. We love connecting audiences to Black joy and social justice through our unique style and approach to comedy. Since a lot of what we do is improv its safe to assume that each one of our performances will be unique as we generate a performance for you spontaneously, in large part based on your suggestions. These shows will be especially different as every one of our performances will feature different games with a rotating cast and feature a separate Black twin cities artists as a guest. (More updates on special guests coming soon!) The things you can rely on are  that we will be funny, heartfelt, honest, and unapologetically  Black!!!”

And improvisor and director Duck Washington made a great pitch during Fringe Previews that last time around, which still holds:




If you’ve seen them in action before, I didn’t need to convince you to see them again with this post.

If you haven’t seen them, go.  Treat yourself.  You won’t regret it.

 

 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #12 - Take The “T” Out - Silly Miss Tilly

Take The “T” Out
Silly Miss Tilly

Lily a girl who loves to sing, but fear and excitement are the same feeling. Watch and join as her friends encourage her to go to Silly Miss Tilly's Karaoke show that will change their lifes. "YOU CAN DO THIS"

Venue: Southern Theater
Tagged For: Clowning, Comedy, Improv, Puppetry, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Kid Friendly, Non-Verbal
Content Warnings: (none)
Ages 2-6 and Up

Many Fringers (like myself) were introduced to Silly Miss Tilly (aka Amber Corbett) last year when she hosted the Fringe previews (with long-suffering support from Amber Bjork for pronunciations and other necessary explanations).  

Silly Miss Tilly hosts weekly karaoke for kids and families over at Can Can Wonderland.  And now she’s bringing a version of that show to the Southern Theater stage, with help from brother/sister team Lily and Zay Womack’Odell, Ellie Barber and Yong Kim (aka, Alexander Super Tramp).

There’s pre-loaded karaoke performers but also room for adventurous audience members to get up there on stage themselves and join in the fun of singing in front of strangers.

Gotta be honest, I would totally watch that.  Hence, it’s on the list.

 

Fringe 2024 Top 10 - #2 - What You Need to Do Is!

What You Need to Do Is!
Bugalug Ink (Eric Simons & Alsa Bruno)

Silly characters, real advice—What You Need to Do Is! is an improvised, life coaching seminar. You ask REAL questions and we help your solve everything from the smallest quibbles to serious GROWN FOLK BUSINESS.

Venue: Phoenix Theater
Tagged For: Comedy, Improv, Storytelling, Audience Participation
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor
Ages 12-15 and up

The reason for this one?  Alsa Bruno - the other half of the Bugalug Ink team alongside Eric Simons (aka, Clemons Samons, Owner, Coach, Power Forward)

Here's a reason it’s good to have human pictures in your Fringe publicity.  You stop and think “Hey, I know that guy!”  He’s not really Logan Jack, Renaissance Gentleman, Retired Rodeo Clown - he’s Alsa Bruno.

Alsa’s a founding member of Blackout Improv (another returning favorite for this year’s Fringe) and co-founder of the Black and Funny Improv Festival.

He was also part of the ensemble for “I Never Eat December Snowflakes,” an original holiday show concocted by the theater company Little Lifeboats back in 2015, for which I was one of the writers. 40 short pieces, chosen from at random by the audience, performed by the ensemble in rapid-fire succession until the show time ran out, or they ran out of pieces to perform, whichever came first. Not quite improv but close enough for that show.

This Fringe outing is genuine improv and though I’m intrigued by the concept, I just know Alsa delivers the funny, so that’s enough to get me in the door, and get a high placement on the top 10 list this year.

He’s also on the roster for the Blackout Improv show, so there’s a couple of places to catch him in action this Fringe. 

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #11 - TransMasculine Cabaret, Starring Vulva Va-Voom

TransMasculine Cabaret, Starring Vulva Va-Voom

Hardships, meet hilarity. "TragiComic transgender-identifying true confessional" & "obscene, maniacal burlesque star" sound incompatible...but this gritty nightclub headliner combines stranger things onstage.

Serious topics identity… presented by an absurd comedian

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre
Tagged For: Comedy, Storytelling, Drama, Musical Theater, Solo Show, Political Content, LGBTQIA+ Content
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Sexual Content, Mental Illness, Sexual Violence, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Other Divisive Content
Ages 18 and Up

I guess you could say this is part of my “gay agenda.”

I’m always looking for queer content at the Fringe because I tend to get so little of it as an audience member  the rest of the theater year.  

(Given that I’m the Literary Director at Threshold Theater, and we’re all about developing and producing new work by living LGBTQ+ playwrights, I read a lot of queer material the rest of the year, and we have public new play readings, and productions as well - but I mean, queer theater I’m not doing myself :) It’s edifying, and feeds my creative soul to see the work of others in this space.  So I’m grateful the Fringe provides a stage for plenty of it.)

With TransMasculine Cabaret, honestly, it’s the pedigree the show carries along with it into our festival.  The show postcard art and the video trailer have a list of awards and glowing critical reviews from past stagings at other Fringe festivals:

The Social Good Award, Venue Choice Award - Tampa Fringe 2023
Audience Choice Award - NYC Fringe 2024
Artist That Pushed Boundaries Between Art Forms - Asheville Fringe 2024

“Go for the heartwarming story, stay for the sheer talent of a performer that will bowl you over… a wonderful performer… beautiful and talented… the most powerful voice we’ve heard…” - NYC’s Young-Howze Theatre Journal

“Smart and provocative show… packs a wallop… fiercely unapologetic… this cabaret is indeed a VIP experience!” - NYC’s Lavender After Dark

“It’s smart, edgy and brilliant.” - The Orlando Sentinel

Any good Fringe schedule for me has some trans representation in the mix, and this show seems to be as good a place to start as any.

Check out the trailer and see if it’s for you.

 

 

Fringe 2024 - Top 10 - #1 - Least Likely To Succeed: Tales From a Midwestern Homeschooler - Tristan Miller

 

Least Likely To Succeed: Tales From a Midwestern Homeschooler

Tristan Miller

New York based comedian Tristan Miller shares their experience growing up homeschooled in Minnesota!
"Miller's Humor is unique." - The Otago Daily Times
“Captivating And Charming in equal measure" - Art Murmurs
“Surreal, Brilliant, and Highly Relatable." - TheatreReview

Venue: Bryant Lake Bowl
Tagged For: Comedy, Storytelling
Content Warnings: Adult Language
Ages 12-15 and up

After Tristan Miller landed on my radar with his 5-star stand-up show “Manic Impressive” at the 2019 Fringe, he returned again for the first virtual pandemic Fringe in 2020 (a comedy podcast project with his friend Tucker Daily Johnston called Focus Testing). In the windup to that virtual Fringe I wrote the following:

“It wasn't until I saw Tristan Miller’s preview in the traveling artists showcase prior to opening night of the festival last year that I realized, "Oh, yeah, I definitely want to see that."  His stand-up comedy show ‘Manic Impressive’ was supposed to be dealing with fun subjects like bipolar disorder and depression, and given that my mother had just died a month before the festival, I wasn't entirely sure I was up for it.  But while Miller may be a comedian with a mission, he's still a comedian first and a very funny one.  My tweet review at the time was ‘to be brief, Tristan Miller’s stand-up show Manic Impressive was... both :) An entertaining, informative and quite circuitous tour through a brain that can make his life challenging sometimes - 5 stars.’  Basically after that introduction, I'm down for whatever he's doing next.”

All that’s still true.

That’s the thing about drafting these lists prior to any previews happening.  Sometimes you miss a gem in the flurry of dozens of offerings where you’re just making your best guess.  But the upside is, once you know, you’ve got an easy top of the list for the next time they appear on the Fringe schedule.

Do I also find it amusing that I’m giving the #1 slot to a show called “Least Likely To Succeed?”  Absolutely, that’s just a bonus.

Oddly enough, as I was drafting this, Tristan started messaging me - just in case I hadn’t already noticed he was coming back with a new show.

Why yes, Tristan, I did notice.  (Hopefully, he’ll be pleasantly surprised.  I told him he was on the top 10 list, I didn’t mention I’d slotted him in at the top already.)

He mentioned this year’s show is “a new hour of stand up” and that it’s “a lot lighter than Manic Impressive! It’s nice to be working on something more goofy.”

I remember smiling and laughing a lot during “Manic Impressive” and laughs were hard to come by for me in the summer of 2019 (as previously stated) so I was doubly grateful for Tristan’s skills as a comedian.

Tristan’s bio on the Fringe site this year says: “As a comedy performer Tristan has been featured in The Devil Fest and Devil Cup Comedy Festivals along with the Minnesota and Kansas City Fringe Festivals in the USA and The Dunedin, Wellington, and Nelson Fringe Festivals in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Tristan's material runs the gamut of mental health, identity, religion, politics, social issues, along with a grab bag of characters and impressions!”

If you need further convincing, Tristan’s social media feeds and YouTube channel have lots of examples of his humor and other insights.

The Bryant Lake Bowl is a little trickier to get to this year because of construction on Lake Street, but shows like Least Likely To Succeed: Tales From a Midwestern Homeschooler are the kind of thing that make it worth the extra effort to get to the venue.  And I shall.  If you need a laugh, I’ll hopefully see you there.

Fringe 2024 - Returning Favorite - Lily Conforti, Corpus Dance Works

 

All The Hullabaloo
Corpus Dance Works (formerly LC Creations) - Lily Conforti

In this dance show we rip through the cereal box of life looking for the prize at the bottom. Milking the nostalgia of our youth; we loop through the woes of adulthood because in the end…Trix are only for kids.

 

Venue: Southern Theater
Tagged For: Dance, Storytelling
Content Warnings: (none)
Ages 7-11 and up

I nearly missed this one in the listings because of the company’s name change, but the minute I saw Lily Conforti’s name as choreographer I realized one of my new favorite dance companies was returning for another Fringe and I was quite happy. (Auto-correct keeps wanting to make her last name Confetti, but it's not an entirely unwarranted instinct - her shows are celebrations that aren't afraid to play with making a mess :)

The company used to go by the name LC Creations, which is the name they had during their 2019 Fringe outing Botanical Dancing which caught my eye (and a lot of other folks’) during previews.  That was still the name they had when they returned with the rest of us after a two year pandemic pause in 2022’s Fringe with I think we are supposed to be ‘Coming of Age’ by now.

Both times, five-star entertainment in my opinion.

The first time, my preview write-up of Botanical Dancing was more exhaustive than my response after seeing the show - just a quick tweet review there:

Botanical Dancing: what a fun, joyous little dance party that was; dancers conveying the love of what they do directly to the audience without saying a word, just moving (and painting) with their bodies, delightful - 5 stars

(That was the year Mom died a month before the Fringe Festival so I’m still surprised, frankly, that I managed to attend every day of the festival that year and see a show in pretty much every slot. I was still a bit raw and shell-shocked. That I managed even the briefest of notes as a record still astonishes me.  Wish I’d had it in me to write more expansively on the last pre-Covid Fringe. There were a lot of great shows that year, well worth going on about at length, Botanical Dancing included.  All that said, joy was in pretty short supply that year, so the fact that a dance show was able to elicit that sort of happy response from me at the time is kind of miraculous.  Very grateful for that show at that moment.)

I think we are supposed to be ‘Coming of Age’ by now got more of the standard full review treatment.  Still the same joy, love and energy, this time with a rock band thrashing away as their accompaniment.  Great fun in a completely different way.  Of the show, I said in part: “While I’m glad I had the ear plugs (it was still plenty loud, I didn’t miss anything), I’m also very glad I was there.  You’re not liable to find a more fun dance show in the Fringe this year.  They’re serious about dance.  But they’re also serious about enjoying themselves, as is the band, and they want to make sure you enjoy yourself, too, whether you come up on stage for the dance party at end the end or not.  I’m very excited to see whatever they do next.”

And now here they are with what’s next, which involves a lot of breakfast cereal, among other elements.  

The “More Information” tab on their show page has pictures and further detail on the show and its origins:

“The idea for this show came from experiencing our own individual post grad identity crises. In our conversations, we began to reminisce on the simple pleasures of childhood, like solving the maze on the back of the cereal box and reaching for the prize at the bottom. The plot of our work is also driven by a diverse musical score that gives momentum to the peaks and valleys of our story. We crave to bring whimsy and vigor to the stage through dance that snap, crackles and pops to life with bright colors, eclectic music and boxes and boxes of cereal. This dance show really is one size fits all; it appeals to the theater nuts, the dance maniacs, and the cereal eaters; what more could you want!?

This show is a collaboration that brings contemporary dance, pantomime, and nostalgia to the Fringe stage. It is a reflective birds eye view of the unanticipated emotional roller coaster of post academia life. This story arc is carried on a vehicle of colorful cereal advertising, irony, and vigorous movement. We dance an ode to the wheaties eaters, a sonnet to the Bran lovers, and a ballad to those who wake up and try everyday. In the most SERIOUS of contemporary dance works, we will be asking the hard questions of: Who pissed in your cheerios this morning?”

They’ve contained messes before (paint, no less), so I’m sure they’re on top of the way cereal can get out of hand sometimes as a prop. The pictures promise another intriguing ensemble romp so I’m very much looking forward to it.  If you’ve seen them before, I don’t need to convince you to go to this one.  If you haven’t seen them yet, treat yourself this year. Dance has rarely been more accessible and fun as it is in the hands of these artists.

 

(Photography by: Olivia Smith)