Fringe 2026 Top 11-20 - #11 - Dawn Bentley - The Quiet Piggy

The Quiet Piggy

Description: 
Minnesota Fringe Executive Director and theatre virgin Dawn Bentley makes her first (and only?) fringe show. A personal, political, and playful storytelling experience fantasizing about how IT finally happens.
Venue - Strike Theater
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Crude Humor, Loud Noises, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content - Clowning, Comedy, Drama, Improv, Physical Theater, Solo Show, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Political Content
Ages 16 and Up

I am embarrassed at how long it took my brain to figure out what the “IT” and thus subject of this show, was about.

The words “Quiet, Piggy” side by side like that should have lit up my synapses.

Thankfully, Dawn’s More Information tab had a handy link to a delightful Instagram account called

Is He Dead Yet?

Upon clicking that line, finally my brain went:

OHHHHHHHHHH!

Wow, I’m dumb.

Also, Dawn has populated her Video tab on the show page with the pithy comedy song “On the Day It Finally Happens” from the amusingly named band “Malort and Savior”


Which puts me in mind of the suddenly newly popular cover of an old Irving Berlin song from World War II, entitled “When That Man Is Dead And Gone”. (The band in this video had to admit in interviews that they were a bit surprised by the virality their post abruptly achieved for one of Berlin’s more obscure numbers, but such are the times in which we live these days…)


And this also puts me in mind of a line I misremembered from a trailer for a movie which had the misfortune of coming out in 2020 (sad trombone) entitled Falling, written, directed and starring Viggo Mortensen (which I had also somehow forgotten) about an adult son bringing his abusive elderly father back home to (attempt to) care for him, after the father’s memory starts failing, but not making his personality any easier to deal with.  Viggo’s character’s sister is played by Laura Linney and at the very end of the trailer for the movie, she has brought their father home from the hospital and she leans in and whispers in her brother’s ear:

“Heaven doesn’t want him and Hell keeps sending him back.”

Which I had misremembered as:

“God won’t take him, and the Devil keeps sending him back.”

Same difference.

Needless to say, my dearly departed mother, running Democratic phone banks and door-knocking campaigns out of her kitchen and living room, would have insisted on being front row center for this one.  She’d probably be suffering MSNBC/MSNOW withdrawal on her Fringe vacation, so this would be her kind of entertainment.

The press packet materials offer this additional enticement:

“Featuring recorded and live music, bouffon clowning, poorly executed puppetry, a pantload of swears, and a touch of bodybuilding.”

Dawn has also recruited three of the best comedy minds in the Twin Cities to help her craft this performance - Rita Boersma and (previously mentioned) Jen Scott as co-directors and Heather Meyer as dramaturg.

So this one should be a barn-burner.

Though the More Information tab also hastens to quote a disclaimer from an interview Dawn did with Mankato Free Press (on the day before the 4th of July):

“The views of the show that I am making are not of Minnesota Fringe, or trustees or staff or anyone associated with the organization. This is just Dawn Bentley doing the show that Dawn Bentley wants to do.”

This makes the fourth out of the six shows at the Strike Theater venue that I very much want to see this year.

Looks like I’m spending a chunk of my Fringe at Strike.  Now I just need to work out the schedule.

 

 

Fringe 2026 Top 10 - #1 - Wells Farnham - Stage Presents

Stage Presents 

Description: 
Third Fringe, and Wells thinks he's figured out the game. And he wants to share it with you! Work disasters, spirit world snafus, post Pearl Jam snacks, bootleg CDs, stories that'll make you go, "Oh Geez!"
Venue - Southern Theater
Content Warnings - Adult Language
Genre and Content - Comedy, Solo Show, Storytelling
Ages 16 and Up

Apparently, I started writing this blog post a year ago with my review of Wells Farnham’s previous show in the 2025 Fringe, “I Have Griefances”

Wells quotes me on the More Information tab of his show page on the Fringe site:

"I Have Griefances - solid recommendation from friends on this one; Wells Farnham delivers a very funny solo show that is oddly sweet despite all the profanity, in tribute to the multiple members of his family that keep coming down with various strains of cancer ... By the time you read this, it might be too late to catch Wells Farnham’s final performance of "I Have Griefances"... but make a note in your Fringe journal for later.  Because Wells Farnham is a determined artist, who will keep coming back to the Fringe (wait list or no), as long as he has stories to tell.  And I’m sure he’s just getting started.  So if you don’t manage to catch him this time, keep an eye out for him next time around, and make him part of your Fringe scheduling plans.  5 stars - Very Highly Recommended - Single White Fringe Geek"

And the title of his show this year I think comes from a backhanded compliment he also quotes from another review of last year’s show in the Pioneer Press:

“What Farnham lacks in natural stage presence, he makes up for in sheer enthusiastic force of will, making his solo monologue deeply entertaining.”

Stage presence

Stage Presents

(I love a good homonym) (I think it’s a homonym, anyway, good joke out of the gate with the title)

I also love a performer with a well-tuned self of humor about themselves and their work.

Something else I said in my review was that the show was:

“a skilled piece of comedic storytelling.”

And I ended the show by saying:

“The good storytelling is already there - people just need to find it.”

So, if this post can give his new show a boost, I’m happy to do it.

My full review has still more compliments about Wells and his show so you can read that if you need further convincing.

Also, the press packet materials have this extra pitch:

“Wells Farnham is a veteran Twin Cities improvisor/storyteller/comedian.  After spending several years as a perennial waitlister, he debuted in the 2023 MN Fringe Festival with, "Wells Is Third On The Waitlist."  He came off the waitlist again for the 2025 festival with his sophomore effort, "I Have Griefances."  And something happened this year that's never happened before, he got picked in the lottery.  He returns this year with, "Stage Presents."  Wells continues to explore what it means to be a solo fringe artist, and what exactly makes a fringe show, while also trying to connect with audiences with stories and ideas that are grounded, silly, relatable, and ridiculous.”

Last year, the vagaries of the Fringe schedule weren’t working in Wells’ favor, as his performances were all front-loaded in the first half of the festival, with his final performance on a Wednesday, didn’t even make it all the way to closing weekend for word of mouth to help him out a bit more.

This year, Wells does at least have one performance in the back half of the festival, but it’s on Sunday of closing weekend - his other four performances are all front-loaded again, this time with his next to last, rather than last, performance on Wednesday of Fringe week.

So don’t wait, catch him early.

That’s my plan.

Turns out, he has a show on opening night of the festival, and it’s in the same venue right after another show I wanted to see early and help spread the word about as well.

Southern Theater, 5:30pm, opening night, opening slot, is Tyler West’s show “Small Minded” - which I wrote about in my Returning Favorites coverage.

7pm slot right after that at the Southern?  Wells Farnham, Stage Presents.

My opening night this year is rapidly taking shape.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Michael Shaeffer - Glengarry Glen Elvis

I’ll be honest.  If anyone else was attempting to do this show but Michael Shaeffer, I would have some serious doubts.

But Michael Shaeffer is indeed doing this so… I have to admit I’m extremely curious.

Michael has been mixing sources and genres for years now in his spoken word and solo shows, even before my fellow Fringe blogger, the late great Kate Hoff (may her memory be a blessing) told me, “This guy should be on your list of artists to check out” back in 2008.

The only thing that’s different this time is there’s a whole cast of people around him, and he’s an Elvis impersonator planted in the middle of a David Mamet play (?)

Glengarry Glen Elvis

Description: 
Elvis Presley stirs up trouble at an unscrupulous real-estate agency. Jumpsuits jitter and F-bombs fly as a post-Vegas career suddenly involves the temptations of grand theft and a fever for the rock 'n' roll.
Venue - Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Content Warnings - Adult language, Crude humor, Loud Noises
Genre and Content - Comedy, Musical Theater, Literary Adaptation
Ages 16 and Up

The press packet provides this additional detail:

“In a musical that's equal parts homage to David Mamet's stage drama and prequel parody to the cult film Bubba Ho-Tep, guitar man Sebastian Haff (Elvis Presley) stirs up trouble at an unscrupulous real-estate agency.  Pressures mount, jumpsuits jitter, and F-bombs fly as holding down a post-Vegas career suddenly involves the temptations of grand theft, fraud, and an unstoppable fever for the rock ‘n’ roll limelight.  Come witness the King of Rock 'n' Roll TCB on the ABC - Always. Be. Closing.”

And the More Information tab on their show page offers not only their trailer



But also the following sampler of influences which led to the creation of this Fringey cocktail of content:

“For any potential patron who is on the fence regarding attending our rock 'n' roll fable, here's all you need to know going into the show - a curated set of movie trailers to help you imagine the concoction we've put together.  Having seen these movies in their entirety is great, but not required to enjoy the slapstick that awaits you at Theatre in the Round.

Just add equal parts these three trailers:

Glengarry Glen Ross 
(blogger note: the 1992 film adaptation of David Mamet’s 1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning play)



Bubba Ho-Tep 
(blogger note: the 2002 horror comedy in which Bruce Campbell, of Evil Dead fame, is an aging Elvis impersonator recovering from a broken hip in a nursing home and must team up with Ossie Davis to confront the supernatural monster stalking the halls and patients of the facility)

 

and 3,000 Miles to Graceland
(blogger note: the 2001 heist film in which Elvis impersonators Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell stage an armed robbery of a Las Vegas casino)



 

At this point, you’re either cautiously intrigued like I am or…

I mean, be honest, we’ve all seen weirder things at the Fringe, right?  It’s not that far out there, all things considered :)

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

  

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - an alleged Theatre Company - FAST Death of a Salesman, ALSO I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You

We have sort of an Arthur Miller/Fantastic Four, ensemble/solo show double feature situation here.

Jake Mierva, Co-Artistic Director and Production Manager of an alleged Theatre Company, in addition to writing and directing alleged’s entry in this year’s Fringe:

FAST Death of a Salesman – an alleged Theatre Company

Description: 
Dr. Duke Didier is putting on a production of Death of a Salesman, in order to prove to his nephew that the play is still relevant in 2026. Too bad his nephew, Braedyn, couldn't give a shit.
Venue - Rarig Thrust
Content Warnings - Adult language, Crude Humor
Genre and Content - Comedy, Audience Participation
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

Jake has also written and is performing his own solo show on a completely different topic

I Will Become The Silver Surfer.  I Will Protect You – Jake Mierva

Description: 
Galactus has chosen Earth as his next target. But don't worry. I will stop him. I will save you all. I will become The Silver Surfer.
Venue - Rarig Thrust
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Mental Illness, Suicidal ideation/self-harm
Genre and Content - Comedy, Solo Show, Audience Participation
Ages 16 and up

So, a little something for everybody.

The press packet also says this about “FAST Death of a Salesman” - 

“A theatre professor's attempt to prove the relevance of Theatre, and Death of a Salesman. 

an alleged Theatre Company returns to the MN Fringe with a new comedy, all about the relevance of Death of a Salesman, and Theatre as a whole. This insane, absurd comedy plays with everything we love, and hate, about the art form.”

Jake also dropped me an email about both upcoming shows:

“Firstly, an alleged Theatre Company is doing an original, comedic show, called FAST Death of a Salesman. It’s all about an aging theatre director who is desperately trying to relate to his 10 year old nephew, by putting on a production of Death of a Salesman for him. It’s insane, it’s chaotic, and of course it is FAST. 

It’ll be a lot of fun, and I hope you can be there!”

The press packet added about “I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You” - 

“Jake Mierva, one of the Artistic Directors of an alleged Theatre Company, is debuting his first solo show. One Man's Manic Episode on Guilt, Grief, and Galactus.”

And Jake’s email offered a bit more context:

“Second, I’m doing a solo show for the first time ever. It’s a little different than anything I’ve done with an alleged Theatre Company before, so I’m very eager to show off a different side of myself with that. It’s called I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You. It’s all about a man who believes he must become the comic book character, The Silver Surfer, in order to save the world. It’s more of a dramedy, dealing with real mental health struggles of mine. 

As are all of our shows, they’re sure to be weird and experimental, in the best possible way.”

If you’re trying to get a feel for the kind of weird they are (and you haven’t already seen any of their shows, which would of course make that plain), the Company Members page of alleged’s website has headshots and then elaborate humorous fake bios, with an option to read an actual serious version of their bios, if you’re interested.

The tag line on their website is “Award-winning Comedy Theatre That’s Always Entertaining (allegedly)”

an alleged Theatre Company was on my pre-Fringe Top 20 list back in 2019 with “Which Middle Name of ‘Philip Seymour Hoffman’ Are You?” which I quite enjoyed (even though that was a very weird year of attending Fringe for me personally). My 5 star mini-review at the time said, “such a fun, odd, razor-sharp bit of satirical comedy writing, breathless performance, and audience interaction; just wonderfully absurd.”

I didn’t quite connect with their 2022 Fringe outing “3 Guys On Stage Who Get Hit With Hot Dogs, Snow Cones, Etc.” even though it still ranked at 4.5 stars out of 5 for me.  At the time I posted, “Torn; they executed the concept perfectly but I kept thinking 1) tired of stories where cruelty wins; 2) waste of food and water; they’re *really* good; I just may not be their audience (sigh)”

But then in last year’s Fringe I gave them another shot with their 2025 show “The Temporary Tattoo Trio” and we were back up to a 5 star review again because, “this time, I get it; while I don't always "get" the oddball sensibility of an alleged Theatre Co.'s work, this awkward tale of fraying bonds of friendship and reluctant growing up, combined with amusing audience interaction, connects with me”

All along, of course, alleged has been packing in the audiences, getting great reviews, and grabbing multiple Fringe Golden Lanyard awards at the end of each festival, whether I attend and like their shows or not so I’m clearly an outlier.  Fringe audiences and artists alike have really embraced an alleged Theatre Company’s brand of weird, awkward, comedic theater productions (and I mean all three of those adjectives in the best possible way).

I’m thinking the Silver Surfer solo show may be more to my taste this year, but I also have to admit that I really enjoy the way the alleged collaborators play around with the conventions of live performance, so a ridiculously fast-paced Death of a Salesman is likely to also be quite entertaining.

So there’s two more production to cram into the schedule.  Too many good options is a good problem to have.  The Fringe scheduling puzzle continues to fold in on itself…

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

  

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites from Years Past

Here's a list of links to all the posts about returning favorites in the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival (alphabetical by show title):

After the End - One T Productions (Scot Froelich, Sheree Froelich)

Following a devastating global pandemic, Jeff is left to fend for himself. Twelve years later, he’s built a farm, a solar array, and – to pass the time - a hobby of playing guitar for the audience in his head. 

Apologies for the Late Reply - Ben San Del

Stand-up comedy about salvaging sanity in our age of crazy presented by four-time Minnesota Fringe encore winning producer and Acme Comedy Co.'s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities title holder Ben San Del. 

 

 

 

Bay Creek - Derek Lee Miller

Four generations of smugglers from the river bottoms of Pike County, IL deal with their legacy of violence and crime, and the terrifying entity they accidentally smuggled over the veil from the other side.

 

 

Be Not Afraid - Third Space Theater (Alex Church)

2012. A struggling farm in a northwestern North Dakota town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning. A savior is coming.

 

 

 

Buckeroohaiku's Reverse Armando - Button Productions (Ryan Klima)

True stories. Masterful improvisation. Kate Button spills the stories, while the Twin Cities top improvisors weave them into comedy gold! Brace yourself for an evening of raw, unfiltered hilarity!

 

 

 

Bury The Leads - Special When Lit (Nissa Nordland, Sam Landman)

Meet Clyde & Faye, two character actors navigating an industry of auditions, rejections, bit parts and false starts. Sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, it's improv so grounded, it seems scripted.

 

 

Cyrano - Small Waves

A queer heroic comedy in five acts. The story you never knew you already know, like you've never seen it before. An adaptation of Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doozy - Dolly Who (Destiny Davison)

A good friend never forgets. Too bad, Dolly did. But no worries, it's her day off! No agenda, no script, no work...and all the time in the world for a little sweet, sweet revenge.

 

 

 

FAST Death of a Salesman - an alleged Theatre Company (Jake Mierva)

Dr. Duke Didier is putting on a production of Death of a Salesman, in order to prove to his nephew that the play is still relevant in 2026. Too bad his nephew, Braedyn, couldn't give a shit. 

 

 

I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You - Jake Mierva

Galactus has chosen Earth as his next target. But don't worry. I will stop him. I will save you all. I will become The Silver Surfer.

 

 

 The Importance of Living - Mermaid Productions (Ariel Pinkerton, Tim Uren)

Samuel and Louise really know how to live; no morals, no regrets, no limits, no future. It's the night before their reckoning day and they've come to crack a bottle of wine, swap tales, and have a little fun.

 

Latin Papi - CuerpoxCuerpo - Gabriel Mata

Latin Papi is a bold, playful, and provocative contemporary dance performance blending sensual movement, voice, humor, and theatrical flair created by Armani Rey Colón and Gabriel Mata of CuerpoxCuerpo.

 

  

 

The Local Music Scene - JimJam Media (Philip Simondet)

Improv inspired by local music. Local musicians perform original songs live. Between songs the Local Music Scene cast improvise scenes inspired by the lyrics. LOCAL MUSIC; improvised SCENEs

  

 

More Better Stories - American School of Storytelling

Storytellers Jon Carlson, Vianna Isbister, Bernadine Joselyn, Hank Roubicek - each tell three times, and Erin Ferdinand, Kory May, Christopher Nelson, Laura Packer, and Anne Wiborg do "one off's" with stories for adults.

 

 

Quadrilogy, a Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza! (Mahmoud Hakima)

A game show in three rounds with audience participation. Answer questions, build Lego, have fun, win prizes! A different theme every night. Artist proceeds go to benefit the Sabathani Community Center.

 

 

A Revolution Highly Favorable - Maximum Verbosity - phillip andrew bennett low

On the 250th anniversary of American Independence, listen to the words of those who were there! Adapting for the first time 18th-century combat medic, historian, and POW David Ramsay, this fully AI-illustrated show features a different collection of readings each night.

 

Road Trip! - Chris Davis

Too expensive to go on a road trip? Then join two improv comedians as they take a ROAD TRIP without ever leaving the theater! You don’t need to pitch in for gas, just pitch in suggestions for destinations and leave the “driving” and comedy to them. Where will there journey take them? That’s for you to know and us to find out!

 

Silent Movie! - The Improv Movement Project (Mark Benzel, Sean Dillon, Victoria Pyan)

What happens when you get a group of physical improvisers to make a movie – but without the sets, lights, costumes, props, crew, dialogue . . . or movie. A new genre-smashing cinematic epic each performance.

 

Small Minded - Tyler West

When Tyler was a little boy he wanted to grow up and be a clown. Come to find out it was a lot harder to achieve the former, than the latter. 'Small Minded' features magic, juggling, clowning, and much more! Is being a dwarf clown REALLY half the size, but double the fun? Or is Tyler West just Small Minded? Either way, this show features juggling, magic, Shakespeare, story-telling, and some Ha-Ha's! from the heart.

 

Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets (Jex Arzayus, Mahmoud Hakima)

An improvised soap opera inspired by audience suggestions. Our cast will create a show filled with your favorite soap opera tropes: steamy affairs, family betrayals, love triangles, seduction, and so much more!

 

Sound and Noise and Bodies - Octoberdandy Productions (Jen Scott)

Fringe veteran Jen Scott presents a one-person storytelling show, a music-show, a bit of a clown show, all about being human and maybe being heard.

 

 

the statue of liberty is nora in a doll's house by henrik ibsen - SUPERMOON (Caleb Matthew Byers, Claudia Errickson, Mads Plonski, Michael Torsch

The Statue of Liberty prepares for and performs Nora in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. This performance is about doors, lies, and the morphed American definition/concept of liberty. It's an Americana kaleidoscopic ritual praying for a miracle.

 

Stories from the Trauma Dump (Jex Arzayus, Allison Broeren, Shanan Custer, Mahmoud Hakima, Rev. Matt Kessen, Nissa Nordland, Ariel Pinkerton, Duck Washington)

A collective storytelling show featuring local artists sharing humorous tales around mental health. Personal or fantastical, these stories aim to share experience and possibly find catharsis through comedy.

 

Tech - Mike Fotis

This year's Fringe show opens tomorrow. The props are assembled. The actors have memorized (most of) their lines. The director has blocked the show. There’s only one thing left to do…TECH THE SHOW.

 

 

Witness Loudly - Kyle B. Dekker

Operation Metro Surge pitted armed ICE agents against the residents of Minnesota. Kyle B. Dekker recreates a live rapid response call on stage based on his own experiences as a constitutional observer, also  discussing the impact of the event on him and his neighbors. 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Derek Lee Miller - Bay Creek

Horror is not my thing, so it is a high compliment that for Derek Lee Miller, I will sit through a solo horror show.

Bay Creek

Description: 
Four generations of smugglers from the river bottoms of Pike County, IL deal with their legacy of violence and crime, and the terrifying entity they accidentally smuggled over the veil from the other side.
Venue - Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Content Warnings - Horror, Solo Show, Storytelling
Genre and Content - Adult Language, Drug Content, Loud Noises, Violence
Ages 16 and Up

The press materials add:

“‘Bay Creek’ is an original solo horror show by Derek Lee Miller set in the playwright's actual home county in Illinois, based in part on family stories and local legends. It explores Mississippi River culture, smuggling, and the cycle of violence within families through a supernatural thriller. The show premiered at the Green Bay Fringe, where it won the Boomerang Award, and ran in the Twin Cities Horror Festival. Cherry and Spoon described it as "a good old-fashioned ghost story, brilliantly written and performed," and The Stages of MN said, "Miller is never less than completely hypnotizing."

The More Information tab for this show page says, among other things:

“Bay Creek is a work of fiction, but Pike County, Illinois is a real place. I'm from there. No, it's  not anywhere near Chicago. According to family lore, my great-grandfather really did smuggle liquor across the Mississippi River. There are signs on some river bridges really warning that smuggling cigarettes across state lines is a crime. There really was a very public shooting in a cafe in Pittsfield back in the '50s. My dad really did once tell me "There's bodies buried out in those fields they'll never find." My mom says she really has seen ghosts. A lot of people in Pike County will tell you the same. That being said, this play is entirely a work of fiction. Really.

To get a flavor of the kinds of supernatural stories people down there tell, I would recommend reading ‘Legends and Lore of Southern Illinois’ by John W. Allen, but I fear I may be one of the few people left with a physical copy.”

Derek landed at the top of pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2006 alongside the rest of his compatriots in Perpetual Motion Theater Company when they performed their play “The Depth of the Ocean” (aka, that Fringe show on a life raft in the lap pool of a YWCA - which is now closed, but that’s the pandemic’s fault, not the Fringe’s :)

In discussing Derek’s solo show "The Banana Wars," I once posted, “[Derek] still makes me feel like an unread philistine most of the time but he doesn’t judge so it’s fine.”  People who are smarter and more multi-talented than I am both intimidate and fascinate me.  I like watching them cook.  And Derek’s been creating great theater, on his own and in collaboration with bunches of other talented stage artists, for quite a few Fringes now.  You don’t have to take my word for it, just peruse his bio…

"Derek is a long-time Fringe performer now on his 22nd year in a row at Minnesota Fringe, where he has been an actor, writer, designer, musician and whatever else needs to be done to make the show happen. You may have seen him at Fringe 
with Sandbox Theatre in “June of Arc” and “Marie-Jeanne Valet, Who Defeated la Bete du Gevaudan;” 
with Transatlantic Love Affair in “Ballad of the Pale Fisherman,” “Ash Land,” “Red Resurrected,” “These Old Shoes,” “105 Proof” and “5x5;”
with The Winding Sheet Outfit in “Blood Nocturne,” “You Are Cordially Invited to the Life and Death of Edward Lear,” “Stabby Stab Stab,” “Årsgång” and “The Spirit Moves You to Color the Unseen,” 
or in his solo shows “Know Your B-Movie Actors” and “The Banana Wars.” 
You can also catch him again at this year's festival in “A Confluence of Magical Arseholes”

Originally from Pike County in west central Illinois, Derek earned a BFA in acting from Millikin University, and has been a resident of the Twin Cities since 2003. 
He is the former Artistic Director of Sandbox Theatre 
and a founding ensemble member of Transatlantic Love Affair. 
He also illustrated the children's book ‘The Princess in the Clouds.’
You can see more about what Derek has gotten up to in the past at derekleemiller.com
and if you want to know what he's doing when he's not on stage, you can follow along as he continues to build an overly-complicated cabin in the woods at The Birchlands”

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Special When Lit - Bury The Leads

This is another one of those “two favorite artists in one” kind of production situations at the Fringe.

First there’s Special When Lit, Nissa Nordland’s entity for producing the shows she creates.

And the other half of this improv duo for "Bury The Leads" is Sam Landman, who was memorable as Colonel Sanders in Special When Lit’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” when they landed on my pre-Fringe Top 10 List in 2022.

But Sam was also on a pre-Fringe Top 10 List himself back in 2010 with his hilariously inappropriate comedy “A Sad Carousel” which spawned an equally amusing sequel last year, “A Sad Carousel 2: The Timely Death of Herschel Douscheberg.”

Meanwhile last year, Special When Lit took a break from the horror genre to revisit Nissa’s teenage years in high school, which I guess is another kind of horror for some of us, but she naturally created a very weird and funny show  called “Fangs and Bangs (and Sangs)” revisiting her journals and sexy vampire fan fiction writing from the time, with music numbers and special guests to help her do “dramatic” readings.  Great fun.

Nissa and Sam have been working on this new long-form improv concept over the past year but I haven’t yet had a chance to catch it in action, so I’m very happy they’re bringing it to the Fringe so I can finally get my butt in the theater to see it.

Bury The Leads

Description: 
Meet Clyde & Faye, two character actors navigating an industry of auditions, rejections, bit parts and false starts. Sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, it's improv so grounded, it seems scripted.
Venue - Mixed Blood
Content Warnings - Adult language, Crude Humor, Sexual content
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Improv, Audience Participation
Ages 16 and Up

The press packet has some great detail about the genesis of the project:

“Two character actors navigating the business of show and life in a unique long form improv format. 

It all started with an unsuccessful film audition. Afterwards, Sam & Nissa commiserated about being consistently cast in character roles. So, they developed an improv set that focused on them as the leads, despite not being traditional leading actors. While this show leans into the ridiculous aspects of show business, audiences say that there’s a relatable quality of striving to be the main character yet never achieving it. If that sounds melancholy, that’s why this structured, long form improv is unique. It’s not always meant to be comedic in the same way life isn’t meant to be.”

And as usual both artists’ bios are informative as well as entertaining to read:

"Nissa Nordland
Faye/Co-creator/Producer
Nissa Nordland (she/her) is an actor, writer, improviser, producer and musician in the Twin Cities. She is the Artistic Director of Twin Cities Horror Festival; founder of Special When Lit; company member of Theatre Pro Rata; member of the Playwright's Cabal, alum mainstage cast member/writer of the Brave New Workshop and co-creator of improv duo Bury The Leads. She's received honors from the Atlanta Fringe Festival for Writing and has been a Finalist for the McKnight Fellowship in Playwrighting (2023, 2024 & 2026). Nissa is represented by Ruggiero Models and Talent as on-camera talent. Her recent Minnesota Fringe credits include: Xena & Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy (writer/Gabrielle), Finger Lickin' Good (co-writer/chicken ensemble/producer), Stabby Stab Stab (writer/co-producer/Morgan), and Fangs and Bangs (& Sangs) (writer/producer/performer). In the acting world, Nissa has been compared to lots of redheads, including Alyson Hannigan, Lucille Ball, Jessica Chastain, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) and the nude oracle from 300. Nissa thinks Anne Hathaway is overrated. 100%. You can’t convince her otherwise. She's not sorry. You hate her now. Don’t debate her at Fringe Central tonight. Nissa can also be seen in the August 6th performance of Stories From the Trauma Dump.

Sam Landman
Clyde/Co-Creator
Sam’s one of those annoying performers who bops between “legitimate” theater and improvisational “make-‘em-ups.” He’s acted with many companies over the years, including Yellow Tree Theatre, History Theatre, Park Square Theatre, Sandbox Theatre, Theatre Pro Rata, plus a bunch of other theaters with the word “theatre” in them. On the improv side, he’s been cast in the long-running, two-act show, Family Dinner for several holiday seasons, first at HUGE, then at the Brave New Workshop. Sam has also been in a few improv shows at Strike Theater, specifically “Holiday Office Party” and “Wish You Were Here,” a show about grief. All of these acting experiences have prepared him to create (and perform in) an improv format like Bury The Leads. Actors he’s usually compared to are Richard Dreyfuss, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Wilford Brimley, and the kid from “A Christmas Story.” In terms of an overrated actor, he’s sticking with his stock answer: Sinbad.”

It sounds like this is just the kind of real, human comedy I’m going to enjoy, so I’m very much looking forward to it.

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

  

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - The Improv Movement Project - Silent Movie!

The Improv Movement Project (all movement, no words) was created by Mark Benzel and Sean Dillon

Benzel was in the previously mentioned “Clown Funeral” last year, while Dillon was in my pre-Fringe Top 10 last year presenting another improvisational concept alongside Michael DallaValle in “Final Dress.”

Victoria Pyan is another a member of the IMP ensemble, and her theater company Little Lifeboats was in my pre-Fringe Top 10 back in 2015.

The IMP cast of improvisers also includes John Hilsen (Music Director and Musican providing the musical accompaniment to the proceedings) and Mandi Bedbury, Rachel Buhman, Evie Digirolamo, Elizabeth Dunn, Luke Fanning, Gregory Parks, and Erin Sheppard.

My response to their 2024 show “Collidescope” was “super inventive improv with no words, just musical accompaniment; very physical group of improvisors; extremely amusing, even if there were a handful of times I had no idea what was going on :) - 4.5 stars”

So the idea of a silent movie framework is pretty much perfect for these folks.  

Silent Movie! in Actual 3-D
Description:
What happens when you get a group of physical improvisers to make a movie – but without the sets, lights, costumes, props, crew, dialogue . . . or movie. A new genre-smashing cinematic epic each performance.
Venue - Barker Center
Content Warnings - Gun/Weapon Usage, Violence
Genre and Content - Clowning, Improv, Comedy, Drama, Original Music, Physical Theater, Non-Verbal
Ages 7 to 11 and Up

The press packet materials provide a bit more information:

“A new/spontaneous/physical/speechless "cinematic" journey created live on stage each performance.

The award-winning Improv Movement Project's company of clowns, dancers, mimes, acrobats, improvisers, and movement-theater mavens is turning its eyes toward the movies! Starting from a randomly-selected mash-up of genres, they'll use their bodies to give us everything we love about the cinema: The epic stories! The jaw-dropping action! Even the inspired camera work! It's all improvised -- created collaboratively in real time -- without a single spoken word, and set to a musical score created at the very same time!”

Their More Information tab on the show page also has some helpful background about who they are:

“The Improv Movement Project was founded by Sean Dillon and Mark Benzel in 2023, on the conviction that bodies — all bodies— are capable of beautiful, profound, hilarious communication that too often gets drowned out on stage by the primacy of the spoken word. So we've made it our mission to help the Twin Cities theater and improv scenes become more body-centric through performing and teaching word-free improvisation. We are joined in this work by a standing, moving, expanding company of artists drawn from a variety of performance disciplines — among them improv, dance, mime, clown, acrobatics, aerial silks, and devised physical theater.

Our inaugural production Collidescope was a last-minute add and a Golden Lanyard winner at the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, declared "Fringey AF." We collaborated with Strike Theater on The Walls in the 2025 Twin Cities Horror Festival, and have enjoyed performing at a variety of venues across the Twin Cities and beyond.”

I’m super curious to see how this concept plays out.

 

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Octoberdandy Productions - Sound and Noise and Bodies

Octoberdandy Productions is Jen Scott, and last year she landed on my pre-Fringe Top 20 list by gathering a handful of her clowning, improv comedy friends and together they created “Clown Funeral,” which is exactly what the title says, a funeral for a clown, attended by clowns.  If you had the pleasure of seeing it, as I did, then you know how delightfully odd it was.  If you didn’t see it, you really can’t imagine just how strange the ceremony was.  My 5-star online mini-review barely scratches the surface but it gives you a taste:

“red noses for all! 4 distinctive clowns, a lecturing banana, a dolly cart that is also Dolly Parton, a corpse with a surprise, a reading of a will as insult comedy, audience singalongs, the most amusing funeral I've had the pleasure to attend (HONK!); 5 stars”

This year, Jen returns to the venue of Theatre in the Round with a multi-disciplinary solo show called “Sound and Noise and Bodies” and it may have more genre tags in its description that it does details about the show itself :)

Description: 
Fringe veteran Jen Scott presents a one-person storytelling show, a music-show, a bit of a clown show, all about being human and maybe being heard.
Venue - Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content - Clowning, Comedy, Drama, Improv, Original Music, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Historical Content
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

Fear not, there’s a bit more detail on the show in the press packet for clues:

“Local performer, producer, musician and Fringe veteran Jen Scott has been creating work in the Twin Cities for over 25 years. She's worked in improv, interactive theater, scripted theater, children's theater, informal science education, and writes a song a week under the 'band' name Penny and the Bandits. In 2011, she married, and was lucky enough to start a family, with a deaf French scientist... and what does that mean? 

Jen jumps from autobiographical stories to characters to original music, puzzling around what it means to be heard, seen, and hopefully understood. Sound and Noise and Bodies is at times funny, sweet, sad, heartfelt, and dumb in the best way.”

That’s really all I need to know.  I’m there.

If you need further convincing, here’s Jen’s bio, and that of her director Levi Weinhagen, another regular on pre-Fringe Top 10 lists of the past - who of course has his own separate show, which is mentioned here and I’ll get to in another post :)

“Jen Scott
Creator, Writer, Songwriter
Jen Scott (she/her) is a Twin Cities based theater maker and teaching artist. She's worked as an actor, improviser, performer, playwright, director, storyteller, talk show host, producer, and musician. She's taught theater and art making for a long time, and has a special love for the Twin Cities improvised theater scene. She’s a COMPAS teaching artist, has been an artist-in-residence at Pillsbury House + Theater, and also has taught for HUGE Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Park Square Theatre, the Brave New Workshop, and others. She performs regularly around the Cities, from everything to storytelling shows to improv shows to dressed as a giant penguin for Art Shanties. You can also catch Jen and her millions of 2 minute songs at pennyandthebandits.com. Jen also produces Bring Your Kids, a comedy variety show for kids and their grown ups. All of this and more can be found at octoberdandy.com.

Levi Weinhagen
Director
Levi is a longtime theater maker, comedy writer, improviser, performer, producer, and teaching artist. He’s a Brave New Workshop alum and co-founder of Comedy Suitcase, a Twin Cities-based theater company dedicated to making smart, emotionally grounded comedy for audiences of all ages.  Over the years, Levi's created original theatrical work, podcasts, essays, workshops, and performances that explore identity, relationships, parenting, justice, vulnerability, aging, masculinity, and the absurdity of being human. His work has ranged from performances for preschool audiences to facilitation with educators, community organizations, and leaders.  Levi has a show in the Fringe! He and his wife, Laura Zabel, created Empty Nest, a live comedy show about marriage, parenting, identity shifts, aging, and transition — an attempt to find humor and tenderness inside major life changes.”

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mike Fotis - Tech

Speaking of improvisation, here’s yet another great reason to get out to Strike Theater and see a show this Fringe season (I’ve already covered two other, very different, great reasons to go, and this show just adds to the pile of great stuff we have in store at Strike)

Once again, as with last Fringe’s 5-star improvised one-act comedy Rec League, and 2024’s Camp Out, and 2023’s The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers, Mike Fotis has gathered a crew of the very best improv comedians - Rita Boersma, Amber Bjork, Shanan Custer, Tim Hellendrung, Anna Hickey Fotis, Nels Lennes, Jim Robinson, James Rone (and Mike Fotis himself, of course).  With Mike directing, the group has been playing around with yet another concept for an improvised one-act, this time diving into the bowels of the theatrical creation process itself.

As the show image says: Tech: The Show Opens Tomorrow - It’s Not Looking Good.

Description: 
This year's Fringe show opens tomorrow. The props are assembled. The actors have memorized (most of) their lines. The director has blocked the show. There’s only one thing left to do…TECH THE SHOW.
Venue - Strike Theater
Content Warnings - Adult Language
Genre and Content - Comedy, Improv
Ages 16 and Up

Some further amusing context from their show page:

“What happens when everything you're working on falls apart? Does it even matter? What keeps us creating art as we move through adulthood? ....It's sure as fuck not the money.  An improvised one act devised to feel like a documentary live on stage.”

Theater people will probably laugh the loudest, but I know next to nothing about baseball, camping or creating a television miniseries and I laughed my butt off at Fotis’ last three shows listed above.  I’m expecting everyone will get plenty of guffaws out of this Fringe show, whether you’ve ever set foot onstage or backstage or not.

Very much looking forward to it.  There are few sure things at a Fringe, but a Mike Fotis show has to be on that short list.  Fotis has been too prolific an artist for anyone to have caught every single thing he’s ever done on stage, but from a few years before Mike landed on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2007, I’ve tried to catch as many Mike Fotis productions as I can, because I need the laughs, and I appreciate his jaundiced eye for the absurdities of life, and his open heart toward the flawed human beings we all are, just trying to get to the other side of whatever we’re currently stuck in the middle of.

Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.