Description: 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! Venue - Rarig Xperimental Content Warnings - Adult Language, Sexual Content Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Improv, Physical Theater, Audience Participation, LGBTQIA+ Content Ages 16 and Up
The group also has a trailer of the concept for a sampling of the kind of thing they’re up to:
Mahmoud is part of the troupe in this go-round, along with Jex, Rachel Buhman, Alexis Camille, Wesley Erickson, Laura Hild, Ora Hues, Simone LeClaire, Danielle Lynch, and Robby Miller.
While I also enjoy the fun of soap opera seriously, it is also quite easy to lampoon, so the Soap Prov improvisers have a lot of fertile ground to till here. I’m curious to see what they’re up to this time, and whether we get a sprawling soap opera across all five performances, or a self-contained melodrama in each one. Either way, should be amusing.
Phoenix Theater this year is once again a venue for independent Fringe producers but they have a unifying theme.
“Effecting Social Metamorphosis
This production is a part of the Social Butterfly Project, an IP collaborative promoting Mental Health Awareness.
Working within the framework of the MN Fringe Festival, August 6-16, 2026, Social Butterfly Project aims to connect audiences to a variety of mental health experiences, both on and off the stage. With the help of Fringe Producers and Mental Health organizations, we look to build an environment that engages visitors emotionally, providing experiences to include shows, activities, resources, and support, in order to encourage new perspectives, grow empathy, and provide awareness and support on mental health issues.
Mission statement: The Social Butterfly Project believes that art encourages empathy and empathy encourages change. Our mission is to engage audiences with diverse voices on a variety of social topics, using theater as a catalyst to inspire new perspectives and transform the world.”
For this entry, host Jena Young, under the banner of 7 Stories Tall, has assembled quite the team of rotating storytellers:
Stories from the Trauma Dump (A Comedic Take On Mental Health) – 7 Stories Tall Description 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. Venue – Phoenix Theater Content Warnings – Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult Language, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Mental Illness, Sexual Content, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Violence, Other Divisive Content Genre and Content – Comedy, Spoken Word, Storytelling Ages 18 and Up Only
“7 Stories Tall is very excited to produce Stories From the Trauma Dump. Each show will feature a handful of storytellers, hosted by Jena Young. Each show has a different mix of storytellers, and times can rage anywhere from 50-60 minutes.
Content Warning: Each show is likely to contain difficult and possibly triggering topics including abuse and/or violence of various kinds and degrees. We urge each individual to gage their own needs. You are welcome to leave and re-enter; we ask that you be mindful of other in the audience as you are able.”
Nissa Nordland (about to be name-checked in an upcoming returning favorites post for the Fringe this year, another pre-Fringe Top 10 entry for 2022 through their horror/comedy group Special When Lit)
And that’s just the people I know in this roster of storytelling heavyweights. There’s also Houa Moua and Rian Vellichor.
Given this cast of characters, it seems impossible there’s going to be anything but great performances, no matter which day and time you choose. A great reason to get out to the Phoenix, perhaps more than once this Fringe just for this show alone, much less all the other shows on the schedule for this venue.
Fringe is the time of year many artists decide to run themselves completely into the ground for 11 days by not just doing one show and seeing as many other shows as they can and hanging out with their fellow artists at the end of the night. No, some artists don’t content themselves with just one show, they do at least two, maybe three, and hence there’s a lot of overlap and it’s hard to assign a show to any one person because often, as in the case of a number of posts I’ve done already, there’s just a lot of crossover.
For example, Mahmoud Hakima. I was first introduced to his work as a storyteller back in 2009 with his solo show “Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon” (which he recently remounted to stellar effect in 2024’s Fringe), and so in 2010 he was on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list with his next solo show “Can Michael Come Out and Play?”
But Mahmoud is also an improv comedian, so he’s been in countless improv shows as well (so many in and out of the Fringe that it was possible for anyone to catch them all, if they wanted to see anything else.)
So this Fringe we have Mahmoud the producer, and Mahmoud the storyteller, and Mahmoud the improviser.
Producing under the name The House in the Woods, we have a game show fundraiser for a good cause
Description 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. Venue – Theatre in the Round (TRP) Content Warnings – Loud Noises Genre and Content – Comedy, Audience Participation Ages 7 to 11 and Up
(Side note: I had a play reading done as a fundraiser for the Minnesota AIDS Project quite literally three decades ago now, and it was held at the Sabathani Center. It was nice to see the Center’s name pop up again unexpectedly at this year’s Fringe.)
Four audience volunteer to be each night’s winner, each performance has a different theme, and there’s additional fun promised for the rest of the audience as well.
About Sabathani:
“Our artist proceeds for this show will be donated to the Sabathani Community Center. Located in the heart of South Minneapolis, Sabathani provides assistance for fifty-thousand local residents every year. That’s nearly an eighth of the population of Minneapolis! From helping new americans find sustainable jobs, to providing maternal health care resources, to running violence prevention programs, and coordinating events with an emphasis on fostering community and education, Sabathani is a shining example of the connection and togetherness that makes Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and the state of Minnesota such a special place. We could not be more thrilled to support such a wonderful organization in their mission. A very special thanks must be given to Scott Redd, CEO of Sabathani, and Sherri Green, Sabathani’s Director of Critical Services, for giving us the go ahead to do this silly show for them. If you would like to donate further to Sabathani, you can click the “tip artist” icon on our show page to be taken directly to the donation page of their website, or you can follow the link here.”
About the Game Show: “Quadrilogy is a game show where four players from the audience will compete in three games for a chance to win a grand prize. Each performance will be centered around a different theme celebrating the Twin Cities and the performing arts:
Thursday August 6 at 10 pm - MN History and Folklore Sunday August 9 at 7 pm - MN Sports Tuesday August 11 at 5:30 pm - Shakespeare Friday August 14 at 8:30 pm - Musical Theatre Sunday August 16 at 2:30 pm - MN Fringe Festival 2026
But it’s not all just fun and games…well, actually, it is. I mean, it is a game show after all. But to get things back on track, we’ll also be having a lot of surprises and silliness in store for the audience. And the best part is that our artist proceeds for this show will be going to benefit the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis! Audiences for this show can expect to have a good time for a good cause.”
How is the game played?
“Four players from the audience will advance through a series of three elimination style rounds.
Round #1: Storytime! The first game is a test of memory. The host will read a story related to that night’s theme, and the players will then be quizzed on the details of the story that they just heard. The first three players to answer four questions correctly will proceed to the next round.
Round #2: Legorama! For this game, the three players will be given a prompt from which to construct a scene out of Lego. Once their building time is up, each player will be given the spotlight to show off their Lego creation to the audience. The audience will then vote to decide which two players will then advance to the final round.
Round #3: Trivia Lightning! The two remaining players will then be quizzed one at a time in a game of rapid fire trivia. Each contestant will be given one minute to see how many questions they are able to answer correctly. Once both contestants have played, the player with the most corresct answers will be crowned the winner for the night.
One more thing! Earlier I mentioned that each of our performances will be centered around a specific theme. While our structure and rules for each performance will stay the same, the content of each show will be determined by the theme listed for that particular day. So for example if you are interested in playing and you also happen to be an expert on Shakespeare, or someone who loves Minnesota Sports, check out our show schedule to see what topic you think will give you the best shot at winning.”
Did you say prizes were involved?
“So much cool stuff! We are putting together a grand prize package for our final contestant each night containing the following items: 2 Passes to the MN Children’s Museum courtesy of Mahmoud Hakima 2 Passes to the MN Science Museum 2 Passes to the American Swedish Institute 1 $25.00 Gift Card to Pizza Luce 1 $20.00 Gift Card to the Namaste Café 1 Chai Growler courtesy of the Namaste Café …And even more!
In addition to these fabulous prizes, we are also still reaching out to different local groups around the Twin Cities to make our prize package for each night even more spectacular, so keep an eye on this space in the weeks to come for more updates.
We will also have consolation prizes awarded to each player, including candy and passes to other Fringe shows, so no one playing will be going home empty handed. To each and every one who has been able to donate to our prize pool so far, we wish to extend a warm and heartfelt thanks for making this show possible.”
Change of pace show raising money for a good cause? I’m in.
Description: 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 Venue - Rarig Xperimental Content Warnings - Adult Language Genre and Content - Comedy, Improv, Original Music Ages 16 and Up
JimJam Media is producers/improvisers Sarah Arnold-Simondet, Holly Brooks, Eric Heiberg, and Philip Simondet, Philip created the show concept for The Local Music Scene and Eric serves as director.
Phillip and company ended up in the #3 spot on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list for their show “Demo Tape” and then wowed me again with both the comedy and the music of “Self-Titled Debut Album” in 2018, then brought the long-running improv show “The Local Music Scene” to the Fringe in 2022, and just last year Philip mixed music with a solo show and served up the intense, funny and very compelling “Fall of the High School Valedictorian” (which he’s taking to the Green Bay Fringe this weekend).
“In each show, a local musical guest is featured. They perform 4 original songs and, inbetween the improvisers create scenes inspired by the lyrics/vibe/etc.
The first Local Music Scene show was 2/1/2014, and we've featured nearly 100 local musicians over the last 12 years.
The first shows were a summer-long 11 am residency at an art gallery, which was the living/dning room of a 2 bedroom apartment above an italian restaurant. Our "green room" was the host artists' kids' room. There were only 6 seats in the house, and they were never full.
The Local Music Scene was a monthly staple at the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater until Covid shut everything down.
After Fringe, we will be begin a recurring run at The Others Workshop Collective (1729 N 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55411)”
Bonus tracks:
“Every musical guest is tasked to create their own version of The Local Music Scene Theme Song. Some suggested lyrics are offered, but the musical guests are encouraged to "make it their own" as much as possible.”
The musicians lined up for each performance are as follows:
Aug. 7th at 10:00pm: Robyn Jamner Aug. 8th at 7:00 pm: Larry Wish Aug. 10th at 8:30 pm: Dogpile Aug. 15th at 1:00 pm: Brendan Wells Aug. 16th at 5:30 pm: Boobless
Additional improvisers in the line-up include Karyn Alissa, Danica McDonald, Adam Mellerup, Linc Owens, and the legendary Jill Bernard (of HUGE theater fame - I know, I buried the lead there, didn’t I?)
If you want some new local music and some imrprov comedy, this show has both.
I’ve very highly recommended all of Philip’s Fringe shows - and I already know this one works so… absolutely slotting into my schedule again. You should, too.
There’s another Fringe show making its debut at the Green Bay Fringe this coming weekend before heading back home to be part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival next month - “The Importance of Living” from Mermaid Productions.
This one actually has a trio of artists involved who have shown up on pre-Fringe Top 10 lists of mine, all of whom had shows in last year’s Fringe as well, though this year’s show is a very different one than what any of them wereoffering up last year - producer Ariel Pinkerton, heading up Mermaid Productions, and also one of the performers in this two person show; writer Tim Uren, also one of the performers; and director Duck Washington. These three know how to put together a Fringe show. Now, about that Fringe show…
Description: 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. Venue - Open Eye Theater Content Warnings - Adult Language, Crude Humor, Violence Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Horror Ages 12 to 15 and Up
The press packet materials mention that the characters of Samuel and Louise are “based on actual historical murderers” (yikes). Tim does love to spin a good horror yarn, both on the page and in performance. I can imagine that he, Ariel and Duck had way too much fun in rehearsals with what I’m sure will be more than a little gallows humor.
“Ariel Pinkerton is the head, tail, and only member of Mermaid Productions, which is the handle she uses at any and all Fringe Festivals. She is also an actress, lighting designer, director and storyteller. She is Co-Artistic Director of Fortune’s Fool Theatre, Artistic Director of Mermaid Productions, Company Member of Ghoulish Delights and Community Liaison for the Minnesota Fringe. To keep herself out of trouble she is also the Co-owner of the Hard Times Cafe, a mother and step mother to three amazing children, and constant comfort to her neurotic cat.
Duck Washington has been working as a theatre artist in the Twin Cities area for over twenty five years. He is an actor, director, playwright, audio designer, educator, improvisor, and arts leader. Duck is the Executive Director for the Twin Cities Horror Festival, and is company member of Blackout Improv, Theatre Pro Rata, Dangerboat Productions and Villification Tennis. Duck is co producer of The Encyclopedia Show Minneapolis and also produces under his own company, Rouges Galley Arts.
For over 25 years, Tim Uren has been performing, writing, and directing theater at festivals and small venues in the Twin Cities. Along the way, has worked with companies such as Theatre Pro Rata, the Brave New Workshop, and Theatre in the Round. He is the founder and "Chief Ghoul" of the Ghoulish Delights theatrical company and a co-host of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast.”
Now tell me you’re not curious to see what they’ve cooked up together?
Kyle’s currently at the Green Bay Fringe this coming weekend debuting his new show “Witness Loudly” that he’ll bring home to us here in the Twin Cities for our Fringe next month. The show is (given the recent killings in broad daylight on city streets in Texas and Maine in the span of less than a week by ICE agents) sadly even more timely and relevant that it already was before the latest grim news dropped.
Description 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. Venue – Strike Theater Content Warnings – Adult Language, Gun/Weapon Usage, Loud Noises, Violence Genre and Content – Solo Show, Drama, Political Content, Historical Content, Spoken Word, Storytelling Ages 12 to 15 and Up
While Kyle was out there with his fellow citizens doing the work that needed to be done - keeping an eye on ICE patrols, making sure kids got to school and home again safely when their parents couldn’t leave the house, providing groceries and meals to people who couldn’t go outside and do their jobs to earn the paycheck to keep food on the table - Kyle was also regularly reporting on conditions during the occupation by posting updates online. He has a hell of a lot more stories to tell than could fit in any one-hour Fringe Festival slot so I’m very curious to see how he’s crafted this tale.
One of many things I appreciate about Kyle as a Fringe performer (apart from the fact that he’s also so supportive of his fellow Fringe artists and their shows), is that he finds the humanity and ways to connect an audience to subjects he cares about and wants to share. That’s just as true of the solo show about his upbringing in a religious community (“He-Man is the Devil: A Satanic Panic Tale”) as it is when he creates a show with his son about the science of flatulence (“A Completely Serious and Not At All Comedic Review of Fart, Flatus and Flatulence, aka The Fart Show”). “Witness Loudly” is obviously more on the serious side of that spectrum but when Kyle’s got a tale to tell, he does it well.
Bonus points if you attend (according to the More Information tab on the show page): “All proceeds from Witness Loudly will be donated to Indigenous Roots - an arts and community activism organization on the East Side of St. Paul, MN. They were essential in mutual aid and community support during Operation Metro Surge and continue to be an anchor of the East Side Community. Please consider making a donation to help them continue their mission and tell them Kyle sent you!”
I’ve been following phillip’s storytelling ventures around the Minnesota Fringe for (yikes) over 20 year now, since his appearance at #2 on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2007 (for “Descendant of Dragons”) happened after I’d already seen two other previous Fringe outings from Maximum Verbosity - intrigued by the enjoyable but slightly messy experiment of the first in 2004 and unexpectedly blown away by the storytelling achievement of the second in 2005.
When phillip was last on the Minnesota Fringe schedule back in 2023 with “Too Many Notes,” revisiting a different story from years past in each performance - I rearranged my Fringe schedule so I could catch four out of the five (almost saw ‘em all). If phillip’s got a story to tell, I want to hear it.
Here again, we’re getting a different part of a larger canvas with each of this year’s performances:
Description: 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. Venue - Strike Theater Content Warnings - Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult language, Gun/Weapon Usage, Loud Noises, Sexual Violence, Violence (Some evenings may contain gunshots and/or racial slurs.) Genre and Content - Drama, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Historical Content, Political Content Ages 12 to 15 and Up
The rundown:
Saturday, August 8th at 4pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: Peaceably to Assemble. When a distant autocrat imposes a series of crippling tariffs, a peaceful protest movement is met with overwhelming force.
Sunday, August 9th at 7pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Keep and Bear Arms. The first shots of the war are fired as the government attempts to seize a stockpile of contraband weapons.
Monday, August 10th at 7pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Dissolve the Political Bands. Differences become irreconcilable and thirteen new states are born, achieving their first victory on a stealth mission across the Delaware.
Wednesday, August 12th at 8:30pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Compleat the Works of Death. In the war's darkest hour, a southern capitol falls, and a highly-placed general betrays his commission. (NOTA BENE: this late-night show is focused on the horrors of war, and is not for the faint of heart or stomach. Seriously. I'm not kidding.)
Saturday, August 15th at 2:30pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Form a More Perfect Union. The war is won, and a new nation's citizens wrestle with who will be represented in their new government.
So, depending on your mood, or historical area of interest, there’s a slice of the story for everyone.
The press packet had some thoughts on the genesis of the show:
“I'm an internationally-touring storyteller who's been out of the game for a couple of years, but couldn't resist the opportunity to produce something for the semiquincentennial. This is a weird passion project that started long before the recent political madness that threw our city into the national spotlight, but our founding myth is a story of massacres, government gone mad, and ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances that became far more relevant than I ever hoped they would. We're a traumatized people trying to find a response, and mine is to plunge forward into the past.”
You can see an example of how he’s using the artwork in the trailer for the production:
As for the source material for the performances, “David Ramsay was a physician, legislator, and early American historian. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Princeton and earned a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania before settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where he introduced vaccination and served in the state legislature. During the Siege of Charleston he worked as a field surgeon and was captured when the British occupied the city, spending nearly a year imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida. After the war he became one of the nation's first historians, while his outspoken abolitionism cost him a U.S. Senate nomination. In 1815, he was murdered by a former patient.”
And since you’ve got Ramsay’s bio, here’s phillip’s: “phillip andrew bennett low is a Chinese-American playwright and poet, storyteller and mime, theatre critic and libertarian activist. His solo performances have won acclaim from Minneapolis to Atlanta, New York to LA - even as far as Melbourne, Australia. He was the co-founder of the Rockstar Storytellers (a supergroup of bestselling Twin Cities spoken-word artists), founder and producer of the touring theatre troupe Maximum Verbosity, and founder and host of the country's only open-mic dedicated to speculative fiction, The Not-So-Silent Planet, and its associated podcast. He has published collections of political humor, comic fantasy, and horror.
Playwright, Literary Director for Threshold Theater, theater arts blogger, mostly about the Minnesota Fringe Festival - other useful links for me in the header above.
