My dear mother Beverlee died on July 1st of 2019.
Hard to believe she's been gone five years now.
Seems like yesterday, seems like a million years ago.
I'd certainly be talking with her about politics right now if she were still with us.
And all the strange antics surrounding my work as treasurer for my condo association.
And the unionizing of the audience-facing departments at the Guthrie Theater including the box office where I work my second day job.
But most of all I'd be talking with her about the upcoming Minnesota Fringe Festival.
One of the saving graces of July 1st is that is also the day that the Fringe website goes live with all the information about the shows which will be part of the festival this year.
So I took the day off from work at both my jobs and just immersed myself in the truly bizarre assortment of 102 shows on offer this August.
And now that I've sorted the returning favorites from the newbies, and drafted up a new Top 10/Top 20 lists of interesting new acts I'll suggest other folks check out, it's time to fire up the old blog again.
It is a testament to the weird times we're living in that I've yet to bounce back into a regular diet of theater-going throughout the year like I used to have. At the height of everything, pre-pandemic, I'd be seeing and reviewing several shows a month.
This blog has been silent since last September, when I posted a call for folks who might be interesting in joining my playwriting group as either a writer or an actor.
That's just a shame.
There's theaters out there producing shows, and I should be seeing more of them.
So, that's a post-Fringe thing for my "to do" list.
Also need to get that website back up and running (my former webhost went out of business quite suddenly and took my site and old email address with it - sigh - so I'm still rebuilding my contact list for things like theater reviewing)
It's been nice to be able to dive into something new, dealing with Fringe, rather than dwelling on the loss of my primary Fringe-going partner of 13 years.
It's also comforting to know that, thanks to an award the Fringe staff gives out each year at the end of the festival, the Beverlee Award for an adventurous audience member, there are now four new "Beverlees" out there for me to cross paths with, compare schedules with, occasionally see a show with. It's been an intriguing new set of relationships to navigate, but it does make the Fringe a bit less lonely.
That, of course, and all the other artists, staff, volunteers and fellow audience members involved. More than anything the Minnesota Fringe Festival is a reminder of community, and why it's so necessary.
So, let's talk about some theater. I'm clearly overdue...
Here's some handy links to this year's Top 10 list and Top 11-20 list, also a full list of all returning favorites to this year's Fringe, plus a link to all the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.
While I have your attention, please VOTE :)
Minnesota is currently in the early voting period
for our Congressional and local primaries (I had the U.S. Senate,
Congress, and the Minneapolis school board on my ballot) - final day to
vote in the primary is Tuesday, August 13th, but you don't have to wait
until Fringe is over, go vote right now :)
Early voting for the Presidential Election itself in Minnesota starts on Friday, September 20th.
We're lucky to have a lot of time to get our voices heard, so cast your
vote, and then make sure everyone you know and love is registered and
gets to the polls to vote. Election Day, your final date to vote, is Tuesday, November 5th.
As a queer playwright and theater maker, I want a government that's compassionate and competent enough to keep us all safe and healthy, keep theaters open and running, and personally, I'd just like to be legal myself and keep the weirdos out of government and out of my personal business (and the things I post on this blog, for instance). We all have our reasons, so let's make sure we get the leaders we need and deserve, and get our friends, family and co-workers to raise their voices, too.
Find where to vote and what's on your ballot (with links to candidate websites) and other resources at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.
For other resources on how to register, volunteer or donate, locally or nationally, check out Vote Save America.
Vote. Raise your voice. We're not going back.
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