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Venue: Open Eye Theatre Tagged For: Comedy, Drama, Storytelling, Historical Content, Political Content Content Warnings: Adult Language, Violence, Flashing Lights, Gun/Weapon Usage, Sexual Violence, Other Divisive Content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