Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #19 - Defibrillator - Justice Theatre Consortium (Jennie Ward)


Defibrillator
Justice Theatre Consortium (Jennie Ward)

On Jan 17, 2021, Jenny's heart tried to kill her. Defibrillator is a new comedy about the mystery of life: the true(ish) story of one community's dance with death and a stockpile of lasagna.

Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Tagged For: Comedy, Drama, Physical Theater, Audience Participation
Content Warnings: Adult Language, Loud Noises
Ages 12-15 and up

This one popped up late in my review of the show listings because I learned of a friend’s involvement.

My dear friend Anne Bertram, a great local playwright and former managing director of Theatre Unbound (RIP, the theater, not her :) posted something about the show recently:

“For the first time in years, I’m involved in a show for the Minnesota Fringe: DefibRillator, presented by Justice Theatre Consortium. I participated in some early workshops and contributed a spot of dramaturgy here and there. The show is based on a terrifying real-life experience of its creator, Jennie Ward, whose heart just stopped one day for no obvious reason. She survived (this is not a spoiler). How to carry on, knowing that death can come any moment, for reasons entirely beyond our control? DefibRillator has some thoughts.”

The cast also includes Danielle Krivinchuk and Stacey Poirier, two actors whose work I’ve enjoyed in other Fringe shows past, so that’s another thing to recommend the production.  Also in the cast is another local playwright whose work I like, Kayla Hambek (her play The Dragonflies was the last of our virtual new play readings during the waning days of the worst of the pandemic, before Threshold Theater moved to doing events live on stage again).

Also some puppetry involved, another plus.


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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