Thursday, August 08, 2024

Fringe 2024 - Thursday 8/8 Schedule


As Candice and Sarra Beckham-Chasnoff said to me last night, we have reached the Jenga portion of the program as far as scheduling our remaining days of Fringe goes.

34 slots down, 21 to go

We’ve all seen a bunch of things, we all have a bunch of things we still want to see, they only have so many performance days and times left, it’s only physically possible to get from one place to another so fast, and often (argh!) those remaining performances compete with one another.  Tough choices ahead.


Here’s my best guess for Thursday night:

5:30pm - Antistrophe to an Andro-Sapphic Tragedy
Queer content, dance, drama, physical theater, Shakespearean elements
Synopsis: A poetic Neo-Greek tragedy that is at the same time enormous and intimate — a reflection on female sexuality, bodily autonomy, and all the things we hold sacred in a world eager to strip us of our agency.
(I’ve been curious about this one, and tonight is their final performance, so if I want to see it, now’s the time - checked the audience reviews (4-1/2 kitties average), didn’t see any red flags that should keep me away.)


7pm - Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon
I’ve written about this returning show as one I’ve been looking forward to seeing again - tonight my scheduling conflicts finally cleared up, so I’m anchoring my night with it - which led to the decision to see the dance show above, same part of town.

8:30pm - Welcome To The Food Chain
I saw Rob Ward’s wacky manic solo show “How To Kill A Horse” last year and he’s back with another solo musical/physical theater comedy horror show with historical content and (shudder) audience participation
Synopsis: What happens when an animal puts man on the menu? Welcome To The Food Chain is a bloodthirsty, educational, carnivorous one-man cabaret about those terrifying beasts who earn the infamous title of "Man-Eater."


10pm - Stroke of Genius: Pantomime Masturbation Throughout Performing Arts History
This one’s #10 on my Top 20 list this year, so I’m glad the schedule finally cleared up so I can get to Strike and see it.  I anchored the second half of my night on this show, which is what led to seeing the comedy in the same venue in the 8:30pm slot


Here's some handy links to coverage of shows I've seen in the Fringe this year getting 5 and 4.5 Stars (Very Highly Recommended), 4 and 3.5 Stars (Highly Recommended) as well as the shows ranking 3 stars or less; also 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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