Still trying to figure out the best way to navigate social media platforms that are increasingly full of garbage. No longer using the site formerly known as Twitter, giving BlueSky a try (a lot fewer Nazis). So that’s where the posts on the fly during the festival will be posted (https://bsky.app/profile/matthewaeverett.bsky.social), and then I’ll gather them here at the end of each day for the snapshot of my daily festival travels from show to show, with longer reviews to follow.
Minnesota Fringe - pre-show announcement from Rep. Ilhan Omar, kudos to her for being such a good sport, because there's definitely unintentional comedy as I listened and thought of my acting friends in the voiceover community: fear not, your jobs are safe :)
MN Fringe show #1: (long title) aka The Fart Show - Malcolm Dekker and his Fringe vet dad Kyle have crafted a clever, inventive, goofy little show, with lots of fun audience fart sound participation, providing structure to something that might have just been a string of fart jokes; 4.5 stars
MN Fringe show #2: A Good Cancer to Have - easily the funniest thing I've ever seen about cancer; Sam Sweere has a great sense of the absurd, as well as the human, in a story like this; twisting theatrical conventions in ways I need more than a post to unpack; stellar work, start to finish; 5 stars
MN Fringe show #3: The Kendra Plant Variety Hour - Plant is a charming host; all 3 guests crackle with how good they are at what they do; stunning Japanese dragon dance, drumming and pipe; heartfelt songs of trans liberation; eye-popping ballet contortions plus burlesque; variety indeed; 4.5 stars
MN Fringe show #4: La Tunda - great concept, game cast, just wish the execution matched the idea (queer trans twist on ancient monster legend); moments and scenes shine with humanity or dread, but overall it meanders a lot; however, audience really loved it (standing O), so what do I know? 3 stars
Here’s some handy links to coverage of 5 Star and 4.5 Star Shows I've Seen (VERY Highly Recommend), 4 Star and 3.5 Star Shows I've Seen (Highly Recommended), Other Shows I've Seen (3 Stars or Less), as well as my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, and all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
As I’m sure many artists are, I find myself struggling with the idea of
just “taking time off” (what a luxury) and submerging myself in a whole
lot of theater for 11 days while the world is on fire so… I’m going to
put some phrases and links down here (and at the end of each post going
forward) and if you find yourself compelled to explore one or more of
them, so much the better. There’s a lot going on, and it can be easy to
get overwhelmed and tune out, but as Congresswoman Sarah McBride
recently said, “If everybody shows a little courage, nobody needs to be a
hero.” I freely admit this list and these links are hardly
exhaustive. It's just something to get started. Do what you can, where
you can, however you can. Let’s help one another get through this.
Contacting your elected officials about the issues that matter to you (and protesting as necessary)
Starvation in the Gaza Strip
Immigration raids around the United States
Ukraine fighting off invasion by Russia
Trans rights
Climate change action
Housing shortage and the unhoused
Reproductive Rights
Voting rights, and running for office
The courts, from the Supreme Court on down to the local level
Don’t forget to laugh - even gallows humor is still humor
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