Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - The Improv Movement Project - Silent Movie!

The Improv Movement Project (all movement, no words) was created by Mark Benzel and Sean Dillon

Benzel was in the previously mentioned “Clown Funeral” last year, while Dillon was in my pre-Fringe Top 10 last year presenting another improvisational concept alongside Michael DallaValle in “Final Dress.”

Victoria Pyan is another a member of the IMP ensemble, and her theater company Little Lifeboats was in my pre-Fringe Top 10 back in 2015.

The IMP cast of improvisers also includes John Hilsen (Music Director and Musican providing the musical accompaniment to the proceedings) and Mandi Bedbury, Rachel Buhman, Evie Digirolamo, Elizabeth Dunn, Luke Fanning, Gregory Parks, and Erin Sheppard.

My response to their 2024 show “Collidescope” was “super inventive improv with no words, just musical accompaniment; very physical group of improvisors; extremely amusing, even if there were a handful of times I had no idea what was going on :) - 4.5 stars”

So the idea of a silent movie framework is pretty much perfect for these folks.  

Silent Movie! in Actual 3-D
Description:
What happens when you get a group of physical improvisers to make a movie – but without the sets, lights, costumes, props, crew, dialogue . . . or movie. A new genre-smashing cinematic epic each performance.
Venue - Barker Center
Content Warnings - Gun/Weapon Usage, Violence
Genre and Content - Clowning, Improv, Comedy, Drama, Original Music, Physical Theater, Non-Verbal
Ages 7 to 11 and Up

The press packet materials provide a bit more information:

“A new/spontaneous/physical/speechless "cinematic" journey created live on stage each performance.

The award-winning Improv Movement Project's company of clowns, dancers, mimes, acrobats, improvisers, and movement-theater mavens is turning its eyes toward the movies! Starting from a randomly-selected mash-up of genres, they'll use their bodies to give us everything we love about the cinema: The epic stories! The jaw-dropping action! Even the inspired camera work! It's all improvised -- created collaboratively in real time -- without a single spoken word, and set to a musical score created at the very same time!”

Their More Information tab on the show page also has some helpful background about who they are:

“The Improv Movement Project was founded by Sean Dillon and Mark Benzel in 2023, on the conviction that bodies — all bodies— are capable of beautiful, profound, hilarious communication that too often gets drowned out on stage by the primacy of the spoken word. So we've made it our mission to help the Twin Cities theater and improv scenes become more body-centric through performing and teaching word-free improvisation. We are joined in this work by a standing, moving, expanding company of artists drawn from a variety of performance disciplines — among them improv, dance, mime, clown, acrobatics, aerial silks, and devised physical theater.

Our inaugural production Collidescope was a last-minute add and a Golden Lanyard winner at the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival, declared "Fringey AF." We collaborated with Strike Theater on The Walls in the 2025 Twin Cities Horror Festival, and have enjoyed performing at a variety of venues across the Twin Cities and beyond.”

I’m super curious to see how this concept plays out.

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Octoberdandy Productions - Sound and Noise and Bodies

Octoberdandy Productions is Jen Scott, and last year she landed on my pre-Fringe Top 20 list by gathering a handful of her clowning, improv comedy friends and together they created “Clown Funeral,” which is exactly what the title says, a funeral for a clown, attended by clowns.  If you had the pleasure of seeing it, as I did, then you know how delightfully odd it was.  If you didn’t see it, you really can’t imagine just how strange the ceremony was.  My 5-star online mini-review barely scratches the surface but it gives you a taste:

“red noses for all! 4 distinctive clowns, a lecturing banana, a dolly cart that is also Dolly Parton, a corpse with a surprise, a reading of a will as insult comedy, audience singalongs, the most amusing funeral I've had the pleasure to attend (HONK!); 5 stars”

This year, Jen returns to the venue of Theatre in the Round with a multi-disciplinary solo show called “Sound and Noise and Bodies” and it may have more genre tags in its description that it does details about the show itself :)

Description: 
Fringe veteran Jen Scott presents a one-person storytelling show, a music-show, a bit of a clown show, all about being human and maybe being heard.
Venue - Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content - Clowning, Comedy, Drama, Improv, Original Music, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Historical Content
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

Fear not, there’s a bit more detail on the show in the press packet for clues:

“Local performer, producer, musician and Fringe veteran Jen Scott has been creating work in the Twin Cities for over 25 years. She's worked in improv, interactive theater, scripted theater, children's theater, informal science education, and writes a song a week under the 'band' name Penny and the Bandits. In 2011, she married, and was lucky enough to start a family, with a deaf French scientist... and what does that mean? 

Jen jumps from autobiographical stories to characters to original music, puzzling around what it means to be heard, seen, and hopefully understood. Sound and Noise and Bodies is at times funny, sweet, sad, heartfelt, and dumb in the best way.”

That’s really all I need to know.  I’m there.

If you need further convincing, here’s Jen’s bio, and that of her director Levi Weinhagen, another regular on pre-Fringe Top 10 lists of the past - who of course has his own separate show, which is mentioned here and I’ll get to in another post :)

“Jen Scott
Creator, Writer, Songwriter
Jen Scott (she/her) is a Twin Cities based theater maker and teaching artist. She's worked as an actor, improviser, performer, playwright, director, storyteller, talk show host, producer, and musician. She's taught theater and art making for a long time, and has a special love for the Twin Cities improvised theater scene. She’s a COMPAS teaching artist, has been an artist-in-residence at Pillsbury House + Theater, and also has taught for HUGE Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, Park Square Theatre, the Brave New Workshop, and others. She performs regularly around the Cities, from everything to storytelling shows to improv shows to dressed as a giant penguin for Art Shanties. You can also catch Jen and her millions of 2 minute songs at pennyandthebandits.com. Jen also produces Bring Your Kids, a comedy variety show for kids and their grown ups. All of this and more can be found at octoberdandy.com.

Levi Weinhagen
Director
Levi is a longtime theater maker, comedy writer, improviser, performer, producer, and teaching artist. He’s a Brave New Workshop alum and co-founder of Comedy Suitcase, a Twin Cities-based theater company dedicated to making smart, emotionally grounded comedy for audiences of all ages.  Over the years, Levi's created original theatrical work, podcasts, essays, workshops, and performances that explore identity, relationships, parenting, justice, vulnerability, aging, masculinity, and the absurdity of being human. His work has ranged from performances for preschool audiences to facilitation with educators, community organizations, and leaders.  Levi has a show in the Fringe! He and his wife, Laura Zabel, created Empty Nest, a live comedy show about marriage, parenting, identity shifts, aging, and transition — an attempt to find humor and tenderness inside major life changes.”

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mike Fotis - Tech

Speaking of improvisation, here’s yet another great reason to get out to Strike Theater and see a show this Fringe season (I’ve already covered two other, very different, great reasons to go, and this show just adds to the pile of great stuff we have in store at Strike)

Once again, as with last Fringe’s 5-star improvised one-act comedy Rec League, and 2024’s Camp Out, and 2023’s The Windblown Cheeks of Lovers, Mike Fotis has gathered a crew of the very best improv comedians - Rita Boersma, Amber Bjork, Shanan Custer, Tim Hellendrung, Anna Hickey Fotis, Nels Lennes, Jim Robinson, James Rone (and Mike Fotis himself, of course).  With Mike directing, the group has been playing around with yet another concept for an improvised one-act, this time diving into the bowels of the theatrical creation process itself.

As the show image says: Tech: The Show Opens Tomorrow - It’s Not Looking Good.

Description: 
This year's Fringe show opens tomorrow. The props are assembled. The actors have memorized (most of) their lines. The director has blocked the show. There’s only one thing left to do…TECH THE SHOW.
Venue - Strike Theater
Content Warnings - Adult Language
Genre and Content - Comedy, Improv
Ages 16 and Up

Some further amusing context from their show page:

“What happens when everything you're working on falls apart? Does it even matter? What keeps us creating art as we move through adulthood? ....It's sure as fuck not the money.  An improvised one act devised to feel like a documentary live on stage.”

Theater people will probably laugh the loudest, but I know next to nothing about baseball, camping or creating a television miniseries and I laughed my butt off at Fotis’ last three shows listed above.  I’m expecting everyone will get plenty of guffaws out of this Fringe show, whether you’ve ever set foot onstage or backstage or not.

Very much looking forward to it.  There are few sure things at a Fringe, but a Mike Fotis show has to be on that short list.  Fotis has been too prolific an artist for anyone to have caught every single thing he’s ever done on stage, but from a few years before Mike landed on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2007, I’ve tried to catch as many Mike Fotis productions as I can, because I need the laughs, and I appreciate his jaundiced eye for the absurdities of life, and his open heart toward the flawed human beings we all are, just trying to get to the other side of whatever we’re currently stuck in the middle of.

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mahmoud Hakima (3 of 3) - Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets

Post #1 was about Mahmoud Hakima as producer

Post #2 was about Mahmoud Hakima as storyteller.

And the last of this little trilogy of posts is about Mahmoud Hakima as an improviser.

This Fringe show is also the return of last year’s pre-Fringe Top 10 artist Jex Arzayus, this time unscripted rather than scripted.

Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets

Description: 
An improvised soap opera inspired by audience suggestions. Our cast will create a show filled with your favorite soap opera tropes: steamy affairs, family betrayals, love triangles, seduction, and so much more!
Venue - Rarig Xperimental
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Sexual Content
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Improv, Physical Theater, Audience Participation, LGBTQIA+ Content
Ages 16 and Up

I have seen a Soap Prov outing before, during the closing weeks of HUGE theater as a venue in Uptown (RIP)

The group also has a trailer of the concept for a sampling of the kind of thing they’re up to:


Mahmoud is part of the troupe in this go-round, along with Jex, Rachel Buhman, Alexis Camille, Wesley Erickson, Laura Hild, Ora Hues, Simone LeClaire, Danielle Lynch, and Robby Miller.

While I also enjoy the fun of soap opera seriously, it is also quite easy to lampoon, so the Soap Prov improvisers have a lot of fertile ground to till here.  I’m curious to see what they’re up to this time, and whether we get a sprawling soap opera across all five performances, or a self-contained melodrama in each one.  Either way, should be amusing.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mahmoud Hakima (2 of 3) - Stories From the Trauma Dump

Post #1 was about Mahmoud Hakima as producer

This post is about Mahmoud Hakima as storyteller, and part of an all-star line-up of storytellers to boot.

Phoenix Theater this year is once again a venue for independent Fringe producers but they have a unifying theme. 

“Effecting Social Metamorphosis



This production is a part of the Social Butterfly Project, an IP collaborative promoting Mental Health Awareness.


Working within the framework of the MN Fringe Festival, August 6-16, 2026, Social Butterfly Project aims to connect audiences to a variety of mental health experiences, both on and off the stage. With the help of Fringe Producers and Mental Health organizations, we look to build an environment that engages visitors emotionally, providing experiences to include shows, activities, resources, and support, in order to encourage new perspectives, grow empathy, and provide awareness and support on mental health issues.



Mission statement: The Social Butterfly Project believes that art encourages empathy and empathy encourages change. Our mission is to engage audiences with diverse voices on a variety of social topics, using theater as a catalyst to inspire new perspectives and transform the world.”

For this entry, host Jena Young, under the banner of 7 Stories Tall, has assembled quite the team of rotating storytellers:

Stories from the Trauma Dump (A Comedic Take On Mental Health) – 7 Stories Tall
Description
A collective storytelling show featuring local artists sharing humorous tales around mental health. Personal or fantastical, these stories aim to share experience and possibly find catharsis through comedy.
Venue – Phoenix Theater
Content Warnings – Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult Language, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Mental Illness, Sexual Content, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Violence, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content – Comedy, Spoken Word, Storytelling
Ages 18 and Up Only

“7 Stories Tall is very excited to produce Stories From the Trauma Dump. Each show will feature a handful of storytellers, hosted by Jena Young. Each show has a different mix of storytellers, and times can rage anywhere from 50-60 minutes. 



Content Warning: Each show is likely to contain difficult and possibly triggering topics including abuse and/or violence of various kinds and degrees. We urge each individual to gage their own needs. You are welcome to leave and re-enter; we ask that you be mindful of other in the audience as you are able.”

You can see the full day to day lineup on the More Information tab of their show page, but honestly, you could pick any day’s lineup and random and get a fantastic roster of storytellers, including Mahmoud Hakima, of course, but also:

Jex Arzayus (about to be name-checked in the 3rd Mahmoud Hakima-related post coming up, and a returning favorite from my pre-Fringe Top 10 list just last year)

Allison Broeren (already name-checked in a post for another show this Fringe as a returning favorite)

Shanan Custer (another returnee from pre-Fringe Top 10 Lists past, this time 2014, guaranteed laughs and heart no matter what she’s doing or who she’s collaborating with, which I have gone on about at length year after year after year)

Rev. Matt Kessen (the monster scientist who never fails to be erudite, sardonic, and dryly hilarious, part of my pre-Fringe Top Ten list in 2023)

Nissa Nordland (about to be name-checked in an upcoming returning favorites post for the Fringe this year, another pre-Fringe Top 10 entry for 2022 through their horror/comedy group Special When Lit)

Ariel Pinkerton (also already name-checked in a post for another show this Fringe as a returning favorite)

Duck Washington (also already name-checked in a post for another show this Fringe as a returning favorite)

And that’s just the people I know in this roster of storytelling heavyweights.  There’s also Houa Moua and 
Rian Vellichor.

Given this cast of characters, it seems impossible there’s going to be anything but great performances, no matter which day and time you choose.  A great reason to get out to the Phoenix, perhaps more than once this Fringe just for this show alone, much less all the other shows on the schedule for this venue.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mahmoud Hakima (1 of 3) - Quadrilogy: A Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza!

Fringe is the time of year many artists decide to run themselves completely into the ground for 11 days by not just doing one show and seeing as many other shows as they can and hanging out with their fellow artists at the end of the night.  No, some artists don’t content themselves with just one show, they do at least two, maybe three, and hence there’s a lot of overlap and it’s hard to assign a show to any one person because often, as in the case of a number of posts I’ve done already, there’s just a lot of crossover.

For example, Mahmoud Hakima.  I was first introduced to his work as a storyteller back in 2009 with his solo show “Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon” (which he recently remounted to stellar effect in 2024’s Fringe), and so in 2010 he was on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list with his next solo show “Can Michael Come Out and Play?”

But Mahmoud is also an improv comedian, so he’s been in countless improv shows as well (so many in and out of the Fringe that it was possible for anyone to catch them all, if they wanted to see anything else.)

So this Fringe we have Mahmoud the producer, and Mahmoud the storyteller, and Mahmoud the improviser.

Producing under the name The House in the Woods, we have a game show fundraiser for a good cause

Quadrilogy: a Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza!

Description
A game show in three rounds with audience participation. Answer questions, build Lego, have fun, win prizes! A different theme every night. Artist proceeds go to benefit the Sabathani Community Center.
Venue – Theatre in the Round (TRP)
Content Warnings – Loud Noises
Genre and Content – Comedy, Audience Participation
Ages 7 to 11 and Up

(Side note: I had a play reading done as a fundraiser for the Minnesota AIDS Project quite literally three decades ago now, and it was held at the Sabathani Center.  It was nice to see the Center’s name pop up again unexpectedly at this year’s Fringe.)

Four audience volunteer to be each night’s winner, each performance has a different theme, and there’s additional fun promised for the rest of the audience as well.

About Sabathani:

“Our artist proceeds for this show will be donated to the Sabathani Community Center. Located in the heart of South Minneapolis, Sabathani provides assistance for fifty-thousand local residents every year. That’s nearly an eighth of the population of Minneapolis! From helping new americans find sustainable jobs, to providing maternal health care resources, to running violence prevention programs, and coordinating events with an emphasis on fostering community and education, Sabathani is a shining example of the connection and togetherness that makes Minneapolis, the Twin Cities, and the state of Minnesota such a special place. We could not be more thrilled to support such a wonderful organization in their mission. A very special thanks must be given to Scott Redd, CEO of Sabathani, and Sherri Green, Sabathani’s Director of Critical Services, for giving us the go ahead to do this silly show for them. If you would like to donate further to Sabathani, you can click the “tip artist” icon on our show page to be taken directly to the donation page of their website, or you can follow the link here.”

About the Game Show:

“Quadrilogy is a game show where four players from the audience will compete in three games for a chance to win a grand prize. Each performance will be centered around a different theme celebrating the Twin Cities and the performing arts:
 
Thursday August 6 at 10 pm - MN History and Folklore
Sunday August 9 at 7 pm - MN Sports
Tuesday August 11 at 5:30 pm - Shakespeare
Friday August 14 at 8:30 pm - Musical Theatre
Sunday August 16 at 2:30 pm - MN Fringe Festival 2026
 
But it’s not all just fun and games…well, actually, it is. I mean, it is a game show after all. But to get things back on track, we’ll also be having a lot of surprises and silliness in store for the audience. And the best part is that our artist proceeds for this show will be going to benefit the Sabathani Community Center in South Minneapolis! Audiences for this show can expect to have a good time for a good cause.”

How is the game played?

“Four players from the audience will advance through a series of three elimination style rounds.

Round #1: Storytime!
The first game is a test of memory. The host will read a story related to that night’s theme, and the players will then be quizzed on the details of the story that they just heard. The first three players to answer four questions correctly will proceed to the next round.

Round #2: Legorama!
For this game, the three players will be given a prompt from which to construct a scene out of Lego. Once their building time is up, each player will be given the spotlight to show off their Lego creation to the audience. The audience will then vote to decide which two players will then advance to the final round.

Round #3: Trivia Lightning!
The two remaining players will then be quizzed one at a time in a game of rapid fire trivia. Each contestant will be given one minute to see how many questions they are able to answer correctly. Once both contestants have played, the player with the most corresct answers will be crowned the winner for the night.
 
One more thing!
Earlier I mentioned that each of our performances will be centered around a specific theme. While our structure and rules for each performance will stay the same, the content of each show will be determined by the theme listed for that particular day. So for example if you are interested in playing and you also happen to be an expert on Shakespeare, or someone who loves Minnesota Sports, check out our show schedule to see what topic you think will give you the best shot at winning.”

Did you say prizes were involved?

“So much cool stuff! We are putting together a grand prize package for our final contestant each night containing the following items:
2 Passes to the MN Children’s Museum courtesy of Mahmoud Hakima
2 Passes to the MN Science Museum
2 Passes to the American Swedish Institute
1 $25.00 Gift Card to Pizza Luce
1 $20.00 Gift Card to the Namaste Café
1 Chai Growler courtesy of the Namaste Café
…And even more!

In addition to these fabulous prizes, we are also still reaching out to different local groups around the Twin Cities to make our prize package for each night even more spectacular, so keep an eye on this space in the weeks to come for more updates. 

We will also have consolation prizes awarded to each player, including candy and passes to other Fringe shows, so no one playing will be going home empty handed. To each and every one who has been able to donate to our prize pool so far, we wish to extend a warm and heartfelt thanks for making this show possible.”

Change of pace show raising money for a good cause?  I’m in.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - JimJam Media - The Local Music Scene

I saw the previous Fringe outing for this improv comedy concept back in 2022 over at the Bryant Lake Bowl, so I’m happy it’s back again and on the West Bank this time so hopefully more folks will give it a shot.

Description: 
Improv inspired by local music. Local musicians perform original songs live. Between songs the Local Music Scene cast improvise scenes inspired by the lyrics. LOCAL MUSIC; improvised SCENEs
Venue - Rarig Xperimental
Content Warnings - Adult Language
Genre and Content - Comedy, Improv, Original Music
Ages 16 and Up

JimJam Media is producers/improvisers Sarah Arnold-Simondet, Holly Brooks, Eric Heiberg, and Philip Simondet,  Philip created the show concept for The Local Music Scene and Eric serves as director.

Phillip and company ended up in the #3 spot on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list for their show “Demo Tape” and then wowed me again with both the comedy and the music of “Self-Titled Debut Album” in 2018, then brought the long-running improv show “The Local Music Scene” to the Fringe in 2022, and just last year Philip mixed music with a solo show and served up the intense, funny and very compelling “Fall of the High School Valedictorian” (which he’s taking to the Green Bay Fringe this weekend).

So, scripted or unscripted, if Philip and his collaborators are involved, I’m there.

Here’s how they describe the concept:

“In each show, a local musical guest is featured. They perform 4 original songs and, inbetween the improvisers create scenes inspired by the lyrics/vibe/etc.

The first Local Music Scene show was 2/1/2014, and we've featured nearly 100 local musicians over the last 12 years.

The first shows were a summer-long 11 am residency at an art gallery, which was the living/dning room of a 2 bedroom apartment above an italian restaurant. Our "green room" was the host artists' kids' room. There were only 6 seats in the house, and they were never full.

The Local Music Scene was a monthly staple at the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater until Covid shut everything down.

After Fringe, we will be begin a recurring run at The Others Workshop Collective (1729 N 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55411)”

Bonus tracks:

“Every musical guest is tasked to create their own version of The Local Music Scene Theme Song. Some suggested lyrics are offered, but the musical guests are encouraged to "make it their own" as much as possible.”

Here’s the playlist of past theme songs from their guest musicians

The musicians lined up for each performance are as follows:

Aug. 7th at 10:00pm: Robyn Jamner
Aug. 8th at 7:00 pm: Larry Wish
Aug. 10th at 8:30 pm: Dogpile
Aug. 15th at 1:00 pm: Brendan Wells
Aug. 16th at 5:30 pm: Boobless

Additional improvisers in the line-up include Karyn Alissa, Danica McDonald, Adam Mellerup, Linc Owens, and the legendary Jill Bernard (of HUGE theater fame - I know, I buried the lead there, didn’t I?)

If you want some new local music and some imrprov comedy, this show has both.

I’ve very highly recommended all of Philip’s Fringe shows - and I already know this one works so… absolutely slotting into my schedule again.  You should, too.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Mermaid Productions - The Importance of Living

There’s another Fringe show making its debut at the Green Bay Fringe this coming weekend before heading back home to be part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival next month - “The Importance of Living” from Mermaid Productions.

This one actually has a trio of artists involved who have shown up on pre-Fringe Top 10 lists of mine, all of whom had shows in last year’s Fringe as well, though this year’s show is a very different one than what any of them were offering up last year - producer Ariel Pinkerton, heading up Mermaid Productions, and also one of the performers in this two person show; writer Tim Uren, also one of the performers; and director Duck Washington.  These three know how to put together a Fringe show.  Now, about that Fringe show…

Description: 
Samuel and Louise really know how to live; no morals, no regrets, no limits, no future. It's the night before their reckoning day and they've come to crack a bottle of wine, swap tales, and have a little fun.
Venue - Open Eye Theater
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Crude Humor, Violence
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Horror
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

The press packet materials mention that the characters of Samuel and Louise are “based on actual historical murderers” (yikes).  Tim does love to spin a good horror yarn, both on the page and in performance.  I can imagine that he, Ariel and Duck had way too much fun in rehearsals with what I’m sure will be more than a little gallows humor.

Don’t believe me, just check out their bios:

“Ariel Pinkerton is the head, tail, and only member of Mermaid Productions, which is the handle she uses at any and all Fringe Festivals. She is also an actress, lighting designer, director and storyteller. She is Co-Artistic Director of Fortune’s Fool Theatre, Artistic Director of Mermaid Productions, Company Member of Ghoulish Delights and Community Liaison for the Minnesota Fringe. To keep herself out of trouble she is also the Co-owner of the Hard Times Cafe, a mother and step mother to three amazing children, and constant comfort to her neurotic cat.

Duck Washington has been working as a theatre artist in the Twin Cities area for over twenty five years. He is an actor, director, playwright, audio designer, educator, improvisor, and arts leader. Duck is the Executive Director for the Twin Cities Horror Festival, and is company member of Blackout Improv, Theatre Pro Rata, Dangerboat Productions and Villification Tennis. Duck is co producer of The Encyclopedia Show Minneapolis and also produces under his own company, Rouges Galley Arts.

For over 25 years, Tim Uren has been performing, writing, and directing theater at festivals and small venues in the Twin Cities. Along the way, has worked with companies such as Theatre Pro Rata, the Brave New Workshop, and Theatre in the Round. He is the founder and "Chief Ghoul" of the Ghoulish Delights theatrical company and a co-host of the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society podcast.”

Now tell me you’re not curious to see what they’ve cooked up together?

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Kyle B. Dekker - Witness Loudly

Kyle B. Dekker is another returning Fringe storyteller that makes Strike Theater a venue worthy of multiple visits this Fringe.

Kyle’s currently at the Green Bay Fringe this coming weekend debuting his new show “Witness Loudly” that he’ll bring home to us here in the Twin Cities for our Fringe next month.  The show is (given the recent killings in broad daylight on city streets in Texas and Maine in the span of less than a week by ICE agents) sadly even more timely and relevant that it already was before the latest grim news dropped.

Description
Operation Metro Surge pitted armed ICE agents against the residents of Minnesota. Kyle B. Dekker recreates a live rapid response call on stage based on his own experiences as a constitutional observer, also  discussing the impact of the event on him and his neighbors.  
Venue – Strike Theater
Content Warnings – Adult Language, Gun/Weapon Usage, Loud Noises, Violence
Genre and Content – Solo Show, Drama, Political Content, Historical Content, Spoken Word, Storytelling
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

While Kyle was out there with his fellow citizens doing the work that needed to be done - keeping an eye on ICE patrols, making sure kids got to school and home again safely when their parents couldn’t leave the house, providing groceries and meals to people who couldn’t go outside and do their jobs to earn the paycheck to keep food on the table - Kyle was also regularly reporting on conditions during the occupation by posting updates online.  He has a hell of a lot more stories to tell than could fit in any one-hour Fringe Festival slot so I’m very curious to see how he’s crafted this tale.

One of many things I appreciate about Kyle as a Fringe performer (apart from the fact that he’s also so supportive of his fellow Fringe artists and their shows), is that he finds the humanity and ways to connect an audience to subjects he cares about and wants to share. That’s just as true of the solo show about his upbringing in a religious community (“He-Man is the Devil: A Satanic Panic Tale”) as it is when he creates a show with his son about the science of flatulence (“A Completely Serious and Not At All Comedic Review of Fart, Flatus and Flatulence, aka The Fart Show”).  “Witness Loudly” is obviously more on the serious side of that spectrum but when Kyle’s got a tale to tell, he does it well.

Bonus points if you attend (according to the More Information tab on the show page): “All proceeds from Witness Loudly will be donated to Indigenous Roots - an arts and community activism organization on the East Side of St. Paul, MN. They were essential in mutual aid and community support during Operation Metro Surge and continue to be an anchor of the East Side Community. Please consider making a donation to help them continue their mission and tell them Kyle sent you!”

[And if you want another angle on the occupation, there’s an ensemble storyteller show in this year’s Fringe as well called “Who We Are: Stories from the Surge” from the group Three Second Memory (headed up by Bruce D. Manning) that got some behind the scenes support from Fringe vet and rockstar storyteller Allison Broeren - so that also makes me curious.]

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Maximum Verbosity - A Revolution Highly Favorable

Maximum Verbosity (aka phillip andrew bennett low)'s latest production, "A Revolution Highly Favorable," is one of several good reasons to get my butt over the independent venue of Strike Theater and see some shows there again this year.

I’ve been following phillip’s storytelling ventures around the Minnesota Fringe for (yikes) over 20 year now, since his appearance at #2 on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list back in 2007 (for “Descendant of Dragons”) happened after I’d already seen two other previous Fringe outings from Maximum Verbosity - intrigued by the enjoyable but slightly messy experiment of the first in 2004 and unexpectedly blown away by the storytelling achievement of the second in 2005.

When phillip was last on the Minnesota Fringe schedule back in 2023 with “Too Many Notes,” revisiting a different story from years past in each performance - I rearranged my Fringe schedule so I could catch four out of the five (almost saw ‘em all).  If phillip’s got a story to tell, I want to hear it.

Here again, we’re getting a different part of a larger canvas with each of this year’s performances:

Description: 
On the 250th anniversary of American Independence, listen to the words of those who were there! Adapting for the first time 18th-century combat medic, historian, and POW David Ramsay, this fully AI-illustrated show features a different collection of readings each night.
Venue - Strike Theater
Content Warnings - Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult language, Gun/Weapon Usage, Loud Noises, Sexual Violence, Violence (Some evenings may contain gunshots and/or racial slurs.)
Genre and Content - Drama, Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling, Historical Content, Political Content
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

The rundown:

Saturday, August 8th at 4pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: Peaceably to Assemble. When a distant autocrat imposes a series of crippling tariffs, a peaceful protest movement is met with overwhelming force.

Sunday, August 9th at 7pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Keep and Bear Arms. The first shots of the war are fired as the government attempts to seize a stockpile of contraband weapons.

Monday, August 10th at 7pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Dissolve the Political Bands. Differences become irreconcilable and thirteen new states are born, achieving their first victory on a stealth mission across the Delaware.

Wednesday, August 12th at 8:30pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Compleat the Works of Death. In the war's darkest hour, a southern capitol falls, and a highly-placed general betrays his commission. (NOTA BENE: this late-night show is focused on the horrors of war, and is not for the faint of heart or stomach. Seriously. I'm not kidding.)

Saturday, August 15th at 2:30pm: A Revolution Highly Favorable: To Form a More Perfect Union. The war is won, and a new nation's citizens wrestle with who will be represented in their new government.


So, depending on your mood, or historical area of interest, there’s a slice of the story for everyone.

The press packet had some thoughts on the genesis of the show:

“I'm an internationally-touring storyteller who's been out of the game for a couple of years, but couldn't resist the opportunity to produce something for the semiquincentennial. This is a weird passion project that started long before the recent political madness that threw our city into the national spotlight, but our founding myth is a story of massacres, government gone mad, and ordinary people trapped in extraordinary circumstances that became far more relevant than I ever hoped they would. We're a traumatized people trying to find a response, and mine is to plunge forward into the past.”

Now, as for the AI of it all…

You’ll be unsurprised to find that phillip has a thoughtful and amusing essay on the topic of the creative use of generative AI - that would be the link on his More Information tab entitled Confessions of a Slopaholic.

You can see an example of how he’s using the artwork in the trailer for the production:



As for the source material for the performances, “David Ramsay was a physician, legislator, and early American historian. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Princeton and earned a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania before settling in Charleston, South Carolina, where he introduced vaccination and served in the state legislature. During the Siege of Charleston he worked as a field surgeon and was captured when the British occupied the city, spending nearly a year imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida. After the war he became one of the nation's first historians, while his outspoken abolitionism cost him a U.S. Senate nomination. In 1815, he was murdered by a former patient.”

And since you’ve got Ramsay’s bio, here’s phillip’s: “phillip andrew bennett low is a Chinese-American playwright and poet, storyteller and mime, theatre critic and libertarian activist. His solo performances have won acclaim from Minneapolis to Atlanta, New York to LA - even as far as Melbourne, Australia. He was the co-founder of the Rockstar Storytellers (a supergroup of bestselling Twin Cities spoken-word artists), founder and producer of the touring theatre troupe Maximum Verbosity, and founder and host of the country's only open-mic dedicated to speculative fiction, The Not-So-Silent Planet, and its associated podcast.  He has published collections of political humor, comic fantasy, and horror.

 

 

Review - The Cottage - Gremlin Theatre - Putting the Comedy Back in Romantic Comedy - 5 stars

Gremlin Theatre’s production of Sandy Rustin’s play “The Cottage” is putting the comedy back in romantic comedy.  Or perhaps it’s putting the farce back in sex farce.  The audience gets a lot of both (love and sex) but laughter is the order of the day.

“It seems we’ve all been lonely with Sylvia or without Sylvia.”

Perhaps the trickiest thing about “The Cottage” (and no, it’s not that other recent cottage of note, calm down - though that is also lovely), the tricky thing about discussing the plot of “The Cottage” is that it’s SO easy to spoil some of its funniest surprises and biggest laughs if you aren’t very careful.  So I’m going to stick quite closely to the synopsis the theater, and the playwright’s own website, use to say just enough but not too much.

“I love it when you smoke.  You look like the picture of health.”

“A romantic getaway. Multiple affairs. One tiny English cottage. What could possibly go wrong?
With a tip of the hat to Noël Coward and sex comedies of the past, this side-splitting romp is an outrageous tale of sex, betrayal, and desire set in 1920s Britain. The true meaning of fate and faith, identity and infidelity, love and marriage are all called into question as a surprising and hilarious web of secrets unravels in this ridiculously funny, potentially murderous, uncharacteristically feminist romantic comedy.  Sylvia Van Kipness (here played by Sarah Malaria) sets the whole thing in motion when she decides to expose her love affair to her husband Clarke (Corey DiNardo) and her lover Beau (Sasha Andreev)’s wife Marjorie (Shana Eisenberg).”

Rounding out the mismatched couples are two other visitors to the cottage, arriving for reasons I won’t spoil, Dierdre (Mira Davis) and her jealous husband Richard (Chance Carroll).

“It’s impossible to rip a man’s heart out with a teaspoon.”
“You said it was serrated!”

Half the fun of watching the antics of “The Cottage” unfold is the almost dizzying way in which all the characters become increasingly interconnected throughout the whole of the first act and on into the second act as one new person after another comes knocking at the cottage’s front door.  Even though the play is new and only just recently had its run on Broadway back in 2023, the style of dialogue and performance is very of the period reminding me not only of Noel Coward, but also screwball comedies of the early 20th century like “Bringing Up Baby” or the wisecracking detective couple Nick and Nora Charles in “The Thin Man” movie series.  Kudos to dialect coach Keely Wolter for helping everyone achieve that arch, old-timey comedy style.  Everyone’s got a sharp wit here and is willing to use it, though the production is also not above drunken escapades or unexpected farts.  High brow and low brow humor live in harmony in “The Cottage” and they’re both equally entertaining.

“Just as a left you… gorgeous.”

Director Brian Balcom puts his clever, very funny cast through their paces, running in and out of all corners of Carl Schoenborn’s multi-level set with its many doorways and windows (and window seats), not to mention the larger Gremlin Theatre itself.  It’a a great use of the space.  Schoenborn also took on the lighting design, making sure everything’s just as bright and sparkling as the dialogue.  The whole design team is populated with Gremlin Theatre regulars so the period feel of the piece is reinforced by Aaron Newman’s sound design choices as well as A. Emily Heaney having a ball with the costume design outfitting everyone in period threads (and lingerie). Prop designer Sarah Bauer outdoes herself with everything from the doilies to the candlestick phone and the old Victrola record player.  My theatergoing companion also outdid themselves by noting a framed picture of Emily Dickinson hung on the cottage wall and then later noting, as we took stock prior to the performance beginning of all the clothes strewn about the floor and the “delicates” draped over the staircase railing, “Well, Dickinson did once say that ‘Hope is a thong with feathers.’”  Stage manager Kathryn Fritz is new to the Gremlin but keeps all these plates spinning as they need to in order to keep the comedy on track from start to finish.

“Funny how the brink of death brings out the sentimental side of men.”

One of the many things I enjoyed about “The Cottage” is that it’s not at all what it first appears to be.  Given my unconscious cultural conditioning, my brain was expecting for the play to revolve around Beau, the husband cheating on his wife.  And I was surprised to realize I had been expecting this when I found that expectation thwarted, over and over again, by the reality that the play, and all its characters, actually revolve around Sylvia instead.  And in the rare moments when it’s not revolving around Sylvia, the story leans more toward Marjorie or Dierdre than it ever does to Beau, Clarke or Richard (who are, each in their own way, quite ridiculous men).  When the playwright describes her own play as “uncharacteristically feminist,” she’s not kidding.  That said, it’s not a play that beats you over a head with a message.  It’s too silly for that.  It’s just the lens through which the story is framed, which continues to fascinate me as I type this.

“I’ve dreamt of this moment.  Well, not this moment exactly…”

“The Cottage” is just a really fun time.  I don’t want to spoil any of the fun so just go see it for yourselves.  But make your reservations. They were completely sold out opening night, which is a rare thing to see at a theater these days, but a most welcome sight.  If you need a break from… well, everything going on right now… Gremlin Theatre is a place where you can dependably find a whole evening full of laughs.

“You said last night you love it when I take charge.”
“Context, darling.”

Sandy Rustin’s “The Cottage” runs now through August 2, 2026 at Gremlin Theatre (550 Vandalia Street, Suite 177, St. Paul, MN 55114), Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 3pm.  Wednesday, July 15th is a Pay What You Wish performance.  Tickets available at www.gremlintheatre.org

5 stars - Very Highly Recommended

(Photo courtesy of Gremlin Theater.  Photography by Alyssa Kristine Photography. Left to right, Sasha Andreev as Beau, and Sarah Malfara as Sylvia in “The Cottage”)

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites – Button Productions - Buckeroohaiku’s Reverse Armando

Last year, improvisor (and apparently relentless organizer) Ryan Klima was in the #11 spot on my pre-Fringe Top 20 for a pair of improv comedy shows, one with his duo Comfort Zone called “Chemistry” and another 5-star show centered around the improv game of “Ping Prov.” 

This year he’s back again, this time pairing up with storyteller Kate Button and an army of improvisors for another experiment based on the practice of taking the raw material of someone else’s story and then putting it through an improv blender to create comedy.  Per the press packet and the show pages More Information tab on the Fringe site: 

“A unique storytelling/improv mash-up! A wild and crazy life paired with amazing improvisors.

Button Productions is proud to announce the debut of Buckeroohaiku's Reverse Armando, a unique performance series that blends raw, personal storytelling with the Twin Cities’ premier improv comedy. In each performance, local storyteller Kate Button shares snapshots from a life that spans six continents and dozens of roles: from railroad worker to co-parent of nine (including five children adopted from China, Liberia, and Florida). With refreshing honesty, Kate navigates themes of world travel, "disastrous" marriages, and living with ADHD and chronic depression. Following each story, a rotating cast of the Twin Cities' finest improvisors will take the stage to riff on Kate's experiences, transforming personal history into spontaneous, high-stakes comedy. Because every show features a new theme and a different ensemble of performers, no two adventures are ever the same."I consider myself to be a citizen of the world and of time," Kate says. "This show is an invitation to join that journey. It will be hilarious, thoughtful, and deeply human."

Description
True stories. Masterful improvisation. Kate Button spills the stories, while the Twin Cities top improvisors weave them into comedy gold! Brace yourself for an evening of raw, unfiltered hilarity! 
Venue – Southern Theater
Content Warnings – Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult Language, Drug Content, Gun/Weapon Usage, Mental Illness, Sexual Content, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Other Divisive Content, No Late Seating Allowed
Genre and Content – LGBTQIA+ Content, Improv, Storytelling, Comedy, Political Content
Ages 16 and up

They’ve gathered improvisors from groups like Adorable, Local News, The Mess, The Neighborhood, One Act Survivor, and The TZ Crew, which include artists that have their own separate shows in the Fringe this year such as Jenn Scott (Sound and Noise and Bodies), Philip Simondet (The Local Music Scene) and Mike Fotis (Tech), alongside other folks who’ve created memorable Fringe shows in the past like Rita Boersma, Butch Roy, Jake Scott and James Rone, just to name a few.  The full impressive roster is on the Cast and Crew tab of their show page.

There’s just too many good artists associated with "Buckeroohaiku’s Reverse Armando" for the end result not to be good.  I’m looking forward to seeing it, and given that improv comedy is never the same twice (particularly with the way they’re switching out both content and performers), I’m probably going to end up feeling bummed out that I can’t manage to schedule myself to see it more than once.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - American School of Storytelling - More Better Stories

 

 

 

Speaking of the American School of Storytelling venue, they’re also producing their own show with a rotating roster of storytellers, collectively called “More Better Stories” - the folks behind this venue are some of the best storytellers in town and created some very enjoyable storytelling shows in Fringes past, so whatever they’ve got on the schedule is always a returning favorite

Description: 
Storytellers Jon Carlson, Vianna Isbister, Bernadine Joselyn, Hank Roubicek - each tell three times, and Erin Ferdinand, Kory May, Christopher Nelson, Laura Packer, and Anne Wiborg do "one off's" with stories for adults.
Venue - American School of Storytelling
Content Warnings - Adult Language, Sexual Content
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Solo Show, Storytelling, LGBTQIA+ Content, Political Content, Religious Content
Ages 16 and up

The press packet materials have the following extra detail:

“The American School of Storytelling is the most intimate venue in the Twin Cities and for the third year as an Independent Producer on the "fringe of the Fringe" we are offering eight storytellers from around the country sharing adult tales of love, obsession, adventure, humor and horror on our 8'x8' stage.  Railroad engineer Jon Carlson, Tennessee based Vianna Isbister, Bernadine Joselyn coming from Grand Rapids (MN) and Houston based Hank Roubicek each tell three times while Erin Ferdinand, Christopher Nelson, Laura Packer, and Anne Wiborg will do “one off’s” for this year’s More Better Stories.”

If you check out their Cast and Crew tab on their show page on the Fringe website, you can find a rundown of who’s doing what when.  Here’s a quick summary of the titles on offer:

Three performances for:
Jon Carlson - Oz-America - The contrasting energies of my work and my polity inspire me, artistically, to alchemize both MAGA rage and the rage that animates The Resistance. Not only can Imagination and Humor dance with Rage, they desire to do so for the sake of the soul's liberation and human solidarity.
Vianna Isbister - Leaking (The Wolves are Everywhere) - invites audiences into liminal spaces where shadows stir, voices linger, and imagination takes on a life of its own.
Bernadine Joselyn - War & Peace in My 20th Century Life - What’s Worth Fighting For? - Imagination and longing led her from her childhood home in a first-ring Minneapolis suburb to India, the Soviet Union (later Russia), New York City and rural Itasca County, giving up building civil society for tree planting and tending along the way.
Hank Roubicek - Learning What? - With over 4 decades of teaching, he reveals emotional truths about education, learning, and the stuff that matters most.

One shots for:
Erin Ferdinand - My Dog Died (and All I Got was This Lousy Miracle) - author of "The Ghost Dog Diaries", a collection of essays and advice about life after death and our life, in general; debuting supernatural stories
Kory May - The Exact Moment I Became Someone Else - Kory May tells stories to make sense of the world—and since the world refuses to make sense, he keeps telling them - a Moth Mainstage performer and two-time Moth GrandSlam winner.
Christopher Nelson - Growing Up Small in a Mid-Sized Town - Come learn how balled-up socks, radishes and cow eyeballs are about the same size, but which one is good for throwing in self defense?
Laura Packer - Mermaids, Monsters, and Mysterious Strangers: Stories of the Unknown and Unexpected - Not everything can be explained. Not all strangers are who they seem. Not every monster is what you expect.
Annie Wiborg - Tell Me Again - Her days are full of reading, friends, family, volunteering, walking the dog, camping, working out – while frequently eavesdropping - at the gym.


One of the things I regret not doing in last year’s festival is getting out to the American School of Storytelling and taking in a show in this new-ish venue.  I’ll be trying to rectify that error this year - and there are even more promising presentations out there this time to make it worth a trip.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Ben San Del - Apologies for the Late Reply

Ben has a video short that makes the case for his comedy in less than a minute much better than I could by just typing the words “Trust me, Ben is a very funny guy” so just quick watch that here.

Ben took his new show “Apologies for the Late Reply” out for a test run at the Kansas City Fringe last year and ended up winning the Best of Venue encore performance there, and now he’s bringing the show back home to Minneapolis.

Description: 
Stand-up comedy about salvaging sanity in our age of crazy presented by four-time Minnesota Fringe encore winning producer and Acme Comedy Co.'s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities title holder Ben San Del.
Venue - American School of Storytelling
Content Warnings - Adult language, Crude Humor, Mental Illness, Suicidal ideation/Self-harm
Genre and Content - Comedy, Solo Show
Ages 16 and Up

According to the press materials, Ben’s been on a bit of a journey since we last saw him at the Minnesota Fringe Festival back in 2017 (haven’t we all? and if you haven’t, good for you I guess :)  As usual, Ben makes a better, more amusing, case for himself than I ever could, so I’ll just step aside:

“Floundering to hold himself together as the world falls apart, a four-time Minnesota Fringe Festival encore winner returns to the Minnesota Fringe Festival for the first time in nine years with a stand-up comedy show about maintaining mental health as so much chaos closing in.

After 12 years in the scene, Ben San Del walked away from stand-up comedy in 2018. Untreated anxiety, ADHD, and depression had taken their toll. Touring as a stand-up comedian was only making things worse. After quitting comedy to salvage his sanity, Ben found a job that provided health insurance and got himself some therapy and medications and started to get better. During the 2024 election season, Ben recognized the same signs of anxiety, executive dysfunction, and depression that he had been experiencing becoming increasingly common among the general population, particularly people whose mental health had been perfectly stable up to that point.

After seven years away, he decided to return to stand-up comedy and focus specifically on making people laugh about and amid the exhausting chaos and dark absurdity of post-Covid life. But with fart jokes. For Ben, for the first time ever, stand-up comedy became a salve for poor mental health, not a contributor to it. With this new mindset, Ben built an hour of material that he felt would be perfect for a Fringe Festival audience at this moment in time, and was determined to produce a show even if the Fringe lottery did not smile upon him. 

This will be Ben San Del's 10th MN Fringe show, the first in nearly decade, and very first show produced as an independent producer. San Del is a past winner of Acme Comedy Co.’s Funniest Person in the Twin Cities contest. He has opened for Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Emo Phillips, and Ali Wong, among dozens of other national headliners. His one-person show "Spec" won "Best Storytelling Performance" by audience vote at the 2017 Victoria, Canada, Fringe Festival, and he's a four-time winner of a bonus encore performance at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, where he has previously produced and directed three plays and three stand-up comedy performances. For the last two years, he has taught "Stand-up Comedy for Beginners" for Minneapolis Community Education.

Oh, also, Ben's very sorry it took him so long to respond to your email and/or text and/or Teams message and/or Signal chat, and/or social media outreach, and/or all of the above. He foolishly allowed himself to get distracted by the impending collapse of civilization. It won't happen again. Until it does.”

If you really need more convincing to get out to the American School of Storytelling and see a show at an independent venue, here’s a link to a post with links to all my five-star reviews of all of Ben’s previous Fringe shows, whether he was doing stand-up himself or writing a hilarious play for other people to perform.

Ben was on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list all the way back in 2006 with his very first stand-up show at the Fringe, “Mittens for Fat Kids” and I’ve returned to his Fringe shows every year since because Ben’a an astute observer of the absurdity of every day life, and there’s a lot of that to go around these days.  Might as well take a break for an hour, sit down and laugh about it all.  Ben’s got you covered.  I’m very glad he’s back.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - Third Space Theater - Be Not Afraid

Third Space Theater is yet another example of why it’s so important to find the right collaborators.

When Alex Church (pre theater company name) landed at #3 on my pre-Fringe Top 10 List back in 2023, the mix of artists he was working with was… problematic, shall we say.  A lot of behind the scenes upheaval, leading to a performer leaving in the middle of the run during the festival so… yikes.  Really the less said the better for all concerned.  But what a wild upward trajectory from there over the next two Minnesota Fringe Festival seasons.

Alex bounced right back the next year with “Dutch: Made In America,” the darkest of absurdist comedies meditating on the forces that shaped the young actor who would one day grow up to be President Ronald Reagan.  It was a great gathering of fellow artists bringing the new script to life.

And then last year, under the banner of Third Space Theater, the right group of folks came together and created the unsettling seafaring adventure “Breach,” packing in the crowds through enthusiastic word of mouth around the Fringe, and getting both the Venue Pick and Artists Pick at the Golden Lanyard Awards at the end of the festival for their efforts.  At the time I wrote: “fantastic use of TRP space, all its levels and corners, light, shadow and sound, to create a fishing vessel on a high pressure job, with weather and tempers threatening to undo the crew; great script, cast, direction; plus a giant hallucinatory monster crab - 5 stars”

Then that same group of collaborators started my 2026 theater year off right with a stellar 5-star production of Will Arbery’s wild new play “Plano.”

And now they’re back again with a new script penned by Mariabella Sorini and Alex Church, both of whom also co-wrote last year’s “Breach.”  This time it’s a land-based tale of misfortune called “Be Not Afraid” (so, of course, you should be afraid - besides, it has nearly all the content warnings so…)

Description: 
2012. A struggling farm in a northwestern North Dakota town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning. A savior is coming.
Venue - Southern Theater
Content Warnings - Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult Language, Blood, Crude Humor, Drug Content, Flashing Lights, Gun/Weapon Usage, Loud Noises, Mental Illness, Sexual Violence, Violence, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Original Music, Physical Theater, Storytelling
Ages 16 and Up

A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center - learn more about them and their essential work here, https://www.miwrc.org/

The press packet also includes these nuggets of info:

“The oil boom turns a North Dakota town into a modern Sodom & Gomorra.”

Well, okay then…

“North Dakota, 2012. A struggling farm in a town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning: a savior is coming. TST's newest original work places audiences at the edge of a nightmare on the plains. A motley crew of listless men, irate locals, and desperate neighbors fight for security and autonomy in a midwestern gothic of biblical proportions. As the heat rises and hope dries up. ‘Be Not Afraid’ explores what holds us together when the world is falling apart. “

They got the band back together from “Breach” adding on some folks from “Plano” and some additional new artists of promise for this go-round.  Building on the good that has come before.

Am I a fan of horror and violence in the my entertainment diet?  Not normally.

Would I trust these people to take me there for an hour?  Absolutely.  I can balance it all out with something funny and uplifting afterward.  The Fringe has everything.  Also, “Be Not Afraid” doesn’t open until Saturday on opening weekend, so I have some time to fortify myself for a good jolt.

Third Space Theater has found its Fringe audience, so they hardly need my help, but I’m recommending them anyway.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - One T Productions - After The End

Scot Froelich (he of the one T in Scot) has been spinning ingenious and affecting tales of heartbreak both before and after I flagged him back in 2013 as #5 on my pre-Fringe Top 10 list that year.

The end of the world and/or humanity, one could argue, is just a different kind of heartbreak.  So while I’m not much for dystopian scenarios, if Scot’s telling the story and playing the guitar, I’ll go.

After The End
Description: 
Following a devastating global pandemic, Jeff is left to fend for himself. Twelve years later, he’s built a farm, a solar array, and – to pass the time - a hobby of playing guitar for the audience in his head.
Venue - Mixed Blood
Content Warnings - Adult language, Suicidal ideation/self-harm, No late seating allowed
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Musical Theater, Solo Show
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

No late seating allowed.  
Don’t want to disrupt the vibe of the end of the world by showing up late :)

The More Information tab and press packet provide additional context:

“We've all contemplated questions like, "What's your desert island playlist?" or "If you only had one day to live, what would you do?" and considered the decisions around finality and isolation. Luckily for Jeff, he doesn't have to think of answers. He's had twelve years to live them. There's a meticulous garden, a glorious solar array, the world's most magnificent vinyl collection, and a wide variety of canine companions.

As time stretched on, though, he had to find a true hobby. A way to express himself. Enter: YOU. Thank you for being Jeff's imaginary audience. The solar generator only has enough juice for 60 minutes of performance, though, so make sure to get there early.

The human population has been reduced to... Jeff. He’s learned guitar, but who is his audience?

25-season Fringe veteran Scot Froelich returns to the stage with a question: If you were the last person on earth, what would you do? How would you grieve the loss? How would you remain joyful? How many dogs would you keep? And what keeps you going? After a global pandemic reduces the population to... Jeff, he is left to ponder these questions while learning gardening, hunting, and guitar. But why is he still here and what does he intend to do with his time?”

I do also appreciate that they hired a human (Hannah Boehme) to do the artwork for the show’s publicity.  (In a dystopia, we humans need to stick together and not just submit fully to the computers, which if of course harder and harder to do every day, he says, typing on a laptop and posting to the internet…)

The show has Mike Mellas as director, Nicole Wilder as Music Director, and Sheree Froelich (who helmed recent Fringe shows I quite enjoyed - The Wind Phone in 2024 and My Empty Arms in 2022) as stage manager on this one so we’re in good hands all around here.

 

 

Fringe 2026 - Returning Favorites - SUPERMOON - the statue of liberty is nora in a doll’s house by henrik ibsen

This should be one of the shorter blog posts.

Partly because the group SUPERMOON (collaborators Caleb Matthew Byers, Claudia Errickson, Mads Plonski, and Michael Torsch) is deliberately cagey about the details of their shows, so you go in as blind as possible and just experience the performance without a preconceived notion of what you’re walking into.

Partly because, well, they kind of blew the doors off the place in last year’s Fringe with their production “All Your Shimmering Gold” (a mash-up of a weapons contractor client presentation and the opera “Das Rheingold”).  Anyone who saw that doesn’t need any additional convincing from me.  (Honestly, it’s a little embarrassing in hindsight that they were only #14 on my pre-Fringe Top 20 list last year, but there was little detail, as there is this time, so it was hard to do anything more than go with my gut feeling.)

My review of their Fringe show last year is i believe the first time I’ve ever used the phrase “This show f*cks so hard.”

Some less colorful commentary included: 
“Like a lot of the best live theater, All Your Shimmering Gold is fairly resistant to being summarized.  You really have to see it for yourself… [The show] is spectacle meant to be seen with your own eyes, felt personally in real time, not constrained or limited by someone else’s words.  But words are all I have so, I’m going to use them to best of my ability to give you some reasons to go see the show in the theater.

[It’s] is big, both in literal size, and in its ambitions.  It takes some really big swings creatively… It’s exactly the kind of crazy risk a framework like the Minnesota Fringe Festival was created to support.

The quiet genius of [the show] is that it doesn’t hold your hand and walk you through what everything means.  It merely places all the elements before you, and trusts the brains of the audience to work it all out for themselves… It’s a stunning, surprising, mesmerizing, unsettling, really wild piece of live performance.”

Having seen a couple of their productions now, the above is not a bad attempt at me fumbling toward an understanding of SUPERMOON’s mission statement.

SUPERMOON is doing a new Fringe show.  It should be on your list.

The title is almost all we’re getting but it does lay down some markers:

“the statue of liberty is nora in a doll’s house by henrik ibsen”

When I first checked the Fringe site, the show description said: 

"the statue of liberty prepares for and performs a doll's house."

When I check more recently it had changed to:

“The title describes exactly what happens (obviously other things happen too).”

The press packet serves up the following:

“This is a performance about doors, lies, and the American meaning of liberty.

The Statue of Liberty prepares for and performs Nora in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. This performance is about doors, lies, and the morphed American definition/concept of liberty. It's an Americana kaleidoscopic ritual praying for a miracle.”

Venue - Rarig Thrust
Content Warnings - Flashing Lights
Genre and Content - Comedy, Drama, Musical Theater, Physical Theater
Ages 12 to 15 and Up

I just saw SUPERMOON’s production over the 4th of July weekend “In The Backroom” - another genre-busting meditation on the meaning and identity of America through the lens of deconstructing the life and reputation of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle (and also, tangentially, Land Del Rey’s song “There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard”) - a spectacle of sound, projected dialogue, video, microphone and lip syncing work, and stunning images of (fake) assault rifles, American flags, and 160 boxes - while skewering and exploiting every theatrical convention they can get their hands on.  So I’m all primed for another dose of Americana when the Statue of Liberty tackles Ibsen.