Here's a list of links to all the posts about returning favorites in the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival (alphabetical by show title):
After the End - One T Productions (Scot Froelich, Sheree Froelich)
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.
Apologies for the Late Reply - Ben San Del
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.
Bay Creek - Derek Lee Miller
Four generations of smugglers from the river bottoms of Pike County, IL deal with their legacy of violence and crime, and the terrifying entity they accidentally smuggled over the veil from the other side.
Be Not Afraid - Third Space Theater (Alex Church)
2012. A struggling farm in a northwestern North Dakota town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning. A savior is coming.
Buckeroohaiku's Reverse Armando - Button Productions (Ryan Klima)
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!
Bury The Leads - Special When Lit (Nissa Nordland, Sam Landman)
Meet Clyde & Faye, two character actors navigating an industry of auditions, rejections, bit parts and false starts. Sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, it's improv so grounded, it seems scripted.
Casa Bde-Maka-Ska - Snikt! Bamf! Thwip!
Everyone comes to Rick's. Even in the middle of a hostile occupation. Even in a world where lovers who have been torn apart by circumstance can bond over some well chosen Prince music.
A Confluence of Magical Arseholes - The Winding Sheet Outfit
The feckin' story and singy-song of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. There be the famous supper club for some bored c*nts and dilettantes, and this be that time W. B. Yeats kicked Aleister Crowley's arse.
Cyrano - Small Waves
A queer heroic comedy in five acts. The story you never knew you already know, like you've never seen it before. An adaptation of Edmond Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac."
Doozy - Dolly Who (Destiny Davison)
A good friend never forgets. Too bad, Dolly did. But no worries, it's her day off! No agenda, no script, no work...and all the time in the world for a little sweet, sweet revenge.
An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) - Narate Keys
An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani) is a musical that explores Khmer culture during the Angkorian era, where King Jayavarman VII (1181–1218) reigned with queen Jayarajadevi, Indradevi as his consort.
Empty Nest - Zabel Weinhagen
Through a mix of sharp stories, absurd sketches, and knowing winks at the audience, Empty Nest dives into life’s big transitions — aging, shifting identities, long-term partnership — and finds the humor in the awkward, poignant, and downright ridiculous moments along the way.
FAST Death of a Salesman - an alleged Theatre Company (Jake Mierva)
Dr. Duke Didier is putting on a production of Death of a Salesman, in order to prove to his nephew that the play is still relevant in 2026. Too bad his nephew, Braedyn, couldn't give a shit.
A girl and her unicorn sidekick go on a hero’s journey through a fantastical world of puppets to find her lost story. A powerful show about healing and moving forward. Adventure, wonder, humor, heart. Part of the Social Butterfly Project. 120 min
Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story - Trompe L'Oeil
As of 1929 Wilbur Foshay was one of the richest men in the US, but the Great Depression had other plans for him. A well-loved 2023 musical that's the true story of a man who lost everything, but found himself.
Glengarry Glen Elvis - Michael Shaeffer
Elvis Presley stirs up trouble at an unscrupulous real-estate agency. Jumpsuits jitter and F-bombs fly as a post-Vegas career suddenly involves the temptations of grand theft and a fever for the rock 'n' roll.
I Will Become The Silver Surfer. I Will Protect You - Jake Mierva
Galactus has chosen Earth as his next target. But don't worry. I will stop him. I will save you all. I will become The Silver Surfer.
I'm Afraid, I Have To Leave - Joking Apart Theater
Time to leave, but your hosts have other plans. Sinister agenda? Hostage situation? Or just another visit with your folks? Minnesota Goodbye meets The Twilight Zone. Grab a snickerdoodle, it might be your last!
The Importance of Living - Mermaid Productions (Ariel Pinkerton, Tim Uren)
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.
Improvised Love Is Blind: Minnesota Fringe Edition - DallaDanna Productions
The improvised version of the hit Netflix dating show, Love Is Blind. All of the fun. None of the toxicity.
Latin Papi - CuerpoxCuerpo - Gabriel Mata
Latin Papi is a bold, playful, and provocative contemporary dance performance blending sensual movement, voice, humor, and theatrical flair created by Armani Rey Colón and Gabriel Mata of CuerpoxCuerpo.
The Local Music Scene - JimJam Media (Philip Simondet)
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
A massive manhunt is underway in Berlin. Police have spent months searching for a prolific serial killer with no success. As fear and suspicion spread, the city’s criminal underground decides to take matters into their own hands and hunt the murderer themselves in this new adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic film noir "M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder."
More Better Stories - American School of Storytelling
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.
Muskie - New Endeavors
It's Fishing Opener on Lake Mille Lacs, but some of the residents of Garrison, Minnesota have started disappearing. Could it be the work of the terrifying, mythical Muskie? Find out in this Minnesota-based parody of "Jaws."
Quadrilogy, a Sabathani Benefit Game Show Extravaganza! (Mahmoud Hakima)
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.
A Revolution Highly Favorable - Maximum Verbosity - phillip andrew bennett low
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.
Road Trip! - Chris Davis
Too expensive to go on a road trip? Then join two improv comedians as they take a ROAD TRIP without ever leaving the theater! You don’t need to pitch in for gas, just pitch in suggestions for destinations and leave the “driving” and comedy to them. Where will there journey take them? That’s for you to know and us to find out!
Silent Movie! - The Improv Movement Project (Mark Benzel, Sean Dillon, Victoria Pyan)
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.
When Tyler was a little boy he wanted to grow up and be a clown. Come to find out it was a lot harder to achieve the former, than the latter. 'Small Minded' features magic, juggling, clowning, and much more! Is being a dwarf clown REALLY half the size, but double the fun? Or is Tyler West just Small Minded? Either way, this show features juggling, magic, Shakespeare, story-telling, and some Ha-Ha's! from the heart.
So Bright, The Night - Hey Rube!
So Bright the Night is a hard-boiled historical drama about the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930's. A woman boards a train in hopes to rescue her husband from deportation or worse. History is repeating itself.
Soap Prov: Show of 10,000 Secrets (Jex Arzayus, Mahmoud Hakima)
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!
Sound and Noise and Bodies - Octoberdandy Productions (Jen Scott)
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.
the statue of liberty is nora in a doll's house by henrik ibsen - SUPERMOON (Caleb Matthew Byers, Claudia Errickson, Mads Plonski, Michael Torsch
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.
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.
Tapeze: a la seconde - Twin Cities Trapeze
An joyful spectacle where every step defies gravity. A circus of rhythm and movement - join us where tap dancing meets the sky.
Tech - Mike Fotis
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.
Underserved: Recipes for Resistance - Lady Z Productions
A baker racing against the clock to finish one final bake discovers that the most important ingredients aren't flour and butter—they're the stories that people refuse to let disappear.
Watership Down - Melancholics Anonymous
Digger. Listener. Runner. A small band of rabbits embark on a perilous journey to find a new home in this adventurous folk musical adaption of the classic children’s novel.
Witness Loudly - Kyle B. Dekker
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.
And here's links to the 2026 versions of my pre-Fringe Top 10 list and Top 11 through 20 for the 2026 festival as we ramp up toward the start of the Fringe on August 6th.
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