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Genre and Content – Solo Show, Drama, Political Content, Historical Content, Spoken Word, Storytelling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.]
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