The Label Maker
Description
What’s the difference between BPD and BD? Is the expert always right? From anxiety to PTSD, storyteller Jena Young shares her experiences growing up with an undiagnosed abusive parent, being misdiagnosed herself as a teenager, and the power of labels.
Venue – Phoenix Theater
Content Warnings – Abuse/Physical Violence, Adult Language, Mental Illness, Suicidal Ideation/Self-Harm, Violence, Other Divisive Content
Genre and Content – Solo Show, Spoken Word, Storytelling
Ages 18 and Up Only
It seems this happens every year, and you would think after all these years I would have caught nearly every instance of this by now. But the theater community is large and varied, the Fringe schedule is such that you literally cannot see everything in any given year so… there’s always someone who I think to myself “Oh, surely that artist has been on one of my pre-Fringe Top 20 lists before for something at some point.” But then I’m bewildered to find that no, in fact, that artist has not. In which case, well, it’s time to rectify that. That’s a gimme. Easy slot on the list to be filled and long overdue.
This year, it’s Jena Young.
Which again, is ridiculous on my part. As Jena says in her bio, she’s been involved with over 30 productions in the Minnesota Fringe Festival “ director, producer, storyteller, dancer, performer, fight choreographer, and clown.” (Not all at the same time, of course, though I wouldn’t put it past her.) She then lists a bunch:
“Caucasian-Aggressive Pandas and Other Mulatto Tales,”
“William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead,”
“Wilhelmina and Theodore’s Exquisite Victorian Adventure,”
"The Bisexual Unicorn and Other Mythological Creatures,"
“My Only Hope for a Hero,”
several versions of "Fringe Orphans,"
And for starters, I’ve seen ALL of those.
In fact, I’m embarrassed to admit that the ones she’s listed that I missed are her three one-woman shows prior to this year.
So, time to correct both those oversights. She’s now on the list and she’s got a one-woman show, “The Label Maker” - in addition to also hosting “Stories from the Trauma Dump” which I’ve previously covered over in the Returning Favorites list for this year.
This is another of the Social Butterfly Project productions over at Phoenix Theater around the subject of mental health awareness (so is “Stories From the Trauma Dump”)
Her show’s More Information tab has the following additional greeting:
“I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, therapist, or in any other way a trained mental health expert. What I am is someone who has lived in an environment of mental illness and neurodivergence... with friends, family, and my own exciting brain discoveries. I also scored a 4 on my AP psych test in high school. That counts for expertise, right?
This show is not about what is or isn't mental illness, how to diagnose someone, or an exercise in therapy (well, maybe a little of that last one). I am neither qualified to provide that, nor do I want that responsibility. But I do think there is catharsis in sharing stories, empathy in hearing another perspective, and learning to be had from someone else's journey.
And man, has it been a journey. Thank you for sharing in it with me.
Content Warning: This show contains difficult and possibly triggering topics including abuse and 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 others in the audience as you are able.”
And the rest of her bio lists a bunch more reasons why I should have recommended her LONG ago:
“Outside of the MN Fringe, Jena has worked on such shows as
“The Tourist Trap,”
“Monsters in a Mirror,”
“Young and Fearless,”
“Dread the Halls (2018),”
"Prescription: Murder,"
“Get Thee Behind me Santa,”
“Ravenscroft,”
“A Klingon Christmas Carol,”
“A Very Honorable Christmas,”
and “Hamlet.”
[Blogger’s note: I LOVE that she lists that last, like “Hamlet, that old thing, you may have heard of it.”]
“She’s previously known for her work in Vilification Tennis and Human Combat Chess, and as a founder of both Phrenic Impact Theatre and Fearless Comedy Productions. Jena is known as a regular at The Encyclopedia Show and local storytelling shows, is a co-host of the local Apropos of Nothing Podcast, and is president of the board that produces the Twin Cities Horror Festival. She also once placed 5th in a balloon fencing tournament.”
So, you know, don’t be like me and wait so long - see Jena’s show and then recommend it to everyone you meet.
Interested in hearing about other artists I recommend based on past outings in the Fringe? Here's a link to a list of all the coverage of returning favorite artists from past pre-Fringe Top 20 lists of mine that are part of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival. 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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