The Choose Your Own Adventures of Turtle Boy
Description:
A one-person puppet show with call and response/audience participation. The bashful but rowdy Turtle Boy leads you through an action movie of your own making. John Wick meets Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Karate Kid meets Mr. Rogers.
Venue – Mixed Blood
Content Warnings – Adult Language, Violence, Short Show (less than 45 minutes)
Genre and Content – Clowning, Puppetry, Improv, Physical Theater, Comedy, Drama, Solo Show, Storytelling, Audience Participation, Kid Friendly
Ages 7 to 11 and Up
Truthfully? I find the trailer amusing. Mostly I’m getting the Mr. Rogers influences here, which I’m very much on board with:
The press packet offers just a touch more detail:
“A solo marionette expert whisks you through pastoral vistas, slo-mo melees, and lessons in loyalty.”
The bio posted seems to reinforce that we’re in good hands:
“EMMANUEL ELPENORD
Creator/Performer
EMMANUEL ELPENORD is a queer, neurodivergent, New York City native, Haitian-American actor, puppeteer, improvisor, and voice-over artist. Highlights from his distinguished body of work: puppeteer in El Niño (Met Opera); original cast of Disney’s “Winnie the Pooh: A New Musical Adaptation” (Rockefeller Prod.); original cast of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show” (Rockefeller Prod.); puppeteer at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater (10+ years). Recipient of Haiti Cultural Exchange’s 2023 LakouNOU Artist Residency Grant, Puppet Showplace Theater’s 2023 Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers Grant, and the Jim Henson Foundation’s 2024 Family Grant. He studied ancient traditional theater forms in India, Japan, and Greece with OYL's 2025 International Performance Residency last summer, and is a proud recipient of the 2026 New York State Council of the Arts Grant.”
You’re either in the mood for a goofy little marionette turtle, or you’re not. It seems I’m in a turtle mood this year.
Plus, short show bonus, gives you a chance to make that longer commute to the next venue you were worrying about on your schedule.
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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