Fringe 2023 - Returning Favorites - Fortune’s Fool Theatre

The Resilient Child

Children should be seen AND heard. 4 local storytellers and 3 children use personal narrative, rhyme, and song to recount surviving childhood to come out strong, brave, and resilient.

Venue: Augsburg MainStage
Tagged for: Drama, Storytelling, Spoken Word, Musical Theater, Original Music, LGBTQIA+ Content
Content Warnings: abuse/physical violence, adult language, mental illness, other divisive content

As previously mentioned, Fortune’s Fool hit the pre-Fringe Top 20 back in 2011 (with a very, shall we say, different offering, in YARRRH! The Lusty Busty Pirate Musical). The Resilient Child will… not be that :)

We will get the next generation onstage with Ariel Pinkerton’s daughter Fiona joining her in the show.

Also in the cast of this show is Anthony Sisler-Neuman, who performed in a short script of mine back in 2016, directed by Denzel Belin, who is also part of the cast of The Resilient Child.

So there’s all kinds of reasons for me to recommend this one to others, and make sure that I also see it myself.

(Side note, Anthony’s wife Haley is also in a Fringe show, the medieval musical Tales From The Fiefdom - I already saw that one when it premiered in its longer form last November so there’s not as much reason to squeeze that one onto my Fringe schedule, but if it sounds fun to you, check that one out as well. A lot of talent there, too.)

Update, their Fringe preview:

Here's some handy links to this year's Top 10, and Top 11-20 Lists, plus the full list of all returning favorites at this year's Fringe, plus a link to all the 2023 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage. 

 

 

Fringe 2022 - Returning Favorites - Ariel Pinkerton/Fortune's Fool Theatre

The Hysterical Woman – Fortune’s Fool Productions (Ariel Pinkerton)

The misdiagnosis and ridicule of women in history from Cassandra to Britney Spears, told in poetry, testimony, historical documents, and noir. “Calm down, honey, you’re being hysterical.”

This one’s a two-fer - we have Ariel Pinkerton (from my pre-Fringe Top 5 back in 2015) taking the lead on a production from Fortune’s Fool (which was in the Top 20 back in 2011).  This time instead of the compelling personal storytelling Ariel regularly presents, we have a pastiche of “hysterical” women through the ages, at a time we all have good reason to be hysterical about a great many things.  The director Nicole Wilder is also at the helm of this year’s Top 20 production, My Empty Arms.  And once again Ariel has been able to entice back to Minnesota for the the festival the wonderful Katie Starks, who I still have fond memories of for putting up with a whole lot of green makeup to play a zombie back in Fringe 2013 for my play “How To Date A Werewolf.”  Bonus points for getting Linda Sue Anderson, Destiny Davison, and Andrew Troth to round out the ensemble.

(You can click on the following links to see a set of links to the full Top 10 list, the Top 11-20 list, a list of returning favorites, and the full coverage of the 2022 Fringe on this blog.)