MN Fringe Festival Preview

What to Pick from over 100 Performers and 500 Performances

We’ve long been a theatre lover, and we even had our own nomadic company, The New & Improved Theatre Company, here in the nineties. We did Peter Handke’s Insulting the Audience at Fringe maybe in 1997? It was great fun. When we were in Providence we pitched in with the Wilbury Theatre, which hosts the annual Fringe Festival there. We feel a lot of kinship with the fringe, which is as popular in America as any other place in the world. It's also a great way to support local artists.

So it feels very natural to try and help out in my own little way with some previews of which upcoming shows to seek out. We sat through 60 3-minute previews the past two Tuesdays to help sift what you should be seeking out. This is gonna preview a lot of shows, so let’s get to business. (Here's Cherry and Spoon's list of recommendations, which is better informed by the history of the performers.)

Solo Shows

The fringe is the perfect place for one-person shows because of their portability and relative ease, not to mention the short run. As a consequence this category is loaded with talent. So much so, it was difficult to winnow.

Can’t Miss

Space Company By Dancing Arms
Written by Emma Irene Olson
Space Company is an immersive solo show about a massive fictional corporation that doesn't consider itself to be just a company, but also a family that is determined to be "The Best In The Universe" through constant innovation, constant growth, and constant profitability. Emma Irene plays "Mom", a middle manager at Space Company welcoming the audience (now cast as the latest cohort of new hires: "Babygirls") to their new career and their new family on their first day. The three minutes we saw were inspired lunacy like Susan Powter on Krakom. (Sun, Tue, Wed, Sat)

Too Fat To Run By Fat Theatre Projects
Created By Eileen Tull
n autobiographical solo show that was created in response to a "concerned" acquaintance telling Chicago-based performer Eileen Tull that she was in fact too fat to run the 2022 Chicago marathon she was already training for. Workshopped and performed at a half-dozen times. The preview we saw was hilarious; Tull has bountiful charisma. (Fri, Sat, Fri, Sat, Sun)

Too Much of a Good Thing By RAR Entertainment
Created by Rachel Redleaf
In a similar vein to Tull’s play, Redleaf’s show is about her large breasts and how they elicited inappropriate comments across her life, which has included playing Beth Chapin on Netflix’s Atypical, Mama Cass in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and went to Sundance with the movie Kajillionaire. Join Rachel as she enlists her talking breasts to help her decide: Can you have too much of a good thing? Redleaf is a skilled actress and hit all the right notes in her preview. (Sun, Tue, Fri, Sat)

Therapist Zero By be-Creative
Created By Brian Leonard
A sharp, darkly funny critique of the mental health industry wrapped inside a deeply moving story of a father desperate to help his daughter. Instead of a standard chronological monologue, the show functions as a beautifully braided narrative: intertwining my daughter Emily's struggles, a relentless procession of therapists, my own childhood memories of benign neglect, and present-day reflections. It’s part stand-up, part dramatic memoir, and completely unsparing of both the mental health system and myself. Lauded at San Francisco Fringe and Brighton (UK) Fringe. Good, rather serious with dark humor. (Fri, Sun, Mon, Thur, Sat)

Very Promising

Flirting Like an Americana By Sufian Zhemukhov
Created by Sufian Zhemukhov
His stories draw on his experience as a first-generation immigrant and university professor, which might be funnier than you’d expect. NPR described Sufian’s show Flirting Like an American as “a show about romance, culture, and one immigrant’s story.” (Sat, Sun, Wed, Fri, Sat)

Maniac By Todd Sullivan
Created by Todd Sullivan
A solo clown show loosely inspired by history's most intelligent serial killer — blending masks, movement, lo-fi origami, and absurd logic into a lunatic tribunal of comedy, tenderness, and chaos. Todd Sullivan is a Denver-based performer, filmmaker, theater-maker, and teaching artist creating original work across clown, devised theater, improv, and film. (Fri, Sat, Wed, Fri, Sun)

Quiet Piggy By Dawn Bentley
Written By Dawn Bentley
Minnesota Fringe Executive Director and theatre virgin Dawn Bentley makes her first (and only?) fringe show. A personal, political, and playful storytelling experience fantasizing about how IT finally happens. Dawn is an arts aficionado and has played violin for 40 years in various ensembles from punk rock bands to professional orchestras. She’s an engaging, self-effacing character, and her easy charm bodes well. (Sat, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun)

Stage Shows

Of course, they’re all stage shows, but this is to differentiate the one-person shows from the multiple performer productions. We split them off into “Regular,” Shakespeare, and Jaws parodies (of which there are two!).

“Regular” Productions

Don’t Be Scared By Band Practice
Create by Band Practice
Two zombified post-war corporate professionals attempt to run a workshop with the audience on how to face your fears. Outside, the darkness is creeping in threatening to end the show and maybe their friendship. Created by individuals from Germany. It felt like an expressionist film come to life, as white-faced zombies had little to say but moved menacingly and got up in the audience’s faces. Oddly creepy. (Sun, Tue, Thur, Sat)

Glengarry Glen Elvis By Michael Shaeffer
Created by Michael Shaeffer and Jo Kalla
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. Michael Shaeffer's first Minnesota Fringe production was Cramming Cassandra in 2002. One of his costars, Jo Kalla, reunites with him for this show. You may also remember them from 2024's Thy Hard, a Shakespearean adaptation of Die Hard. The preview didn’t quite slay, but the conceit feels fun. (Fri, Sat, Mon, Sat, Sun)

FAST Death of a Salesman By An Alleged Theatre Company
Created By An Alleged Theatre Company
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. Again, the preview wasn’t a riot, but the idea feels solid. (Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed, Sun)

Watership Down By Melancholics Anonymous
Written by Richard Adams, adapted for the stage by 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. Winner of seven MN Fringe awards (including three Audience Pick awards), Melancholics Anonymous is thrilled to return for their eighth year in a row! Established at St. Olaf College in 2019 and now based in the Twin Cities. The preview had such fey whimsy and playfulness it’s seems like a sure winner, plus the company has a strong pedigree. (Sun, Thur, Fri, Sat)

Braingystics: Sieze the Mind! By Jeffries & Brown
Created by Peyton Brown & Jared Jeffries
A comedy self-improvement seminar. NOT a pyramid scheme. And DEFINITELY NOT a cult recruitment scheme! Award-winning 2-man show that garnered 5-star reviews at Edinburgh Fringe. Not only did they deliver on the premise with a crisp, tight preview, but they were comic AF. (Sat, Sun, Mon, Fri, Sat)

Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead By John Ervin
Written by John Ervin
A televised debate between two incarcerated serial killers, moderated by a true-crime TV reporter, leads to revelations about their pathologies. John Ervin is the award-winning director of seven films and five live theatre productions. John has written and directed five live theatre productions for the Minnesota Fringe Festival, including the Elvis-meets-Michele-Bachmann musical "Catfight!" and the Osama-bin-Laden-meets-Fashion-Week comedy "The Devil Wears 9/11." (Fri, Sat, Tue, Thur, Sat)

Shakespeare In the Hizzou

Fringe is always good for a few Shakespearean riffs, and we’ve got four of them!!

A Dark Gotham Knight’s Dream By Big Blue Theatre
Created by Thomas Nelson & Ray Huntley
A ridiculous parody retelling of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with classic Batman heroes and villains, told entirely in (almost) Shakespearean verse. The bit we heard was well-conceived and at times hilariously over the top, others oddly earnest. (Sun, Mon, Thur, Sat)

That Was Shakespeare: A Revue By the Redmond Players
Created by Lauren Go & Jake Mattinson
Connie thinks Shakespeare belongs in the past. Her uncle Ford knows better. A whirlwind tour through comedy, tragedy, and romance reveals the Bard's words may be closer to home than she thinks. The group hails from Seattle, where they strive to provide a space for artistic expression and collaboration, bringing together diverse talents to create compelling theatrical experiences. A lot of energy and wit in the brief scene; very promising. (Sat, Sun, Tue, Fri, Sun)

Sisters on Stage: An Elder Millennial’s Exploration of Shakespeare’s Sisters By Deanne McDonald / Traveling Players
Created by Deanne McDonald
One woman performs scenes from Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies exploring his deep understanding of the closest, longest and most frustrating relationship of your life: your relationship with your siblings. This was very well delivered bit in preview, very interesting. (Fri, Sat, Tue, Wed, Sat)

A Real Piece of Work By Moral of the Story
Written by Eric B. Jacobson
When a bumbling community theater group rehearses for their production of Hamlet, one actor tries to help them get their act together. This ensemble comedy is a love letter to community theater. (Sat, Sun, Wed, Sat, Sun)

Jaws Parodies

Muskie By New Endeavors
Created By New Endeavors
It's Fishing Opener on Lake Mille Lacs, but some of the locals have started disappearing. Could it be the work of the terrifying, mythical Muskie? Find out in this Minnesota-based puppet-based parody of "Jaws.” Director Andrew Rosdail is directing for NE a third time , after the Golden Lanyard-winning “Peace Retreat” and last year’s hit, “An Exorcism, Don’tcha Know?” Andrew has also written and directed “Writers’ Block.,” “Uncle Walt,” and “We Were Only Henchmen” at previous MN Fringes through his own production company, the World Crime League, which is at Fringe as well, putting on an adaptation of Fritz Lang’s M. (Sat, Sun, Mon, Fri, Sun)

Chum By Theatre Engine
Created by Alexis Bacon & Alison Dobbins
“Chum!” is a musical parody of “Jaws” that invites audience members to bring a chum to be chum by telling the familiar tale of New England beach mastication in musical and interactive format. Blood and gore is replaced by heart and soul and chum galore! As a Town Member, you will get to participate in the action, to go swimming (!!), to vote in the town council, and to learn how to become CHUM! (Thur, Sun, Tue, Thur, Sat)