Gusties and the 2012 Minnesota Fringe Festival

It’s late July in Minnesota. The temperatures are climbing and the craziness of the 2012 Minnesota Fringe Festival is just around the corner. As usual, a number of current and former Gustavus students and faculty will be performing and directing at the Festival, which will take place August 2-12 at various locations in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Minnesota Fringe is an annual performing arts festival in Minneapolis-St. Paul. For eleven days, over a thousand artists present works in every discipline and genre.

Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Henry MacCarthy will be directing the comedy Dance Money Grind, a physical theatre devised piece about the Dance Marathon fad that swept the U.S. in the early twentieth century. The show involves three couples who take their bodies to the outer limits as they compete for $25,000, a shot at fame, and your love and affection. The cast includes recent Gustavus alumni Sarah Jabar ’10 and Ben Kolis ’12. In addition, Renee Guittar ’12 is serving as the choreographer, Jessica VanKempen ’14 is in charge of costume design, and Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Micah Maatman is in charge of scenic design.

Performances of Dance Money Grind will take place at the Theatre in the Round Players on Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis on the following dates and times:

• Saturday, Aug. 4         8:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 5           5:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 7          5:30 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 10           4:00 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 12         1:00 p.m.

Another Fringe performance of interest to the Gustavus community will be TROY! The Musical, written, directed and producted by Maggie Sotos ’09. Love, war and jazz hands! This musical retelling of the Trojan War follows lovers Paris and Helen through ten years of war in Ancient Greece. A romping comedy with laughs, songs and, of course, a wooden horse. The cast includes Gustavus alumni Megan Bren ’08, Andrea Gullixson ’10, Ben Kolis ’12, and Marissa Schon ’09.

Performances of TROY! The Musical will be presented at Bryant-Lake Bowl on W. Lake Street in Minneapolis on the following dates and times:

• Thursday, Aug. 2        5:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 4         7:00 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 6          7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 8    7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 11       1:00 p.m.

Gustavus alumni Tane Danger ’07 and Brandon Boat ’08 have experienced great success with their improv

venture The Theater of Public Policy and now they are taking the show to the Fringe Festival. The show is titled Big Thinkers, Serious Issues, Improv Comedy as different policy experts will share the stage with some of the funniest Twin Cities improvisers.

Big Thinkers, Serious Issues, Improv Comedy will take place at the Brave New Workshop Student Union on Hennepin Avenue South in Minneapolis on the following dates and times:

• Saturday, Aug. 4 at 4 p.m.: The Limits of Government with Kim Crockett of the Center for the American Experiment
• Sunday, Aug. 5 at 10 p.m.: College, is it Worth it? with Chris Farrell, Economics Editor for American Public Media
• Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 8:30 p.m.: Putting a Price Tag on Public Art with Kaywin Feldman, Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Thursday, Aug. 9 at 10 p.m.: Voting Rights and the Election with Secretary of State Mark Ritchie
• Sunday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m.: Good if not Great, Government with former gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner

Connectome will be performed at the Southern Theater on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis on the following dates and times:

Check out these and other Minnesota Fringe Festival events online at fringefestival.org.