For most Minnesotans, summer means family vacation, time at the lake or in the Boundary Waters, a slower pace, and some time to themselves. For others, as July rolls into August, it means Minnesota’s Fringe Festival and their lives go from wild to crazy. Playwrights, directors, choreographers, dancers, actors and theatre enthusiasts from around the country will come to Minnesota for the festival which runs at 24 venues across the Metro between August 4 and 14. With 169 shows in multiple performances scheduled for the Festival, anyone participating in or attending one of the many Fringe performances would sum up the Festival with, “So much to see and so little time.” And, as always with the Minnesota Fringe Festival, Gustavus alumni, faculty and current students are on the schedule again this summer.
Hundreds of shows are submitted each year for consideration by the festival committee. Inclusion in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, like many such festivals across the country each year, is determined by a bingo-styled lottery in which numbered ping pong balls are randomly selected and the performances schedule set. (FYI, this format would be a wonderful idea for a Fringe Festival performance.) With a tradition that may be seen as a stage for anyone who has a story to tell or a point to make, the performances are generally in the performing arts, original and uncensored. The performances are usually under one hour in length. And while the actors, dancers and directors run the spectrum from amateur to professional, the shows are always professionally staged and presented.
The 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival schedule includes the following performances with Gustavus connections:
- The Place Between
- The Invention of Baseball
- Graywolves – a gerotranscenDANCE
- Bobby Crossfire: An American Acehole
- Golmah: The Jewish Wonder Woman
- masc4masc
- Genesis//Revelations
- The Real World Fringe Festival
- busTED
- Couple Fight II: Friends and Family
Other Gustavus-connected 2016 Fringe Festival presentations will be added to this post as additional information is received.
THE PLACE BETWEEN: Two somethings, first-time producers at the Minnesota Fringe, bring you “The Place Between”: a devised exploration of where the mind goes while the body is sleeping. The ensemble consists of close friends and graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College, who each bring a unique style to this blend of physical theatre, puppetry, dance, and storytelling. Each ensemble member takes you into their minds, journeying through communal dreams such as terrifying nightmares, surreal dream skips, and awkward sex dreams. The end result is a surreal look into what cannot be seen: our dreams, unobstructed by our waking mind.
Ensemble includes Annie Galloway 15’ – Producer/Collaborator, Malia Yang 15’ – Producer/Collaborator, Rob Ward 14’ – Collaborator, Autumn Ike 15’ – Collaborator, Benjamin Kolis 12’ – Collaborator
The venue is: The Playwright’s Center, 2301 East Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160911
THE INVENTION OF BASEBALL: Join Eustace Basebalski as he immigrates from Checkosloverusika to America to work in the stockyards. There, he is destined to invent our national pastime in this heartwarming folk musical. Directed and written by Thomas Buan ’16, The Invention of Baseball cast includes Sam Keillor ’17, Jacob Marcotte ’18, Aaron Bogen ’16, Georgia Bebler ’18, Gillian Constable, and Zeej Anderson. The venue is the Phoenix Theatre at 2605 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160796
GRAYWOLVES – a gerotranscenDANCE: In our youth-glorifying culture, aging is often seen as a downhill slide into a world of loss and diminishment. Yet, long-lived lives are filled with opportunities to grow stronger, wiser and more compassionate. This resilient view of aging is at the core of Gray Wolves – a gerotranscenDANCE, choreographed by Michele Rusinko, in collaboration with Israeli dance artist Michal Shahak. The performance also features a new work choreographed by Melissa Rolnick, and other works by Rusinko. GRAYWOLVES will be performed at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance at the University of Minnesota, 500 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis. The ensemble includes Katy Becker ’02, Jordan Bergman ’15, McKayla Murphy ’16, Jeffrey Peterson, Allie Retterath ’18, Kelsey Charlotte ’14, Michele Rusinko, Melissa Rolnick, Katrina Rusinko, Michal Shahak, Nikki Stromme ’09 and Mallory Jane Waytashek ’14.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20161001
BOBBY CROSSFIRE: AN AMERICAN ACEHOLE Brady Mueller ’15 and Justin Feit ’14 bring Bobby Crossfire to the 2016 Fringe Festival. The man. The name. The LEGEND. Renegade tennis player Bobby Crossfire rises to fame after the fallout from an infamous rivalry with his ex-doubles partner. Being a bad boy is hard, but some stars never fade. Cast includes Sam Burnham ’19 and Nate Weingarden ’13. The venue is the Phoenix Theatre at 2605 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160811
GOLMAH: THE JEWISH WONDER WOMAN is brought to Fringe by first-timer and Gustavus graduate Cia Sautter. She tells the story of spiritually powered Jewish women of 16th century Prague who created a female protector through flamenco dance and made a splendid discovery. It’s a dramatic story with humor, audience participation and even a little Shakespeare to contribute to the action. The story is based on the classic tale of the Golem, where Rabbi Judah Loew brought to life a magical creature to defend the community. The venue is: Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20161005
MASC4MASC: Recently dumped and down on his luck, Cody thrusts into the homosexual #nohomo fast-paced world of online “dating”, only to learn that – despite being #totesmasc – gay stereotypes are sooo yaasssterday! Erik William Carlson ’15 is cast as Cody in this musical written and scored by Joel Swearingen and Paul Fosaaen. masc4masc will be presented at the University of Minnesota Rarig Center Arena at 330 21st Ave. S. in Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160883
GENESIS//REVELATIONS: Produced by SB Movement and choreographed by Sydney Burch, GENESIS//REVELATIONS finds parallels between Biblical content and actual experiences and moves us through life the only way we know how: with sometimes fumbling feet, strong second positions and hope of being protected along the way. This performance includes Renee Guittar ’12, Rush Benson ’13, Patrick Jeffrey ’10, Alexa Lautenbach, Sydney Burch, Lauren Baker, Alexis Heruth and Abby Okoneski. Venue is The Playwrights’s Center at 2301 E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160623
THE REAL WORLD FRINGE FESTIVAL: With a mix of political and historical content, writer Annie Scott Riley and TRusty Paper Ship Productions brings the “real” world of the fringe festival to the stage. Find out what happens when people stop being polite in this absurdist reality TV satire from the writer of “I Make No Promises, But Someone’s Probably Going to Die.” Along with some adult language, there’s a hot tub. The cast includes Rob Ward ’15, Sarah Broude, David Beukema, Stephen Frethem, Rachel Postle, Marcia Svaleson, Katie Willen, Brian O’Neal and Orit Ackerman. REAL WORLD will be performed at the Mixed Blood Theatre at 1501 S 4th St, Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160631
busTED: is brought to the 2016 Fringe Festival by Surprise Me! Productions and was created by Vickijoan Keck. In the category of Storytelling/Spoken Word, busTED is a “totally tantalizing transit tale!” and includes storytelling, poetry, music and a short play. Music by Carl Franzen ’64, the show includes Patricia Enger, James Oliver Smith Jr., Heather Baldwin and Lawrence Ripp and will be presented at the University of Minnesota Rarig Center Arena at 330 21st Ave. S. in Minneapolis.
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160820
COUPLE FIGHT II: FRIENDS AND FAMILY includes real pairs of friends, family and lovers reenact real fights in this sequel to 2015 Fringe hit “Couple Fight.” Mixing heaviness and hilarity, couples in CFII outwit a toddler, bridge political divides and solve racism. Writer/producer Anna Weggel-Reed and director Tom Reed bring a large cast which includes John Zeiler ’06 to the Fringe Festival stage at the Theater in the Round, .
Link: http://www.fringefestival.org/show/?id=20160626
The links provided include performances times and dates as well as information regarding tickets and availability. Other Gustavus-connected 2016 Fringe Festival presentations will be added to this post as additional information is received.
Welcome to 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival!
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