Minnesota Fringe Festival 2008

Galen Treuer and Noah Bremer of Live Action Set team up with Hopkin's Main Street for the Performing Arts to bring you this outrageous Buffoon clown monstrosity of Kafka's literary "classic".

Modern Muses

by DRP Dance

Venue: Southern Theater

Passion, conflict, hope and knowledge. A fusion of life's desires.

One Missed Step

by Bold Theatre Company

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

Dancing for masses, being chased by the papparazzi, dating a star and uncovering secret agendas. Leaving the small town behind, Isabel goes from ballet and books to backup dancing and the red carpet.

Reincarnation: Another Chance at Failure

by Rampleseed

Like life? Try several. See the relentless humiliations and inadvertent triumphs of one soul unimpeded by limits of time, space or logic. A two-man comedy that refuses to die.

The Dog, Moses & Me

by Regi Carpenter

Venue: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

Girl scientist proves human matter can be rearranged. Town librarian saves the world and helps girl attain destiny. Mother/daughter meet in each other's madness. Love and redemption, which ain't easy.

The Legend of Little Bad: Not Her Father's Fairytale

by Behemoth Theatre Company

The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red's daughters head into the dark forest to get a new fairytale of their very own. They will need all of their courage, smarts and your help to succeed. Come howl with usaaawoooo!

The Nosdrahcir Sisters

by Sara and Kimberly Richardson

The imaginative lives of two quiet ladies. Teacups triumph, aliens say beep and mermaids shop in the produce aisle. A mishmash of clown, movement and object theater, where everything is funnyeven the sad.

The Survival Pages

by Malia Burkhart

Venue: Intermedia Arts

Ecological crisis! Global warming! Peak oil! Are you worried yet? Smell the dirt as Malia Burkhart unearths her relationship troubles with the planet through stories, original music, video and butoh dance.

Twisted

by Dana's Boys

Venue: Playwrights' Center

What is the meaning behind a poem called "Jabberwocky"? Find out the curious, demented and savage things that happen when a girl named Alice starts asking too many God damn questions!

Watthen, Wherenow - A Pinkerton Tribute

by The Drollery

Venue: Lab Theater

A big-time city boy walks into a small-town bar and orders a drink. Mixing it up and singing with the locals, he catches the eye of the barmaid. When in Watthen, While at Wherenow, What with who now

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 2:00 p.m.

FOOL FOR A CLIENT

by Mark Whitney

Venue: Bryant-Lake Bowl

Best solo at D.C. and Iowa Fringes! Facing 225 years in prison a comedian represents himself. An award-winning political dramedy. "Lewis Black meets Mark Twain." Read the five-star raves at www.markwhitney.com/reviews.html

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 2:30 p.m.

Boom

by IL Productions

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

A narrative, movement-based solo show.

Cast of Dancing Delights

by Suzanne Wiltgen

Venue: Southern Theater

Six unorthodox choreographies from dorky Weebles to rabid brides and modern mooning. Don't like stuffy dance? Try these colorful, irreverent morsels of brilliant dancing sweetness.

Great American Horror Movie Musical

by LSD Productions

Venue: Lab Theater

A criminal is at large. Seven brave filmmakers promise to hunt him down. Armed only with a camera, this kooky bunch sing and dance their way to making the greatest horror movie ever made, '80s karaoke style!

Maggie's Magical Cat & Other Catastrophes

by Saint Peter Area Children's Theater

Maggie and her magical cat playfully engage with audiences to explore the sometimes painful, often comical world of grade-school politics, unconventional families adoption and other "what ifs?" of the universe.

My War: From Bismarck to Britain and Back

by Klatch Productions

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

WW II. True story. Bombing raids and B-24s. Rationing and shortages. Dancing and doughnuts. Through letters and diaries, a Boomer discovers two remarkable womenher mother and grandmother. Step back in time.

No Stranger Than Home

by Katherine Glover

Venue: Intermedia Arts

A pleading memory from a former guerrilla. Grammatical mistakes in the language of international love. The culture shock of a two-family childhood. And other stories of the foreign and the familiar, both here and abroad.

Numbers Up!

by John Leo

Superstar "El Macho del Norte" has wandered off for good, leaving his overwrought sidekick pants down, curtains up. Eccentric dance, raunchy jokes, bittersweet melodies and outrageous physical comedy ensue.

School Of Rockstars

by What Happened Productions

Rockstar Storytellers take you to school with spoken word, comedy and monologues that make the grade, from A+ ("Brown-Nosers") to F ("Shut Up About My Potential"). New lineup each show.

Sex, Love & Vomit

by Story Tapestries

Venue: Playwrights' Center

"Kissing you is like having a dead fish shoved down my throat." Spoken word, story, music and dance collide in this hilarious, surprising, intimate, dramatic and sometimes violent adventure.

Silent Poetry - A Tribute To Marcel Marceau

by Dean Hatton

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

A collection of nonverbal comedic and dramatic skits inspired by the work of Marcel Marceau written and created by Dean Hatton, a student of Mr. Marceau's.

Snip, Snap, Snute

by Alrighty, Then

The trolls let the goats cross the bridge, but capture the farmer. The changelings find the Troll Ma's heart (big chase scene) everyone learns to get along, and unlike Disney, nobody gets blown up! Great fun!

The Underpants Show

by Lili's Burlesque

Venue: Ritz Theater Proscenium

No beating around the bush, Lili's Burlesque Revue is thrilled to present The Underpants Show, where you'll delight in the Twin Cities' finest variety performers doing what they do best: hot jazz, bawdy comedy, slapstick, and vintage tease. You'll see London, France, and so much more!

We Make Stuff Up!

by Comedy Xperiment

Venue: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

Actors create characters, relationships and good ol' entertainment on the spot. One suggestion from the audience will be used to create our one act. Nothing is scripted or pre-planned ever!

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 4:00 p.m.

A Murder At Work

by Traudtrikt Productions

Back to work on a snowy Saturday. Man this sucks! It hasn't stopped snowing for 12 hours. At least my co-workers are here reveling in my misery. I wonder where the boss Kevin is? He should've been here by now.

Advice-a-Versa

by Intertwine

Venue: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

Is advice the eighth wonder of the world or the eighth deadly sin? We give it and get itsolicited and unsolicited. Whether it's good or bad, we still can't get enough. If you want, join in. So, what's you advice?

Antigone...A Riff on Sophocles

by Metropolitan State University's Theater Underground

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

No droning Greek choruses draped in bed sheets! Forget the stately columns and enter a world of rap music and rebellion! A tale of intransigent leaders and the need to resist them, no matter the cost.

As If In Relief

by Zealots + Mystics

Stories will uncover the face of god, living, peanut butter sandwiches and the freeing power of failure.

Dandelion

by Onomatopoeia Productions

Paul is having troubles feeling. To save himself, the starry-eyed, bleary-eyed teen must navigate the depths of his own cardboard reality, facing a shadow puppet, a girl with a rhyming name and an apathetic Ph.D.

Depth of a Moment

by Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman

Venue: Lab Theater

"Dazzling sophistication virtuoso level of characterization." Kyle Gann, Village Voice. Tightly-packed, highly structured movement-based theatre that opens new ground for experimentation and laughter.

HafenGeist

by Atomic Lotus & Invocatio

Venue: Ritz Theater Proscenium

Violent murder on holy ground gives rise to a possessing spirit of evil. When a brother and sister are trapped in the ruins, can they break the curse? Do they want to? A gothic ballet based on "Hansel and Gretel."

I'll Marry You for Health Insurance and other shocking revelations

by Mumble Mumble, Ink Productions

Bursting with life, Allison spits poetry and stories as her childhood notions of being an adult are shattered. Insurance policies, sperm donors, coconuts and corporate jobs have never been so twisted and funny.

Life Sucks: Stories of Who I Am

by Don Falkos

Venue: Playwrights' Center

Storytelling at its finest! It all started with mama's vacuum cleaner and my obsession with "Lost in Space." "Danger, Will Robinson!" Mama yelled, "Quit playin' with the Electrolux!" Life was never the same.

Love and a Lion

by NihaoHello Theatre Company

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

An opera about love, set in a circus, riddled with danger, intrigue, treachery, romance, tears, forgiveness, laughter and more! "I put it on par with Guns N' Roses." Satisfied audience member

PieRats: The Crusade for Peaches Cobbler

by People Sittin Around Doin Theatre

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

A pie maker's swashbuckling, slapstick adventure with Captain Schleptoba and Clueless Willie, who help save his love Peaches Cobbler from the villainous paws of Blind Bart and evil pocket dog Jolly Rodger-Rita.

Pizza, Amore & Fantasy

by Singing Beach Productions

Venue: Southern Theater

The host of a mythical Italian tavern entertains his "customers" with live music and stories, including a quick how-to of Italy's two most popular dishes.

Reefer Madness: The Musical

by Young Artists Council

Venue: Bryant-Lake Bowl

A musical based on the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film. A tongue-in-cheek comedy about the perils of drugs, sex and general moral turpitude.

The Virginity of Astronauts

by The Electric Telescope Theatre Co.

Venue: Intermedia Arts

A science-fiction adaptation of Euripedes play "Ion." A persistent knock on a spaceship's door near Mars... Who's there? Two astronauts face a powerful being's plan to control the universe in this updated Greek drama.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 5:30 p.m.

Alone and Testifying

by Loren Niemi & Howard Lieberman

Venue: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

There are wondrous tales to be told the ubiquitous Loren Niemi is joined by storyteller-performance artist, Howard Lieberman, for a fast ride true or not - through the world of wonders. Each performance is unique and drawn from their storied lives.

BULL"An American Story of Bullheadedness"

by Chain Coffee Productions

An original adaptation of Ionesco's absurdist classic "Rhinoceros." A community of American citizens turn into Texas longhorn bulls. Created by Main Street School of Performing Arts and Jon Ferguson.

Casanova Man

by Knightbandit Productions

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

His ex is plotting world domination. His sexy new boss hates him. He's the superhero that only saves women! But has he lost his touch? Worlds collide in this mixed drink of dating and saving the world!

Going South

by Commedia dell'farte

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

Tom's strapped for cash and months behind in rent. With time running out, he is on the brink of being evicted. Afraid of his landlord and the ouside world, he and his roommate need to make some money... Fast!

Hue and Cry

by Lex-Ham Community Theater

Venue: Playwrights' Center

US premiere of a play by contemporary Irish playwright Deirdre Kinahan. Cousins Kevin and Damian meet for the funeral of Damian's father. Damian's long absence makes the meeting awkward as the two men try to reconnect and find life again.

If a Tree Falls

by Cloudless Day

Venue: Intermedia Arts

then no more walks in the woods? An end to nature? Or time to reinvent? Two women ponder changing lives and landscapes with an irreverent yet lyrical montage of poetry, parody and storytelling.

Musical the Musical!

by Urban Samurai Productions

Presenting the greatest moment in the history of the universe, "Musical the Musical" will leave you humming, laughing and talking to yourself while you aimlessly roam the streets rummaging through Dumpsters!

Shakespeare's Land of the Dead

by Walking Shadow

London, 1599: Shakespeare's "Henry V" opens the Globe Playhouse, but while the actors strut and fret, an excess of bile plagues the populace outside. A true and accurate account of the Elizabethan zombie plague.

Stupid Face

by Courtney Roche

Life is hard, but when you wake up to find your entire world has changed without consulting you, life turns into a real bitch. This is the story of one woman's quest to laugh in the stupid face of adversity.

The Dawn of Tusk

by Voluptuous Tusk

Venue: Southern Theater

A humorous, serious, focused and scattered show that links eclectic musical creations with improvisations of movement and audio textures. This exciting and poignant show will leave you gorged!

This Play is Trash

by The Theat of the Cunch

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

Why buy something you can get out of a Dumpster for free? One man's trash is another man's one-act play.

War of Worlds: The Musical - A Tribute to Old-Time Radio

by Hometown Theatre

Venue: Lab Theater

Mysterious news reports interrupting the comedy hour are thought to be jokes until Martians break in and slay the audience with their three-legged tap dancing. Can the human race survive this? Come and find out.

We Walk Among You

by Ray Terrill Dance Group

Venue: Ritz Theater Proscenium

New work inspired by the vivid, lyrical Gypsy who scatter and regroup, flowing like water, remaining true to their essence; living proudly in the perpetual present of the cyclical, renewable life of the spiral.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 6:00 p.m.

Red Tide

by The Promethean Theatre

Venue: Bryant-Lake Bowl

An intense psychological thriller examining the relationship between two brothers and the woman that comes between them. Tight three-person noir theater piece.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 7:00 p.m.

Among the Oats

by Jared Reise

Venue: Intermedia Arts

Three guys wake up and find themselves inside of a can of oatmeal.

Ars Longa, vita brevis

by Kari Jensen

Venue: Ritz Theater Proscenium

An eclectic, exciting mix of dance styles: classical, contemporary, jazz and ballroom. Art is long, life is short. Watch us celebrate our love of art and life!

Cowboy Dragqueen

by DragIn Productions

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

She's back...Or is she? From the closet that brought you Fringe favorites "These Pumps are Killing Me" and "The Sound of Muzak" comes the tri of the trilogy. So saddle up and grab the reigns as our cowboy falls out of his Stetsons and into some JimmyChoo's.

Dance of the Whisky Faerie

by Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw

Venue: Southern Theater

Uncorked and mischievous, the Whisky Faerie captures a wandering storyteller. Together they dance, soliloquize and spar through bizarre Celtic tales. Will he get his whisky or will she keep her freedom?

Deviants

by Live Action Set

Venue: The Soap Factory

Meet four individuals you'd rather not know but can't ignore. See them in an old Soap Factory. "This surprising melange of transgressive theater and dance is disturbingly funny." Rohan Preston, Star Tribune.

Dying in Public Places: a darkly comic new musical

by Ambrosiatic Productions

Lust. Terror. Violence. Outbursts of song. All of these can happen when stuck in an invisible box... Cannibilism, too.

Herocycle

by FTF Works

Venue: Red Eye Theater

"Herocycle" takes the audience on a death-defying leap across pop culture and fame and into the psyche of Evel Knievel. Actors and aerialists weave an epic tale of a quest for the man behind the action figure.

Karaoke Knights - A One Man Rock Opera

by Timothy Mooney Repertory Theatre

Venue: McMahon's Pub

Five guys in a bar compete for the big karaoke competition prize as well as the hearts and minds of the audience (which occasionally participates).

Life Sciences

by Frustrated Muppets

Venue: Playwrights' Center

Four strangers are trapped in a man-sized hamster cage. Where are they? How did they get there? Is it hilarious and awesome? Yes, yes, it is. Join us for this irreverent, semi-existential romp!

Skunkape Sexkult

by Mother/Destroyer

Venue: Lab Theater

In a world gone mad, where the bonobo chimp holds the cure for societys ills, a primatologists passion for a brighter future is pitted against a psychosomatic paraplegics lust for revenge. And a skunkape.

Strawberry Fields Temporarily

by Leaky Pen, Inc.

Venue: Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts

The maker of "Mittens for Fat Kids" performs tales about the humiliations of stand-up comedy, the consequences of pornography theft, and the celebration of life as a long and winding driveway.

The BoyShow

by Youth Performance Company

It's here! YPC's "coming of age" trilogy is complete! "Goddess Mense," "The Talk" and, now, "The Boy Show," a no-holds-barred exposé of growing up male. Warning: No snips, snails or puppy dog tails.

The Gypsy and the General

by 3 Sticks

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Defeated by the enemy, the general and her entourage traverse fantastical lands as the Gypsy spins their fortunes through electrifying music in this physically daring, ensemble-created show.

Trying Guilt

by Culture Mesh Collective

One woman, multiple characters and lots of shoes. Fusing hip hop, mime, monologue and her guilty pleasure... Shoes. Christina Frank explores the funny, confining and confusing phenomenon of guilt.

Waking in Minneapolis

by Chris Knutson

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

A man awakes to find his life has fallen apart and his bike is missing. He attends the "wrong" wake and has a "life-changing" day with the unique characters he encounters there.

You're No Fun

by Bedlam Theatre

Back by popular demand! A modern day hobo returns to town and finds that an ex girlfriend has written a musical about his life. Featuring glamorous back up singers, dinosaur performance art, star crossed lovers and a kickline of primitivists.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 8:00 p.m.

The Mistress Cycle

by Maddak Productions

Venue: Bryant-Lake Bowl

Mistress: A woman who illicitly occupies the place of wife. No male equivalent. Intimate musical tale "The Mistress Cycle" explores choices and consequences of five women, historical and fictional. Engaging, enticing.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 8:30 p.m.

10.10 Post 9.11: Laughter in the Aftermath

by Adam Sharp

Five satirical scenes for your inner pot-smoking hippie... or war-loving neocon wingnut. This is humor for 9/12, from a woman paralyzed by fear (as told by Edgar Allen Poe) to "George W. Quixote."

59 Minutes 'Til the End

by Steve Anderson

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

A 49-minute show that knows we all die a little every day. Laugh, cry and sing (optional, very optional) to the stories and songs of one man's deaths and rebirths. It's the feel-good funeral of August.

An Intimate Evening with Fotis: Part Two

by Mike Fotis

Mike sits in a chair and tells stories. Seriously. That's all he does. You seem skeptical. Trust him. It works and it's funny. Unless you need your performers to stand. Is that what you need? Do you NEED that?

Audish

by The Bakery Theatre Company

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

The strange story of five girls who experience the most absurd audition ever seen by mankind. Anything can happen in this show of unfortunate events filled with humor mystery and a lot of Smartwater.

Beowulf or Gilgamesh You Decide!

by Chopping Block and Charlie Bethel

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

The audience picks between Beowulf (a peckish demon snacks on the Danish) and Gilgamesh (a god-king takes on the underworld). Mesmerizing stories told with the energy, drama, and comedic flair which have made Bethel a perennial Fringe favorite.

First Years

by Tracy Funt

Venue: Playwrights' Center

Drunk teachers, rumors flying rampant and a little bit of lovin'. You know the drill, just a regular day in an average Minnesota school... Well Kinda.

Gone, Gone, Gone

by Monica Rodero & Daniel Schuchart

Venue: Southern Theater

The witty and humorous Milwaukee-based powerhouse Rodero and Schuchart navigate sticky situations and improbable scenarios while shaking things up in this dance-driven show.

Gypsy Passion

by Shadia with Raks Bedawi

Venue: Lab Theater

Journey along the silken trial in an evening of exciting dance. Colors of the rainbow, swords shinny creating patterns of delight. Raks Shark: Dance of the East. Belly dancesensual, hips swaying to the rich rhythms of dances from the Cradle of Civilization.

In Rehearsal

by Alison Vodnoy

Venue: Intermedia Arts

Meet both sides of seven affairs in a one-woman fusion of extraordinary physicality. Comedy, modern dance, loneliness and lesbians. Laugh, cry, realize why you keep fucking up relationships.

Medusa's Riddle - Fresh off the Boat

by Asian media Access

Venue: Ritz Theater Proscenium

AMA once again presents the popular 2007 Fringe show, "Medusa's Riddle." Laughter, mysteries, street anger, the bamboo ceiling, where they have in common, that's the riddle for you to solve.

The Butterfly Kisses Effect or A Post-Nuptial Log Flume towards Consensus

by Cuddle Pony and Firebush

The story of a man and his golden-throated ventriloquist dummy's rise to karaoke stardom unfolds as a creative extension of the compromise and confusion the show's performers navigate as real-life newlyweds.

The Cody Rivers Show Presents: Stick to Glue

by The Cody Rivers Show

A two-person physical comedy sketch show.

Sun., Aug. 3 @ 10:00 p.m.

(life seed)

by Nic Hager

Venue: Lab Theater

"Please wake me from this dream, I wish to sleep now." An exploration in which a woman attempts multiple methods of re-creation in order to evolve.

A Day in the Life of Marcela Laurela

by Surprise Package Productions

Venue: Mixed Blood Theatre

Come see Marcela Laurela (Cinderella?) as she puts on her flamenco shoes, crashes through that imaginary wall between mime/clowning and dance, and takes life one day at a time. Prince Charming optional.

Bonnie Prince Charlie

by Far From the Tree

Venue: Theatre de la Jeune Lune

Bonnie Prince Charlie returns to England to reclaim his throne. Music and mayhem, love and death, desparate women and men in kilts. What can stop the wave of Scot's vengeance?

Department of Angels

by Schave & Reilly

The Department summons all angels to work. Please punch in, sign out armor, put on halos and report to your cloud. Lateness, practical jokes and raucous laughter are not tolerated and may lead to dismissal.

EMISSARY'S N.O.W

by EMISSARY

Venue: Intermedia Arts

EMISSARY is the fusion of sound design, original spoken narrative as word design, live piano performance and body movement. EMISSARY embraces the collective social, political, psycho-emotional, scientific, and spiritual realities as culture.

Herocycle

by FTF Works

Venue: Red Eye Theater

Mortem Capiendum

by Four Humors Theater

A tonic with seemingly miraculous properties, three con-men beginning to believe their own pitch, and a perfectly ordinary trunk containing From the creators of "Deviled Eggs" and "Bards."

Neither Here Nor There

by Alliteration and All

Francis' childhood twists when she's thrust into an epic journey by an undersea socialite. She's destined to travel through lands both charted and not, solve various problems and encounter unfortunate friends.

One Night Only with Mike Mahony

by Perpetual Motion Theatre Company

Venue: U of M Rarig Center Arena

Rock has-been Mike Mahony thought his life couldn't get any worse, until he met his two biggest fans.

Paul Bunyan Runs for President

by Vanderpan Enterprises

Venue: Bryant-Lake Bowl

Lower Taxes, Bigger Axes. That's the message Paul Bunyan approves when America's biggest lumberjack runs for the country's highest office.

Sun Tzu's, The Art of War

by No Refunds Theatre Co.