Stimulate This!

Did you get yours yet? Feeling confused? Feverish? Nauseous? We're the ointment for your Economic Stimulus Check Itch! From Guitar Hero Stars to Hockey Moms, and George Bush himself, get a healthy dose of comic advice on where to put your economic stimlus!

"To encourage Americans to spend, President George Bush (represented as a puppet) sets up an economic stimulus check program, and the two-woman, two-man cast portrays people from all walks of life figuring out how they'll spend their $600 checks. They are all hilarious, and some are at the same time poignant, scary or stupid: medical care, Guitar Hero, gas, a duvet, a weed whacker, fast food. With the accompanying theme of the home mortgage crisis, the characters show Americans can be shallow and clueless about how their country's economy works. The show makes a legitimate public policy point without preaching."

Debra O'Connor , Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10062532?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

The cast

Cameron Hager
Role: Creater & Performer
Stimulate THIS! is Cameron Hager's second Fringe Festival appearance in a Mad Munchkin Production, having appeared in the 2006 productions of Freaksout! Originally from Waseca, MN, Cameron has studied theater and performed in the Twin Cities for the past seven years. He was last seen in the world premiere of Bridge Productions' For a Time Such as This. Other credit include the title role in The Crooked Man, duel plays in the Frinj of the Frinj by Mathew and Nicholas Vacky, and work with the Eye of the Storm theater company. In addition to theater, Cameron play guitar and sings lead vocals with The Southtown Avengers, a Minneapolis rock band.

Ted Hansen
Role: Creater & Performer
Ted Hansen earned his B.A. in Theater from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. He has worked as a professional actor in California and Minnesota and was co-founder and artistic director of The Curbside Theater Workshop in Fargo, ND. In college he was a member of the improv troupe, The Slushpuppies, sang with the Concordia Chapel Choir. Ted has been taking a five year hiatus from the theater, choosing to focus his artistic energies towards painting. His work has been exhibited at the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, MN, The Drift Gallery in Dillon, MT, the Artist's Grind in St. Paul, MN, and various coffee shops. During this interlude, Ted served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria and worked in five states in jobs ranging from Sales Consultant to Horse Wrangler. He is currently employed as an artist with Otto Painting Design. Ted is very excited to be getting back onstage in Stimulate THIS! with Mad Munchkin Productions!

Alan Pagel
Role: Creater & Stage Manager
After earning his BA in Theater Arts from the University of Minnesota , Morris, Alan Pagel has been freelancing in Minneapolis as a technician, scenic carpenter, and Equity stage manager working for such theater as Mixed Blood Theatre, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Jungle Theatre, and Theatre De La Juene Lune. He currently is the Technical Director for Stepping Stone Theatre in St. Paul.. Alan is the co-founder and technical director of Mad Munchkin Productions whose credits include FREAKSOUT! for MN Fringe Fest '06, and a recent tour of the original puppet piece The Crooked Man, as well as puppet and mask design for Normandale Community College, Northwestern College, and American Stage in St. Petersburg , FL. Alan's most recent scenic design credit was The Flower Shop Project’s Attack of the Atomic Trash Monster’s Bride.

Jen Rand
Role: Creater & Performer
Jen Rand earned a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of MN - Twin Cities and has been working the TC theater and film community ever since. Theater highlights include the following productions and theater companies: Swearing Jack Productions: Titus;, Theatre Pro Rata: Metamorphoses; Minnesota Shakespeare Project: The Merchant of Venice, T+C, 12 Dancing Princesses; It's About Time Theater: As You Like It; Theatre Unbound: Women! Live On Stage!; Pig's Eye Theatre: Don't Drink the Water; Starting Gate Productions: The Grapes of Wrath; Commedia Beauregard; Theatre Limina; Ronin Theater Company; and Lex-Ham Community Theater. In addition to her performing experience, Jen is a mask-maker having created for the following productions: for Starting Gate Productions: Amadeus; Workhouse Theatre Company: A Company of Wayward Saints; and Ronin Theater Company: The Birds. Jen also serves as Artistic Associate for Commedia Beauregard and as a performing company member of GTC Dramatic Dialogues. She is thrilled to be able to collaborate with Mad Munchkin Productions.

Laura Wilhelm
Role: Creater & Performer
With a BA in Theater Arts from Concordia College Moorhead, and an MFA in Directing from the University of Memphis, Laura Wilhelm is proud to be back in the Minneapolis theater community. Laura is co-founder and Artistic Director of Mad Munchkin Productions, serving as a puppeteer/ writer/producer/director for both FREAKSOUT! and a touring production of their original piece The Crooked Man. Her work was most recently seen at the Guthrie as lead puppet builder for Secret Fall of Constance Wilde, production designer for 12th Night at Northwestern College, as a director for Theater Unbound's world premiere of Shattered and Bridge Productions For A Time Such As This, a costume properties technician for Easter Parade at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater (where she is currently props master), and puppet designer for CasaBlue at American Stage in FL. She would like to thank her Mad Munchkin soul mate, Alan, and the whole cast, without whom this show would not be possible.

Showtimes

Thu., Jul. 31 @ 8:30 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 4 @ 10:00 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 7 @ 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 8 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 9 @ 1:00 p.m.

Show details

Venue: Playwrights' Center

Duration: 60 minutes

For ages 16+

Created by Cameron Hager, Ted Hansen, Alan Pagel, Jen Rand, a

Website: myspace.com/madmunchkinproductions

Genres: Comedy

Warnings: Adult language

Overall rating

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User reviews

A smart reflection of society
by Gregory Abbott Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This was well worth every penny of my Stimulus Check. The scenes were clever while showing a sad reflection on how the American public can be so duped by a short-term tax refund.

This show "stimulated" my senses!
by Lorine Menzhuber Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I LOVED this show. I wish I would have seen it earlier so I could spread the word! From the George Bush puppet in the beginning, to all the clever skits, to the soundtrack that tied it all together…it was thoroughly enjoyable. It was well written, well acted and completely engaging. A definite must see!

Worth Spending Part of My Stimulus On!
by Abby Normal Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
While making fun of W. at this point is almost like piling on, I found this show to be very engaging. Congrats to the creators, the cast and the crew on a well done show. Political satire can go wrong but the folks at Mad Munchkin pull it off with aplomb. Well done and worth seeing.

beautifully, cleverly staged...
by Gretchen Weinrich Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The hardcore anti-consumerist message is nicely conveyed through jokes and sketches and nicely illustrated as sets and props stack up on stage throughout the show. A perfect fit in this political season!

Stimulate Indeed
by Heather Stone Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
I don't want to use the word cute, but that's how I felt after the show -- it was cute! This young ensemble are eager, engaging and energenic. I have some funny skits -- wanted more puppet! and it made me think back on how I spent my stimulus check -- and made me giggle.

Wall Mart will send the money to China
by Nick n Rosie Heille Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Fantastic use of gentle humorous satire that underscores the pathos of the "band-aid" reality of the Fed's $600 Stimulus checks. "Stimulate This" is well acted short vignettes. Great props. Time moved fast.

Reccomended show
by Elizabeth Myhre Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The cast was fun, the material was funny yet honest, the message was soberingly accurate.
While making me laugh it also made me saddened to rethink how this Stimulus program really did not work as it was intended to.

Lots of Fun
by Kurt Hunter Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
A very strong cast, well-written material (mostly), a fast pace and a growing hill of props added up to lots of laughs and some surprisingly tender moments. I had a great time.

I think I picked a winner!
by Jamie Lee Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This was my first time attending a Fringe Festival show and I think I picked a winner.

Stimulate This! Was an energetic, at times frenetic, mix of Fargo, Sesame Street, the tiniest bit of Broadway and....well, sketch comedy.

The message in this production was not subtle but that wasn't the point. The point was to have fun and talk about the economy at the same time.

I was laughing throughout the whole show of course but I also couldn't stop feeling a little bit guilty about how I spent my own stimulus check and I never really thought about where the money came from (or I didn’t want to think about where the money came from). Some scenes were down-right sad. Perhaps some of the topics hit too close to home.

Go and see the show, it is fast-paced to be sure but fun and not without substance.

Totally Engaging
by Erica Mauter Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Clever, good acting, lots of props, and anything that starts with a puppet impersonation of George W. Bush is right up my alley. It's a series of sketches about how people spend their stimulus checks. Some are hilarious. Some are embarrassingly accurate. Some are really sad. I was surprised by the serious nature of some of it; in retrospect it made it a much better show.

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