Minnesota Fringe 2024 Wraps Up with Masterful Storytelling, Amazing Improv, and Unique Opera

On August 11, the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival closed with a blast. The festival staged over 90 shows and nearly 500 performances across Minneapolis, featuring artists from all over the metro, state, country, and world. I saw a ton of shows, and even though you can’t see them anymore—at least for now—I want you to know how great they were.

Disclaimer: Being a Fringe volunteer and an active theater professional both in the Twin Cities and as a touring artist on the wider fringe festival circuit, there is a very good chance that any show I see will have one or several members in the cast and crew I’ve either worked with or seen much of their work. As such, there is a good chance that I’ll some bias in my coverage of their shows. However, I assure you that bias is strictly my love of how incredibly talented these folks are.

Many reviewers and the Fringe website itself use a numbered system to rate shows. To me, every show is a five out of five because I feel a numerical rating for art, a subjective medium, is inherently wrong. I just want you to judge each show by the words I write about them rather than some arbitrary number.

Transition: A Story of Two Trans People Becoming Themselves (Emily Boyajian)

I’ve been attending and performing Fringe for a decade, so I always take notice when I see something onstage I’ve not seen at Fringe before. And in the case of this show, it’s a mini orchestra presenting an original one-hour opera with a pair of trans opera singers. Conductor, composer, lyricist, and playwright Emily Boyajian has gifted the world with a piece of art so beautiful I was in tears of joy the whole time. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about the show. Transition needs a multishow remount, because more people need to witness this perfect piece of art.

5 Episodes of Minnesota Tonight; 4 Minnesota Fring3, it’s Minnesota 2Night’s 1st Time at Minnesota Fringe (Denzel Belin Presents)

A very traditional format for a talk show, but with a Minnesota twist—a parade of local comedians and sketch comedy in the familiar late-night format. Bailey Murphy, who stood in as the substitute host for show producer Denzel Belin, was very much up to the task, and the show was very funny and entertaining. A couple of the sketch/improv bits did go on a bit too long, as evidenced by the show going over time, but this was overall a strong entry for a show that would be lovely to see regularly on Minnesota stages.

Minnesota Tonight (photo by Alex Clark)

Anti.Hero (Paper Soul)

With this show, storyteller and playwright J. Merrill Motz completes his trilogy exploring the Hero’s Journey archetype through the lens of his own personal journey. This time, he returns as the villain of sorts. It’s a fun blend of riffing on villain stereotypes and crafting a narrative that honestly bares his heart onstage with personal stories. Motz has really entertained audiences with the bare-bones format of this trilogy, and the three-year experiment was well worth it.

Two Bowls of Cereal and Some Bacon (Mahmoud Hakima)

A touching and often harrowing storytelling show about a childhood of abuse, survival, and hope. Mahmoud Hakima shows off his skill as one of the strongest and most versatile performers in the Twin Cities. His deep and rich timbre invites you into his tale, and even when things get uncomfortable, you always know you are in good hands. With just a few chairs and clever blocking, Hakima shows off why he’s one of the best.

TransMasculine Cabaret (photo by Pete Rose)

TransMasculine Cabaret (Vulva Va-Voom and Company)

A vaudeville solo show revue about navigating life as a nonbinary trans artist. Star Vulva Va-Voom flexes their incredible talent for dance, song, and quips to hit audiences with a mile-a-minute barrage of jokes, insights, and insecurities. Fully sincere and fully entertaining—you’ll need a deep breath and a hug after this hour of laughs and tears.

The Light Bringer (Light Bringer Productions)

I first saw this show at the 2023 Elgin Fringe Festival. I loved it then, and it was just as great the second time. Storyteller Laila Lee demonstrates she’s an absolute pro at her craft, weaving a tale packed with interesting characters, heartfelt moments, and genuine humanity and empathy. I know she is working on a much-needed sequel, and I can’t wait to see it.

The Light Bringer (photo by Alex Clark)

All the Hullabaloo (Corpus Dance Works)

To be honest, dance shows aren’t my first pick at Fringe Festivals most of the time. However, this show was a delight. The dancers craft a visual spectacle and a creative and interesting dance using giant piles of clothes, cereal, bedsheets, and boxes. All of this is paired with an excellent and creative soundtrack as well as genuine joy and enthusiasm onstage.

Daddy Issues (Pretend Productions)

Storyteller shows really shined at the 2024 Fringe Festival, and Daddy Issues might be the brightest of all this year. Local actor extraordinaire Allison Vincent tells the story of caring for her ill father in hospice while navigating the future and past and how the experience shaped their relationship and her memories of her father. This is one of those shows that wrecks you emotionally in all the best ways.

A First-Class Comedic Revue … Featuring the Reanimated Corpse of a Wright Brother (an Alleged Theatre Company)

Fringe darling Alleged Theatre Company returns with another strange and creative play, this time involving the reanimated corpse of Orville Wright and a pair of awkward improv nerds. I’m not a huge fan of cringe comedy, but this is a preeminent example of the art form, executed with tremendous skill. It is very evident the creative team did their research; they present very real and harrowing examples of bad improv troupes and nightmare open-mic sets. A perfect example of taking the bit to 11 and never looking back.

Close Call: A How-Not-To Guide to Being a POS (Navel Gaze Productions)

In the golden age of masculinity culture wars and defining what it is means to be a man, storyteller Brian Watson-Jones explores his own life and a series of close calls involving how he nearly answered the call to join the toxic side of masculinity. A modern morality tale with a good dose of humor and sincerity.

Blackout Improv Does Something!!! (Rogues Gallery Arts)

Blackout Improv, an all-black improv troupe based in the Twin Cities, puts on a clinic showing why they are one of the best and most entertaining groups in the region. This show also featured local geek music duo M20, who played a set and were followed by a series of improv scenes inspired by their songs. The hourlong show flew by so fast that I was disappointed I couldn’t just keep watching them carve up the stage. Do yourself a favor and look up Blackout’s next performance so you can go see it.

They Still Make Film for That? (Dark Roast Arts)

In another unique entry into the 2024 Fringe, photographer Kevin Ealain presents a live film photography demonstration, including developing a roll of black-and-white film onstage. All this is accomplished while he gives a history of film photography, its place as an art form, its future, and its importance. Ealain really shows that we’ve only begun exploring the varieties of shows that are possible at a fringe festival. Even better, it makes me want to dig up my old film SLR camera and start capturing the world in analog again.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival at Minneapolis’s Southern Theater (photo by Alex Clark)

It was a bit odd watching the shows from the sidelines this year, but it was also a huge honor to witness so much amazing creativity and skill from such a variety of artists of so many disciplines. The Minnesota Fringe Festival is truly one of the most unique and important arts events in Minnesota, and I hope to see more people come out each year—it’s yet another gem of our state.

And don’t forget Minnesota is packed with amazing live theater, improv, and storytelling year-round! You can enjoy shows just like the ones here at venues such as Strike, HUGE, Phoenix, Theatre in the Round, the Southern, Open Eye, Mixed Blood, and the Bryant Lake Bowl. Have no fear of missing out, and be sure to enjoy great live theater anytime!