Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: Wrap-Up and Favorites

The wonderful theatrical whirlwind that is the Minnesota Fringe Festival is over for another year, and I'm left with great memories of friends, fun, and theater, and also not a little exhaustion (I took an afternoon nap yesterday and then slept nine hours last night). I never cease to be amazed, impressed, and moved by the incredible talent in this festival, both local and touring artists. This year I saw 39 Fringe shows in 10 days, but technically I saw 42 shows within the 11 days of the festival, because I took the first day off to drive to Duluth and see Zeitgeist Theater's incredibly immersive and intimate production of my favorite musical RENT, and I took a few afternoons off to see a NEXT new works reading at Theater Latte Da and Artistry's fabulous production of the beloved classic Singin' in the Rain (continuing through August 31). But other than that, I saw a show in every timeslot that I could (not counting 10pm shows because #morningperson). And I did not see a bad show, in fact the majority of the shows I saw were excellent. Which makes narrowing my list of favorites down from 39 to something less than half of that a nearly impossible task. So here's a list of some (but not all) of the shows I loved at Minnesota Fringe this year. But Fringe is never really over; they continue activities and programming year-round, so be sure to follow them on social media and sign up for their email list (if you're not already). And most of the artists and companies in this festival do work all year round, so if you saw someone or something you really loved, check out what else they're doing this season. The 2025 Minnesota Fringe Festival is over, but #TCTheater never ends!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2025: "The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club"

Day: 9

Show: 31

Title: The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Physical Theater / Kid friendly

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: An actor tries to learn how to fall down for his audition to be TV's new Captain Clumsy.

Highlights: There's really nothing funnier than watching the Comedy Suitcase guys throw their bodies around the theater (and audience) in the service of comedy. At least not in this Fringe Festival; this is the hardest I've laughed in these ten days. Why is it that people falling down is always so funny?! Somehow even more so when it's on purpose. The plot of the show is that Walter (Levi) is a struggling actor going on one last audition for a show he's not even really that into, he just thinks it'll be a good way into TV. The problem is, he doesn't know how to fall down (and Levi's slow hesitating descent to the ground is hilarious). At the audition he means an excellent faller, a Frenchman named Guy, whom he also encounters when his agent sends him to the Gentleman's Pratfall Club to learn the necessary skills. Joshua plays Guy, and Walter's friend, and an old man who is a king of the pratfall, with the chronic pain to prove it. No speeches of self-discovery allowed in this comedy, but maybe Walter is trying to find the joy and purpose in life again. But mostly, this show is a ton of physical comedy that induces tears of laughter, particularly with Joshua throwing himself down the stairs, rolling over the short wall into the audience, and budging past several rows of audience members. Although Levi pretending to fall but not quite fall down the stairs and around the stage is almost funnier. And then there are the (real) slaps, the trips, the getting tangled up in chairs. It's just good old-fashioned physical comedy that's funny in any era, for all ages.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "What If We Hugged?"

Day: 3

Show: 9

Title: What If We Hugged?

Category: SOLO SHOW / AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Levi Weinhagen

Location: Strike Theater

Summary: A solo show from Fringe favorite Levi Weinhagen about fatherhood, heart disease, and what it means to be a man.

Highlights: You're probably used to seeing Levi, as he says in the show, running around and falling down as part of Comedy Suitcase (with Joshua English Scrimshaw). There's none of that here, instead it's a funny, personal, and relatable storytelling show. Having been raised by TV (in addition to his mother), he sets up the show in that familiar sitcom structure, compete with improvised commercials (I think my love language is TV sitcoms). In the "cold open" he tells us about what to expect in the show, in an informal and personable way, like he's just telling us a story over drinks in a bar, a style he continues throughout the show. Act I of this sitcom is the story of the somewhat traumatic birth of his daughter some 17 years ago, and his habit of passing out in times of great stress (it's a medical condition, and his love language). Act II recounts his experience with heart surgery, despite living a heart-healthy lifestyle for decades (it's in the genes). Even though the show is scripted, the stories don't sound rehearsed, they sound charmingly natural as he responds to audience reaction, speaking directly to us. The show is laugh out loud funny, full of pop culture references, and also speaks to issues of connection, relationships, politics, and the general stresses of being a human. He's vulnerable about his thoughts and fears and insecurities, in a way that makes us feel it's OK to feel those things too. And like at the end of those TV family sitcoms, sometimes a hug makes everything better (but only if it's consensual).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2022: Wrap-Up and Favorites

It's the closing weekend of the first fully live and in-person Minnesota Fringe Festival in nearly three years, but my fringing time is done, at least until next year. I've moved on from my favorite theater festival to my favorite music festival (Storyhill Fest in Deerwood). Sitting in a coffee shop in Crosby, reflecting on the eperience of the last seven days, in which I saw 23 short pieces of theater / music / storytelling / dance / spoken word / any combination thereof, the overwhelming feeling is gratitude. Gratitude that despite a global pandemic, financial issues, and cancelled performances, adventerous audiences (of which I consider myself a part) were able to gather to experience adventurous art (of which I consider myself an admirer). After two years of (mostly) virtual festivals, I didn't realize how much I missed this until I was back. To be immersed in a life in which the only goal is to see as much theater as you can, to eat, sleep, and breathe theater, is a theater blogger's dream. But the best part of Minnesota Fringe is the community feeling it engenders. Walking down the street, particularly in the Cedar-Riverside hub, and seeing so many theater-goers and theater-makers there for the same purpose, and chatting about theater with artists, friends, and strangers, is something that only happens at Fringe. Though I only saw 23 of the 100+ shows, and I know I missed some great shows (follow my friends at Lettered in Theatre and The Stages of MN, as well as the OG Fringe blogger Single White Fringe Geek, for continuing coverage), that tiny feeling of regret and FOMO is overwhelmed by feelings of satisfaction and happiness that Minnesota Fringe is back! Read on for my favorite shows of this year's fest, and visit the Fringe website (sometimes slow but very informative) for today's schedule. There's still time to get out there and #seethefringe, #bethefringe, #supportthefringe!

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2022: "Bob and Reggie Go To Bed"

Day: 3

Show: 10

Title: Bob and Reggie Go To Bed

Category: COMEDY / ORIGINAL MUSIC / PHYSICAL THEATER / KID FRIENDLY / NON-VERBAL

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua English Scrimshaw & Levi Weinhagen

Location: Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: A completely wordless comedy about... well... two nitwits going to bed.

Highlights: I would happily watch Levi Weinhagen and Joshua English Scrimshaw do anything, which is what most of this show is. Just watching them put on pajamas and get into bed is hilarious. It's just good old-fashioned comedy, the kind that works in any era, geography, or age of audience, in the Buster Keaton silent film kind of style. I'm certain these two go home with bruises and abrasions every night the way they heedlessly throw their bodies around the stage, all for the sake of comedy. They're joined for part of the show by Sulia Altenberg as a tough chain-smoking Tooth Fairy. They keep hitting each other in the face to make their teeth fall out to get more money out of her, which does not make her happy, culminating in a ridiculous slow-mo fight scene employing tools of dental hygiene. While without verbal dialogue, this show is far from silent; composer/musician Rhiannon Fiskradatz creates a soundscape for the show on guitar, percussion, and various other instruments, the sounds making the physical comedy even funnier. At one point the boys are "locked" off the stage and find themselves in the audience, running around gleefully and playfully interacting with the audience. Eventually all four performers end up back on stage, along with a few stragglers they've picked up in a conga line through the audience. This show is just pure joy and delight and laughter. If you don't want your face to hurt from laughing too much, you should avoid this show at all costs.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: Wrap-Up and Favorites

Well #TCTheater friends, we made it through another Minnesota Fringe Festival - 11 whirlwind days of theater, dance, comedy, clowning, storytelling, and so much more. I saw a total of 36 shows this year, which is actually my lowest total in the last 5 years, but I'm OK with that. At this point I'm getting better at choosing shows, so I feel like I saw 36 really good shows. And yes, there are many good or great shows I missed, but such is the nature of Fringe. I also noticed a very exciting trend this year, which is more shows by and about women. Of the 36 shows I saw, 20 were written (or co-written) by women, 19 were directed by women, 21 featured all or mostly female casts, and many dealt specifically with women's issues. This trend of more than half of shows being written and directed by women is one I would love to see continue throughout the theater season.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Slapdash Panic: Comedy Suitcase ended up in the Fringe Festival with 3 weeks notice and no show!"

Day: 4

Show: 13

Title: Slapdash Panic: Comedy Suitcase ended up in the Fringe Festival with 3 weeks notice and no show!

Category: Clowning / Comedy / Improv

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Scrimshaw and Weinhagen

Location: Strike Theater

Summary: There's no show, just a couple of guys being goofy.

Highlights: "What's a concise way to say welcome to something happening live in front of your face that may or may not be worth the price of admission?" "Welcome to the Fringe!" Fringe favorites Comedy Suitcase, aka dynamic duo Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen, said yes when their wait list spot turned into a Fringe show just three weeks before the festival start. The schtick is that they haven't come up with a show and are just winging it, but of course they do have a show planned, although very loosely structured. There's lots of running around panicking at the beginning, and then they settle into doing things to make the audience laugh (a lot). There's a very short improv scene, physical humor, audience participation, drawing stories, a comedy workshop on writing jokes, a brief scene reading (with audience help) from Joshua's other show about old-timey radio, and a dance party. I'd rather watch Scrimshaw and Weinhagen do nothing than many people do something. If you want to laugh, have a good time, and enjoy the silliness for an hour, regardless of age (this show could and should be at Family Fringe, except then we couldn't use our Fringe passes), go see this show that's not a show but really it is a show. And a super fun one.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Fringe Festival 2017: Mid-Festival Favorites

We're halfway through the 11-day, 15-venue, 167-show Minnesota Fringe Festival. I've seen 25 shows, with another 20-some on the schedule for the next five days. Here are a few of my favorites so far. I haven't seen everything on my must-see list yet, so be sure to check that out for more recommendations. And you can read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

There are five days left of Fringe - so get out there and see some shows! Full schedule, venue, and ticketing information can be found on the Fringe's handy dandy website.

My favorite 2017 Minnesota Fringe shows so far, in alphabetical order (click on the title for full show information):

Fringe Festival 2017: "Intermediate Physical Comedy for Advanced Beginners"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: Intermediate Physical Comedy for Advanced Beginners

Category: Comedy

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen

Location: U of M Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: A series of lessons on physical comedy performed by two masters of the genre, with no words spoken.

Highlights: Family-friendly and funny, this show was a perfect start to my Fringe. Creator/performers Joshua Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen go through a series of ten lessons, spelled out on a chalkboard, to demonstrate various facets of physical comedy. Food props, a drone, an over-sized inflatable raft, and the performers' bodies all are used in the service of comedy. Expertly performed, Levi and Joshua make it look easy, and we in the audience get to enjoy the fruits of their pain. The silent action is accompanied by Marc Doty on the keyboard (because otherwise the silence could get awkward, as it does in one lesson), who also gets to be part of the show. I wrote in my must-see list that this show is a no-brainer, and it is. A sure bet at the Fringe that is just pure joy, laughter, silliness, and a bit of awkwardness in the best way.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Averagers: Christmas War" by Comedy Suitcase at Bryant Lake Bowl

Last year's smash hit Fringe Festival show The Averagers returns with a Christmas special, because 'tis the season. Our favorite average people turned superheroes are back, and while the show may not have anything to do with Christmas (other than one scene that takes place in the Target Christmas aisle, a scary place indeed), it is hilariously funny, family friendly, chock full of local references, only an hour long, and a whole lot of fun.

Minnesota Fringe Festival: Five-Fifths of Titanic at Illusion Theater

Hey theater friends, did you know that the Minnesota Fringe Festival is less than three months away? I don't know about you, but I'm excited for 11 days of theater binging, standing in lines, eating trail mix for every meal, and little sleep, especially after attending the annual Fringe fundraiser Five-Fifths. The subject of this year's show, in which a popular movie is split into five parts and re-imagined by five different theater companies, is the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic. Confession: when it came out I was in my early 20s, so pretty much the target audience, and I unironically loved it. I bought the soundtrack and may even still have the VHS tapes (kids - VHS tapes are how we used to watch movies at home before DVDs or Netflix were invented). Now of course I can see that Titanic is an overblown melodramatic mess, but a part of me will always have a soft spot for this make-believe doomed romance set admidst a real disaster. Last night's Fringey interpretation of the movie represented everything we love about the Fringe, and set the stage for another great festival to come!

Fringe Festival 2015: "Comedy Suitcase Presents The Averagers"

Day: 9

Show: 40

Title: Comedy Suitcase Presents The Averagers

Category: Comedy

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Schrimshaw and Weinhagen

Location: Theatre in the Round

Summary: A bunch of average people become superheroes that save the day.

Highlights: The Averagers is one of the funniest shows I saw at the Fringe this year. The premise is pretty ridiculous - a ragtag group of superheroes including Captain Average (Eric Webster), the spoiled boy-god Paul Bunyan (Joshua Scrimshaw), the single mom Black Woodtick (Laura Zabel), office supply billionaire Iron Range Man (Levi Weinhagen), and the super sensitive Bulk (Matthew Kessen) travel through time and save the world from Nazis and a blue ox (Amy Schweickhardt, who wins the award for greatest range in the Fringe by also appearing in the excellent and completely different show Getting to Ellen), as told by a guy named Stanley (Daniel Hetzel). There are Minnesota references aplenty (including a "too soon?" joke about the Lindbergh kidnapping), and tons of physical comedy as the group fights and shoots things at each other. The show is incredibly loose and playful (perhaps because I saw the final scheduled performance) - everyone was ad libbing and toying with the audience and having fun, which makes it impossible for the audience not to have fun with them. And this show definitely wins the prize for best interaction with the ASL interpreter, as she (unknowingly but not unwillingly) became part of the show. The Averagers sold out all but their first show, and received the encore, and it lives up to the hype. Moral of the story: if you see "Comedy Suitcase" attached to a Fringe show, reserve tickets early and go see it, and prepare to laugh.

Fringe Festival: "Kafka Nuts"

Day: 8

Show: 28

Title: Kafka Nuts

Category: Comedy

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Scrimshaw and Weinhagen

Location: Illusion Theater

Summary: A screwball comedy in the vein of the Marx brothers, incorporating the philosophy of Kafka.

Highlights: This show is a rapid-fire succession of puns and physical comedy. Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen are a couple of attorneys attempting to help poor pantsless Zeppo (Joe Bozic) when he's arrested for some nameless crime. There's a chase scene, a trial, a metamorphosis (into a mime), musical interludes (by the fabulous Rachel Austin), and lots and lots of puns followed by pointed looks at the audience. What else is there to say? It's great fun, good old-fashioned comedy, well performed by the cast (which also includes Kelvin Hatle as judge, priest, cop, etc.).

Fringe Festival: "Comedy vs. Calories: FIGHT!"

Day: 2

Show: 3

Title: Comedy vs. Calories: FIGHT!

By: Comedy Suitcase

Created by: Joshua English Scrimshaw, Levi Weinhagen, and Andy Kraft

Location: U of M Rarig Center Thrust

Summary: Three comedians consume one happy meal each, and then work for the rest of the show to burn off the calories they've consumed by exercising and performing comedy skits, often at the same time.

Highlights: In this fight, comedy wins! About a half dozen clever and hilarious comedy sketches are tied together around the theme of food, fitness, and body image, some of which are personal and poignant stories. But mostly it's just good fun; I was laughing so much my face hurt at the end of the show! Sketches include a discussion of plastic surgery, the woes of childhood sports, The Biggest Loser as a teaching tool, and a funny spoof of the Tom Waits song "The Piano Has Been Drinking." The show is interactive but not in a scary way. At one point the guys invite all the kids in the audience on stage to play dodgeball, which is super fun to watch from the relative safety of the audience. Bottom line: funniest show I've seen at the Fringe so far. My favorite line: "This isn't the Guthrie, we just ate a cheeseburger on stage!"

Read more of my fringe fest reflections… 

… including my top 5 shows