2024 Twin Cities Horror Festival at The Crane Theater

The weather is (finally) turning cooler, the brightly colored leaves are falling from the trees, which means it must be time for the 13th annual Twin Cities Horror Festival. Unlike my friends at Minnesota Theater Love and The Stages of Minnesota (follow them for full coverage), I am not in general a fan of horror. But I am a fan of this mini Fringe festival that features many of my favorite Fringe artists. So I'm seeing a handful of shows this year (October also happens to be the busiest theater month of the year in general, and this year in particular). I was at the first show of the festival on last Thursday evening before continuing my stretch of five non-TCHF shows in five days, and then returned a few times to see a few more. I saw 7 of the 11 shows this year, read about them below, and visit the TCHF website for details and tickets (warning: there are sellouts already, particularly in the smaller studio space). Shows continue daily through November 3 at The Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "Monster Science's Greatest Hits: The Ecology of the Muppets"

Day: 9

Show: 35

Title: Monster Science's Greatest Hits

Category: COMEDY / SCI-FI / SOLO SHOW / SPOKEN WORD / HISTORICAL CONTENT

By: Monster Science Productions

Created by: Reverend Matt's Monster Science

Location: Augsburg Studio

Summary: The Monster Scientist known as Reverend Matt takes a deep dive into the beloved monsters that are part of Jim Henson's world of creation.

Highlights: I saw a Reverend Matt show on the first day of this year's Fringe Festival (The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist, in which he hires an assistant), and I saw another Reverend Matt show on the second to last day of the festival. Nice bookends indeed. Rev Matt's (aka Matthew Kessen) second show is a compilation of five of his most popular shows, pulled from his collection of deep dive power point-fueled explorations of various monsters, incorporating pop culture, mythology, and history. I chose to see the Muppets show, having grown up on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, and made a reservation well in advance, since it was sure to sell out (it did). Turns out there's a lot about Jim Henson's creations that I didn't know, and Rev Matt covers it all. From some very violent early coffee commercials, to the only live action movie to feature only puppets (The Dark Crystal), to the beloved Sesame Street, and beyond. He walks us through Jim's life and career more or less chronologically, through his tragic and untimely death at the age of 53. The show is funny and touching and nostalgic, and nerdy in the best way. If you missed Rev Matt at the Fringe this year or want to see more of him, you can see his show at Bryant Lake Bowl the first Thursday of every month (see his website or follow him on Facebook for news on upcoming performances).

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023: "The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist"

Day: 1

Show: 3

Title: The Very Model of a Modern Monster Scientist

Category: COMEDY / SCI-FI / SPOKEN WORD / STORYTELLING / HISTORICAL CONTENT / KID FRIENDLY

By: Mermaid Productions

Created by: Reverend Matt's Monster Science

Location: Augsburg Studio

Summary: One of the top ten monster comedians in South Minneapolis, Reverend Matt steps out from behind the podium to interact with a human - his new assistant.

Highlights: If you've seen Reverend Matt (aka Matthew Kessen), you're familiar with his unique brand of comedy, pop culture, literature, mythology, and power point. Typically he deep dives into a specific monster (which he is doing in his other show Monster Science's Greatest Hits), but for this show, he speaks from his podium (or music stand) about various topics, including monsters at work. This is a transition to hiring someone to work with him at the "Monster Science Institute," and he steps out from behind the podium to interview a new science assistant (played by Elora Riley, and don't worry, she gets a promotion). Elora brings a new freshness to the usual Rev Matt schtick (which is still great), and their boss-employee interplay is charming and funny. We still get some power point presentations, and we also get to see the two monster scientists in the field, searching for monsters, doing experiments, and just generally nerding out about monster stuff. Monster Science is always a sure thing great show, and this version amps it up. But be forewarned: the first show, on the first night of the festival, sold out the small Augsburg studio space, so you might want to buy/reserve in advance.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2020: "The Mystery of the Gryphon's Ears"

Location: Nightly Fringe (Aug. 2)

Length: 30 minutes

Title: The Mystery of the Gryphon's Ears

By: Monster Science Productions

Summary: A power point style edutainment lecture about the mystical creature known as a Gryphon.

Highlights: Sorry Reverent Matt, I didn't know what a Gryphon was either. But I learned it's a half-lion half-eagle creature that appears in many places in mythology, legend, and pop culture. Which is totally Rev. Matt's thing. Back in March he moved his show from Fringe, TCHF, libraries, and other physical locations to streaming online at Twitch, and has been doing it pretty much every week since (my favorite being "Weirdos of Middle Earth"). But it doesn't feel like Fringe without Rev. Matt, and this shortened version of his pandemic show (with no time for questions at the end) fits the bill - a funny and clever deep dive into some weird monster, chock full of pop culture references (related or not). Follow Rev. Matt's Monster Science on Facebook for info on upcoming streaming shows.

Read all of my Nightly Fringe mini-reviews here.

Read all of my Digital Hub mini-reviews here.

2020 Minnesota Fringe Festival Preview

Friends, one of the best times of the #TCTheater year is approaching! The Minnesota Fringe Festival is going virtual this year. The bad news is the shows will not be live and in-person, and not as many shows/artists are able to participate. The good news is you can watch all shows from the comfort of your own home, many at your own schedule, and you don't have to deal with waiting in line, or rushing from venue to venue in the August heat, or squeezing your meals in wherever you can. This is a great opportunity to experience the adventurous nature of the Fringe, from the comfort and safety of home.

Weekly Online #TCTheater Events

Hello friends. I sure miss live theater, more than I've ever missed anything in my life. I don't know when we'll be able to gather together again in the same space to share stories, but I know that day will come (watch Guthrie Theater Artistic Director Joseph Haj's inspiring message about that here). In the meantime, you can watch #TCTheater artists sharing their art online almost every night of the week! Below is a list of events occurring weekly. For other events, please visit the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Event page on Facebook, where we are compiling #TCTheater Facebook events for online performing arts. If you know of any other events not listed there, please comment or send us a message.

"Twin Cities Horror Festival" at the Southern Theater

The 8th annual Twin Cities Horror Festival concludes today, and surprisingly this was only my 2nd time attending. Or maybe not surprisingly; unlike my friends at Minnesota Theater Love, who love all things horror and TCHF, horror is not my thing, and Halloween is just another day to go to the theater and an excuse to buy half price candy the next day. But after spending the day at the Southern Theater yesterday, I realized that TCHF is just like a mini Minnesota Fringe Festival (drawing from the same pool of artists, with a similar structure), except that everything is a little spookier. Like Fringe it's a well run festival, but unlike Fringe you don't have to race between venues. You can just park yourself at the Southern for a few hours or a whole day. The festival concludes today with six shows, including two of the below five fantastic shows that I saw yesterday, so use that extra hour you gained to see some fun and spooky theater.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2019: "How To Come Back From The Dead"

Day: 2

Show: 7

Title: How To Come Back From The Dead

Category: COMEDY / HORROR / SCI-FI / SOLO SHOW / SPOKEN WORD / STORYTELLING / HISTORICAL CONTENT

By: Monster Science Productions

Created by: Reverend Matt's Monster Science

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: Reverend Matt educates and entertains about zombies, vampires, ghosts, and other ways history, mythology, and stories have told us we can come back from the dead.

Highlights: Reverend Matt (aka Matthew Kessen) performs regularly around town (at the Phoenix, your local library, and elsewhere), so if you've seen him, you know the drill. It's basically the same format, but with a new topic every time, and this year he added an assistant (Elora Riley), like the sidekick of a late night talk show. Rev. Matt's lessons are always funny, clever, nerdy, and take a deep dive into the subject at hand, accompanied by power point of related images. This year we learned all about vampires (sadly, no photos of my favorite vampire Alexander Skarsgard, but that's what Google is for) and zombies. Beginning with mythology from various cultures around the world and continuing through modern pop culture, we see how the legend has grown and the different forms it takes. Rev. Matt's droll delivery of his thoroughly researched and well organized lecture is always a fun, nerdy, nostalgic good time.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"How to Contract Lycanthropy" by Rev. Matt's Monster Science at the Shoreview Library

If you've never seen Rev. Matt's Monster Science at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, or the Twin Cities Horror Festival, or the Phoenix, or your local library, this is a brief PSA to tell you why you should. Rev. Matt (aka Matthew Kessen) performed last night at my local library to an enthusiastic crowd of nerds, and a good time was had by all.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "What To Do In Case Of Dinosaur Attack"

Day: 1

Show: 4

Title: What To Do In Case Of Dinosaur Attack

Category: Comedy / Sci-Fi / Storytelling

By: Monster Science Productions

Created by: Reverend Matt's Monster Science

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: Reverend Matt (aka Matt Kessen) brings his popular sci-fi/comedy/science series to the Fringe.

Highlights: For 50 minutes, a guy stands on a stage and talks about dinosaurs. And it's awesome. Reverend Matt's obvious passion for the subject, his vast knowledge of both the scientific and fictional sides of the topic, and his droll delivery make this an entertaining show for dinosaur lovers and newbies alike. The entire show is set up as Dos and Don'ts for if you ever find yourself being attacked by a dinosaur (It could happen. No it couldn't.), some hilarious, some sensible, some goofy. He also delves into specific types of dinosaurs and each one's strengths and weaknesses. The accompanying slide show includes scientific facts and drawings, as well as dinosaur representation in movies, cartoons, books, and TV shows. Dressed in a suit, reading from a book, and wielding a remote for the slide show (which really should be a pipe or a pair of glasses), Reverend Matt is a wonderful guide through the weird (and true, but not always true) world of dinosaurs.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.