Minnesota Fringe Festival 2026: "Minnesota is the Shire, or Fair & Back Again"

Day: 4

Show: 13

Title: Minnesota is the Shire, or Fair & Back Again

Category: Solo Show / Storytelling / Historical content

By: Seán McArdle / Hero Props

Created by: Seán McArdle

Location: Barker Center

Summary: A solo storytelling show about how Minnesota is like Tolkien's Shire (Hobbit country), specifically in the scouring.

Highlights: OK, I went to this show because I've loved The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings for 40 years, but I left again being moved and inspired by my fellow Minnesotans. Prop master Seán McArdle loves LOTR even more than me, and in this well-constructed show, which he primarily reads from a lectern decorated with LOTR and protest memorabilia, he first tells us about his love of all things Tolkien, even painting maps on the walls of his high school classroom for his senior project. He compares the Minnesota State Fair to the Shire, primarily in the prevalence of food and drink and the opportunity to have many meals. But then he comes to the main thesis, that Operation Metro Surge was like "The Scouring of the Shire," a story at the end of The Return of the King in which the Hobbits return home to find that Saruman has turned the Shire into a fascist state (which was omitted from Peter Jackson's adaptation, which Seán says is its biggest flaw). He draws the parallels in a really convincing and moving way, even if you don't know LOTR. He shares social media posts and videos that he made during the time of the Surge, and his contribution of making and distributing many many whistles for people like his friend Kyle Dekker who were out on the streets (see Kyle's show Witness Loudly at Strike). He teaches us a few words of Elvish, and points to the three beacons of hope in LOTR (Aragorn, Gandalf, and Sam) for inspiration. I last read the books in 2020, after returning from my second visit to New Zealand on March 11, to find that the world I knew was completely changed, and found great inspiration in revisiting my favorite story during that difficult year. Tolkien famously hated allegory, as Seán said, but it's hard not to see parallels to our own world when reading these books. This show is a beautiful and moving thesis defense that has 100% convinced me, and a uniquely comforting way to help process our recent collective trauma and find inspiration to keep fighting.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here. 

at Bilbo's house in Hobbiton, Leap Day 2020

"The Canopic Jar of My Sins" by Swandive Theatre at the Crane Theater

I've always believed that technology is neither good nor evil, it's how we use it that determines its morality. Nuclear energy can be used to create electricity, or to murder vast numbers of people. Facebook can be used to connect people across distances, or to bully and belittle people to catastrophic effect. But is that true? Are the people who made an amazing scientific discovery that went on to cause more harm that good responsible for that evil? Justin Maxwell's new play The Canopic Jar of My Sins explores that idea in the form of a medieval morality play that puts Ralph Wiley, inventor of one of the first kinds of plastic, on trial for the destruction that single-use plastics have caused to our planet and many species living on it. Swandive Theatre's production, playing for just three more performances at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, will make you laugh, and think, and likely feel guilty for our thoughtless use of plastic. And maybe it'll also get you thinking about things you can do to help reverse the devastation, with help from the suggestions on their handout.

"The Drowning Girls" by Freshwater Theatre at the Crane Theater

Three victims of an early 20th Century English serial killer have their say in the haunting play The Drowning Girls, receiving its regional premiere with Freshwater Theatre. Based on a book about this true story, The Drowning Girls examines the life of these three women, their hopes in marrying a seemingly charming man, and the dire consequences when it's revealed he's a con man and serial marryer/murderer, after their money only. The play is ingeniously staged with three onstage bathtubs, shower-heads periodically pouring water into them, the three hardy actors working in water and wet clothes for the entire 75-minute show (which probably explains why the theater was toasty warm, a nice treat on a cold late winter day). The short run closes this weekend - just two remaining performances; click here for more info on how to see this fascinating, gripping, and well executed story.

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018: "Gunfighting: An American Story"

Day: 1

Show: 3

Title: Gunfighting: An American Story

Category: Storytelling

By: Hero Props

Created by: Seán McArdle

Location: Mixed Blood Theatre

Summary: A well-researched presentation on the history of gun rights and regulations in America from a props designer and stage gun safety instructor.

Highlights: This is a conversation we need to have, that we've needed to have for years, decades even, that we need to have even more every day. Seán approaches the problem of gun violence from the perspective of someone who grew up with guns and has made a career working with prop guns and teaching proper safety. His belief that people handling real guns should have as much safety training as those handling prop guns, the suicide of an uncle, and the courage of the Parkland students inspired him to do this show, even though he's usually backstage. With the help of a slide show (historic photographs, film clips, quotes, and pop culture references) he leads us through his personal history with guns both real and fake, the proper procedure for handling guns onstage, and a very brief history of gun legislation, and provides some very reasonable suggestions for how all sides of this debate can come together, find common ground, and enact sensible legislation that will save lives while not infringing on anyone's constitutional rights (step one: don't buy what the NRA is selling). If you're looking for fun escapist Fringe, this is not it, but if you're looking for an interesting perspective on one of the biggest public safety issues of our time, you've found it. Recommended reading: Gunfight by Adam Winkler. Recommended organization: Everytown.

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"The Skriker" by Fortune's Fool Theatre at the Crane Theater

A dark fairy pursues two teenage mothers in Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, receiving a rare production thanks to Fortune's Fool Theatre. It's an ambitious undertaking, with a huge cast of 17, fantastical elements, and complicated often nonsensical dialogue. While I have to admit that the play is a little too weird for my taste, I can recognize the talent, artistry, and hard work that has gone into making this unique and striking piece of art.

"mONSTER" by Swandive Theatre at the Southern Theater

You'd think that with as much theater as I see (over 250 shows last year), I've seen every theater company in town (an ever-growing list currently at about 75 per this year's Iveys). But I'd never seen a show by Swandive Theatre before last night, when I attended opening night of their original play mONSTER (by Sam Graber) with the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers. In my defense, although they've been around since 2005, they typically only do one show a year. But I'm happy to have finally made their acquaintance (thanks to my colleague Gina at the most awesomely titled #TCTheater blog The Room Where It Happens) with this original, thought-provoking, beautifully designed play.