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: "MEDUSA"

Day: 4

Show: 15

Title: MEDUSA

Category: Dance / Original Music / Opera

By: Vox Medusa and Infiammati FireCircus

Crated by: Vox Medusa with Infiammati FireCircus

Location: Logan Park

Summary: A retelling of the Medusa myth using dance, movement, original music, and fire.

Highlights: Yes, I said fire. The dance company Vox Medusa combines their talents with those of Infiamatti FireCircus to create something unlike anything I have seen before. Performed outdoors in Logan Park in Northeast Minneapolis, the performance feels larger than life. A handy summary in the program tells us the general story of Medusa (she's not just an ugly woman with snakes for hair who turns men to stone, far from it), which helps set the stage so we can just sit back and let the show flow over us. It starts as beautiful flowing dance (choreographed by Julie Marie Muskat, who also performs the role of young Medusa), and then turns darker as Medusa's story grows darker. That's when the fire comes in. Members of Infiammati FireCircus carry big fires on the end of long poles, or small fires on short sticks, or swinging fire on chains, or wear it like a crown around their heads. They fight Perseus who is after Medusa's head, swinging their fire against his shield. Original music (composed by Jeremy Christensen and Dylan Nau, with lyrics written and sung in Latin by Emily Colay, the fierce gorgon Medusa, and also sung by Nicole Collins as Athena) is projected from large speakers so that it fills the vast outdoor space. As if that's not enough, there are also some cool video and lighting effects. Truly, words fail in describing this unique and mesmerizing creation. Their first two shows were rained out so let's all cross our fingers for a dry weekend so you can go see them Friday through Sunday at 8:30!

Read all of my Fringe mini-reviews here.

"Five-Fifths of The Matrix" by Five Minnesota Fringe Festival Companies at ARIA

The first Minnesota Fringe Festival event of 2018 is here! The first one I attend anyway (the lottery happened a few months ago, choosing the lucky companies that get to perform in the festival). The annual "Five-Fifths" fundraiser is when they take an iconic movie, split it up into five parts, hand it over to five Fringe companies, then put the five parts back together again. To say that the end result bears little resemblance to the original goes without saying. But it's great fun, and really gives you a taste of what Fringe is - a display of a wide array of creativity. Mark your calendar for August 2-12, and in the meantime find out how you can get involved (by volunteering, donating, or attending other pre-festival events) at the Fringe website.

Fringe Festival 2016: "RUNE"

Day: 1

Show: 1

Title: RUNE

Category: Something Different

By: Vox Medusa

Created by: Vox Medusa

Location: Intermedia Arts

Summary: A dance piece exploring traditional Sami (the native people of Norway) culture and the journey of a Noaidi (Shaman) into "the Norse Otherworld."

Highlights: This piece is lovely and evocative, combining dance, live music, recorded sounds, and video images. I didn't quite "understand" everything that was happening, and wouldn't have known it was about Sami culture if I hadn't read the description. But I don't think that's important; I was still swept away on a journey and felt like I had visited another time and place. Choreographed by Kristin Freya (the piece was inspired by her own journey among the Sami people in Norway) and Julie Marie Muskat (the lead dancer), the dancing is modern and unique, but with a tribal, traditional feel. The costumes are lovely (both cool, loose, white Sami-inspired costumes and drapey red modern costumes). Four musicians accompany the dancers, with hauntingly lovely singing/chanting, as well as drumming. It's billed as "something different" but I would classify it as dance, and it's a beautiful and moving one at that.