July 2008

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Fringe By Numbers: Chasm Preview

Filed under: Fringe Festival

From 2004 through this past December, I was in a graduate program that had me spending my summers in Madrid, Spain.  During that time I became enamored with the art of translating.  And so, in addition to writing completely original works, I spend a great deal of my time running a theatre company that does translated works and also translating dramatic works from Castilian (Spanish) into English.  When I run across other theatre artists who are working on translated pieces, or translating the works themselves, I get excited.  There are a couple of pieces in this year's Fringe that are translated, or partially translated.  The Chasm: Two Prevailing Winds of Gabriela Mistral is, perhaps, the most notable.

Produced by Disquietude Theater Company, the show is half Spanish and half English.  The play is based on the poetry of Garbiela Mistral, a famous Chilean poet.  Playwright Hector Roberts has translated some of the works, but has chosen to leave some parts in the original tongue. Hector combined with the show's director, Shelia Regan, to answer my usual battery of queries:

Q:  What prompted you to start performing?

Sheila:  Theatre was the place where I fit in.  In high school, I played soccer, but the jocks just thought I was weird.  When I did theatre, they just thought I was normal.  So I kept doing it.

Hector: I have performed in the past, but not recently.

Q:  Have you done Fringe Shows before?  If so, what were they?  Fill me in on your Fringe history:

Hector:  I ran the music box theater a while back as a Fringe venue. I especially enjoyed Follies and Pageant.
Sheila:  I used to be a volunteer usher for the Fringe when I was in college.  Last year, the company I work (Teatro del Pueblo) did a fringe show called Echoes from the New World.  Teatro is doing another show
this year called Vote for Pedro which I am peripherally involved with.

Q:  What inspired this work?

Hector:  This is a project that in some respects has been in the process for quite some time. I was introduced to Gabriela Mistral's poetry at a very early age by my mother. She would often adapt poems from Mistral's Ternura collection and sing them as lullabies. These were tender lines, full of maternity and a very rich a medium for a mother to communicate with her son.  Consequently, with my school years commenced, I saw just how richly feminine, fecund and maternal those verses were, and naturally, as boys do at that age, I started shying away from them, but never forgot them.

As I grew older and started reading our modest library at home I was very surprised to find other poems by Mistral: shockingly brutal, filled with an anguish and abject despair that I did not yet comprehend but-being curious already at that age-I very much enjoyed.  They were poems of desolation, of loss, barrenness. Later on in studies and in creative processes I started to associate with an image that has drawn others: the image of chasm; however, not a fissure, but rather a plane where two opposite entities converge, as a nadir and also as a departure. I became very involved with this image, and how it has the power to bring two completely opposite entities that will never in a million years coexist into the same plane.

Q: Why the Fringe?

Hector:  It offered the right time frame, venue and exposure to workshop the piece.

Q: What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?

Sheila:  This last weekend I sanded a cradle.  Hector is writing the email campaign.  He has been working constantly on the super-titles and images for the past few days.

Q:  Are there any unique challenges working on this project?

Sheila:  Well, having a cast this large (8 actors) can be tricky to get everyone in the same place at the same time.  Also, the language was a challenge.  I am not fluent in Spanish, so directing the scenes that are in Spanish was difficult (had a cheat sheet to get through it.)

Hector:  Staying up all night working on projections. That, and Language: the text we chose for this project is very rich in imagery and very Chilean in its Spanish: translating some of it was very challenging. In the translation process, I would sometimes struggle for an hour with a single line of poetry, trying several ways to extract its imagery, rhythm and meaning into English.

Sheila:  A particular challenge was acquiring images of bones.  I had to go to the butcher shop, and got a bunch of really big bones.  We boiled them for like 6 hours to get all the flesh and cartilage off.  One of them had a hoof on it that we had to shimmy off.  Then we bleached them, and Hector took them to a construction site to take photos of them.

Hector:  Come see the Chasm not for the text, or movement: but to see images of some very cool bones!

Q: What's your favorite thing about getting ready for the Fringe thus far?

Sheila:  I like the energy.  I like having production meetings with my boyfriend at four in the morning.

Q:  Do you like Canada?

Hector:  I've never been asked that, although  I was born on Canada Day.  Does that make me an honorary citizen?

Sheila:  It's cold there.  I like Margaret Atwood.

Hector: It's cold here too! (Hector is from California).
 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 31, 2008 4:50 PM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe By Numbers: Day One: The Beginning

Filed under: Fringe Festival

Today is the day.  We've been looking forward to today with great anticipation, and it has arrived.  There is still a lot to do for all those involved, and I'm not excluded, by any means.  I've already been preparing.  I had to stop by the City Pages offices to pick up my press pass, and I had a lovely chat with my editor.  And now I'm sitting down to write this lovely little column.  But there's so much to do, still.  And so little time to do it.  I am a little worried that I may not get everything done.  Whether I do, or not, the festival begins at 5:30 p.m. today.

My charts are ready.  In fact, you can download today's charts through this link.  Handy, eh?  Now...let me explain how they work.  Essentially, what I'm going to do right now is test them out and take you through a hypothetical version of what the rest of my night could be like.  It's a little bit of role-playing.  So... open up the charts on your computer, or print them out, and grab a d20 (that's a 20-sided die).  That's all you need.  I suppose you could grab a pencil and a pad of paper if you wanted to more fully pretend that you're me.  There are other accouterments that would complete the ensemble, as well, but that's probably going too far.  So?  Got the charts and dice?  Good... so here we go!

Today's charts are 4 pages long.  That's because there are 4 time-slots within which to see a show.  Each page represents a separate time-slot.  "Table 1" is the 5:30 p.m. time slot.  Look at that chart.  Now, roll your die.  On my roll just now, I got a 14.  The number 14 corresponds with the show Reincarnation: Another Chance at Failure by Rampleseed at the U of M Rarig Center's Thrust Stage.  So, I hop in my car and get myself to the Rarig post haste.  I get my ticket.  I sit my but down.  I get out my next chart and roll for my next destination before this first show starts.

I roll for my next show prior to the current one beginning because it gives me a few minutes to figure out how I'm going to get there most effectively.  Okay, so... roll the die.  It's a 12.  That lines up on "Table 2" with Snip, Snap, Snute by Alrighty, Then! at the U of M Rarig Center Proscenium.  Good!  I don't have to run to another building.  I can mingle a bit between shows and chat up other Fringers.  Good thing I brought my MP3 player so I can record what they have to say.  I'll be using that to make my podcasts each night.

So once I'm eventually in the audience for the 2nd show, I roll again.  It's a 2 on "Table 3".  That's Ophelia by Studio Zero at the Interact.  Well, it looks like I'm going to have to travel, and by car.  Interact is sort of near the Jeune Lune.  There's a handy little coffee bar in the same building, so I'll stop there for munchies before the show if traffic isn't too bad.  Sustenance is an important part of a Fringe day.

So three slots are done.  Let's assume I make it okay to the 3rd how.  In that audience I rolled the final time of the day.  This time the die comes up with 19!  That's Delirium for Two at the Red Eye.  Check your charts again, just to make sure.  Yup.  Good.  So that's the last show of the night.

Once all four shows are done, I head to the Bedlam Theater for my first Fringe central experience.  The day is done.  I have a glass of wine, and I then go home and type everything up and shoot it to my editor so that you can read all about it.

So... That's what my fringe day looks like.  Lather, rinse, repeat for each of the days of the Fringe.  Some days have more slots.  Some I won't be able to attend all of them.  Tonight is one of those nights.  Unlike the hypothetical situation above, I actually will only be rolling dice once or twice tonight.  I am currently in rehearsals for a tour I'm going on in late August.  So, I'll see a show in the 5:30 slot, and hopefully in the 10 p.m. slot (cross your fingers for me on that one).  Either way, I'm most certainly going to the Fringe Central afterward.

Oh!  I should explain what happens when I roll a 1 or a 20.  Those are special cases.  In many Role-Playing Games, a role of a 20 on a 20-sided die is called a Critical Hit.  This means that you somehow did something better than you normally would have.  It has some extra bonus just for rolling a 20.  In this case, on these charts, you get the bonus of choosing which show to go to.  If I roll a 20 during any slot, I will choose something I'd otherwise possibly not see.  Now, a roll of a 1 in many Role-Playing games is called a Critical Miss.  You've just botched whatever you were trying to do.  You have fouled up so badly that you are penalized in some way.  In this case, on these charts, that means you take the hour off without any performance.  NO SHOW FOR YOU!  Luckily, that's not all bad.  Rolling a one normally means I get to eat real food during that slot, rather than a Clif Bar between shows.

I just wanted to point out that the above rolls were not the real ones I'll be using today.  It's entirely possible that I'll roll one of them again, but that was just testing.  The real thing starts in a few hours.  Before we get to that point there are a couple of other things I have to write about, but those things will be in other entries.

For now?  A little chaos brought into your world of order... consider me your very own mobile entropy unit:

• When producing for the Fringe I have taken in anywhere between $400 and $2000 of income from the 5-show runs.  So, to play it safe, I normally budget $1000 for expenses.  I believe this to be in the ball park with most other Fringe shows.  There is one show in this year's Festival that reputedly has a $15,000 budget ... at least according to the numbers they submitted on a grant application recently asking for $7,500 in matching funds for the project.  Yikes and Wow!  Many of the small theatres in town would have a slightly smaller budget than that for a full four-week run during the rest of the year.  That just simply amazes me.
• I need new tires and new breaks.  I believe that car repairs and wolves are related in some way, as they both travel in packs.
• Once again, I thank the folks at Hooked on Facts for their Random Trivia Engine: "The U.S. Army accidentally ordered an 82 year supply of freeze-dried tuna salad mix for troops in Europe." -- The important thing to know about this fact is, when?  Did they do this last week?  Did they do this in the 50's?  I mean, if so... they might want to consider reordering soon.  There's probably less than 30  years' worth left.  Mmm, Tuna.
• Blue, red, green
• This is the first page that pops up on Google if you type in "button passport design" (without the quotes).
• Mary did, in fact, have a little lamb.  She had it with a little mint jelly and some fried squash in a red wine reduction.
• Does anybody really know what time it is?
• Do these shorts make me look fat?
• Bicycle

 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 31, 2008 2:41 PM | Comments (4)

 

R.I.P. Minnesota Center for Photography

Filed under: Obituary

The Minnesota Center for Photography, a space that proudly displayed both the work of world-renowned photographers and local amateurs since 1990, is closing. The board of directors blamed tough financial times, especially over the past six month, as the reason. On a sad/ironic note, in this week's paper I interviewed photographer Jaimi Novak who was set to have her first solo show open at MCP on Saturday. Check out a slideshow of Novak's work here.

Novak's show was titled The Signs of Time, and featured striking color images of old signs. She made the pictures by pointing a digital camera through a Pringles tube taped to an old Argus 75 camera which makes the photos dirty, scratchy and instantly nostalgic. Her exhibit was another example of MCP willingness to display slightly quirky photos as well as promote local non-professional artist who might not have found exhibit spaces otherwise.

When I was preparing for my interview with Novak, I noticed that there was no information about her show on MCP Web site. After the interview, I told her this, and she got in touch with them. Perhaps the handwriting was on the wall.

"I did e-mail them about it and they apologized and said some changes were coming up but wouldn't allude to it any more than that," Novak said this morning.
Novak, of course, said she was disappointed when the Center sent her an e-mail telling of the show's cancellation and MCP closing.
"I can't believe it. I was like, 'What?!'" she said.
But she ultimately recognizes that it's not just photographers that will feel the loss; any member of the community hoping to learn about photography will too.
"I'm just really sad that I closed," she said. "It was such a great place, and they had such great talent and wonderful photography. I'm just really sad for the community because it was a great place for resources."

Here is the official closing notice from the MCP board:

It is with regret that we must inform you that the Minnesota Center for Photography is discontinuing business operations at the close of business on July 31st. Over the past six months we have unsuccessfully attempted to adjust our budget and, with your help, raise additional funds to pay down debt and fund continuing operations. The Board made this decision with reluctance and after attempting whatever we could do to permit the survival of MCP. On behalf of the many stakeholders in Minnesota Center For Photography, we thank you for your continuing interest and support of MCP's mission over the years. We are currently attempting to contact those who are directly affected by this closing, and to tie up many loose ends. We will make every attempt to answer questions regarding MCP, but please keep in mind that we may not have as much time as we would like to discuss the current situation. Please have patience, as we move through this difficult time.

Very truly yours,
MCP Staff and Board

Posted by Ben Palosaari at July 31, 2008 9:49 AM | Comments (1)

 

I want to ride my bicycle...

Filed under: Music

Doomtree released their first full-length, full-crew album yesterday, and in preparation for their sure-to-be-monumental release show at First Avenue this Friday night, they posted this sweet new music video on YouTube:

In honor of bike riding season and this awesome new video, here's a rundown of some other great bike-related music videos:

Bat For Lashes - What's a Girl to Do

M83 - Don't Save Us From the Flames

The Cool Kids - Black Mags

Bouncing Souls - East Side Mags

And just for fun, here's an old classic:

Posted by Andrea Swensson at July 30, 2008 3:30 PM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Storyteller Finds Support on Way to Fringe

Filed under: Fringe Festival

David Lind has been a pillar of the theatre community in the Twin Cities for years now.  He is perhaps best known for founding TC Theatre and Film, the all-purpose resource for those of us in the theatre field.  He just recently sold the website in order to move on to other projects.  One of those projects is his theatre company, Zealots and Mystics.  Zealots and Mystics has been the subject of past preview articles that I've written, as David almost always has an interesting concept piece to throw into the mix during the Fringe.  He's put on a musical version of The Cat Came Back, and last year he did two one-acts called After Life, and this year he's branched out into the world of producing the work of outside artists. 

Sarah LV Martin didn't get into the Fringe initially, but Zealots and Mystics did.  David had an idea for a show, but it wasn't coming together as he'd hoped.  So, he had a slot and no show.  She had a show but no slot.  Is that your chocolate in my peanut butter?  Is that your peanut butter on my chocolate?  The two of them had an arrangement pop up that was just as tasty as a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!  (I took that a bit too far, didn't I?)

So... Sarah is a storyteller.  It's a one-person show.  As I mentioned before I'm a new convert to the genre.  One thing that gives me hope for Sarah's show?  Her affiliation with Nancy Donoval.  Storytellers don't come any better.

The official website has this up as the show's description:  "Storyteller Sarah Martin attempts to uncover the face of god, living, peanut butter sandwiches, and the freeing power of failure."  Now let's see what Sarah has to say about the production and other things:

Q:  What prompted you to start performing?

A:  Two words – Nancy Donoval. I've been acting for a long time, like 13 years or something, but I saw Nancy Donoval tell a story at In the Loop's Story Slam on MPR. It was everything I love about writing and performing condensed into a five minute story about a witch under the bed. I was hooked.

Q: Have you done Fringe Shows before? If so, what were they?

A:  I was in last year's John & Abigail with Dream Machine Productions. Before that I had always known about Fringe, known a lot of people in it, but was always working service jobs that wouldn't give me the time off. I've fixed that.

Q: What inspired this work? Why the Fringe?

A:  Fringe walked right up to my doorstep this year. David at ZAM needed a show after he ran into problems with The Blind, which he had originally intended to produce. I had started solo performing a few months previously, and I had thoughts on what I would do if I ever got to do a long format piece. It was an ideal arrangement ... I'm fascinated by duality, the fronts and backs of things, the Rashomon phenomenon of life, when everyone's story is different but all of them are true. Fans of the late philosopher Alan Watts will recognize some influence there as well. Because this piece is experimental for me, there really is no better venue than the Fringe to give it life.

Q:  What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?

A:  Well, I've been bringing pieces of the show to Ball's Cabaret at the Southern Theater for a couple of months. That has been immeasurably helpful. Trying to put one of my postcards in the hand of every man, woman and well-mannered child in the city of Minneapolis, which is surprisingly difficult given many of the theaters (even the Fringe venues!) are between seasons right now and therefore closed.

Q:  Are there any unique challenges working on this project?

A:  Lots! I'm all by myself, and I'm on the enormous Thrust Stage at the Rarig…so, set or no set? I don't *need* a set, but that's an awful lot of stage for nothin' but my five-foot-three self. What if my material sucks and everyone is too kind to tell me? What if I'd rather eat a pint of ice cream and watch Project Runway than go to "rehearsal" – who's gonna tattle on me? In all other circumstances, having other people invested in the show keeps me in line. Keeping myself in line has proved a unique – and valuable! – challenge. One I'll have to adapt to if I intend to do more solo storytelling. Which I do.

Also, because most of my solo material in the past has been funny, I checked the box labeled "comedy" way back 6 or 7 weeks ago when the show was still pecking its way out of the egg. Turns out…it's not a comedy. Who knew? The schedules are already printed, so I'm hoping to not run into too many "challenges" at the box office because of that.

Q:  What's your favorite thing about getting ready for the Fringe thus far?

A:  Meeting Leslie Ball. She might be the most supportive bipedal mammal on the planet, especially to artists, and extra-especially to sensitive artists like me. My show is very personal, and she's done a miraculous thing by creating an environment that feels safe enough to share it. Warts and all. Thank you, Leslie.

Q:  Will you be hanging out at Fringe Central this year?

A:  Sir yes sir! How cool is the Bedlam? Way cooler than I am. I'm hoping to show up and roll around on the floorboards in case it rubs off.

Q:  What are you reading this summer?

A:  I've got three books lying open in my apartment at the moment:

Words In Your Face by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (next to the bed)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins (next to the toilet)
Deception Well by Linda Nagata (on the couch, under my cat)

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 30, 2008 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

 

Flyer of the Week: Rock Out for Epilepsy

Filed under: Flyer of the Week

This week's extremely tall flyer is for a show with a killer lineup: Tomorrow night, the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota is hosting an evening with Andrew Broder (of Fog), Black Blondie, Mouthful of Bees and Romantica. All proceeds will benefit young adult programming through the foundation.

Posted by Andrea Swensson at July 30, 2008 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe By Numbers: Urgent Previews

Filed under: Fringe Festival

There comes a time when one runs up against deadlines.  Sadly, not every interview invitation I sent out to various companies got back to me as soon as I would've hoped.  Sadly, I cannot write these any more quickly.  Actually, I could, but I think my editor would hurt me if I did.  When it comes down to it, I'm still not used to the fact that what I write goes through an editor.  It doesn't bother me.  I kind of like having someone else having a vested interest in what I'm writing.  But, I'm also used to just posting my blog and having it instantly available to the public.  That isn't the way it goes here at City Pages.  I send all sorts of stuff to my editor, he deals with it, and then it gets put online.  If I cranked out stuff any faster, I'm pretty sure that Jeff (that's his name) would be buried under a mountain of my crap and nobody else's.  Last I checked there's a lot of other stuff on this website, so I'm guessing he wouldn't appreciate it if I kept spewing stuff forth in his direction.

What I'm trying to say here is that I'm up against a wall.  There are a number of companies who did get back to me, but I can't do full-length features on each of them.  Otherwise they won't get posted before the Fringe Festival starts.  And when it comes down to it, what good is a preview article if it isn't really before the event?

To do something about this situation, I'm going to compile many mini-previews in this one entry.  Ready?  Go!

• No Refunds Theater Company -- Sun Tzu's The Art of War:  This is a remount of a play that had a pretty successful run earlier in the year.  It was written for the group by Charlie Bethel.  It is based, oddly enough on an ancient Chinese text.  Answering my interview questions were company members Matt Dawson and Christopher Howie.  Here's one response that stuck out to me:

  Q: What inspired this work?  Why the Fringe?

  MD: This quote from the book: "A sovereign at court cannot raise an army because he is enraged, nor can a general fight because he is resentful. For while an angered man may again be happy, and a resentful man again be pleased, a state that has perished cannot be restored, nor can the dead be brought back to life."

  Also, student loans.

  CH: The Military Industrial Complex.
   

• Mad Munchkin Productions -- Stimulate This!:  Laura Wilhelm and Alan Pagel combine to make up this company.  They, along with collaborators Jen Rand, Ted Hansen, and Cameron Hager, have created a piece of work that plays fast and loose with the world in which we live.  The idea sprang from the economic stimulus checks that have recently been flowing in to and back out of bank accounts across America.  Some of their thoughts:

  Q: Is there any significance behind the name of your company?

  A: When we were first joining forces there were two options for our company name, Alan's PS Productions (AKA Poop Stick Productions) and Laura's Masked Munchkin Productions from prior work.  Since we're both short and crazy we settled on Mad Munchkin Productions, leaving the poop and masks out of it in the end.

  Q:  What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?

  A:  Painting purple bricks, finishing props, last adjustment on costumes, and passing out postcards like mad.
   

• Empty S Productions -- Roofies in the Mochaccino:  Empty S is MTS, that is Michael Thomas Shaeffer, slam poet extraordinaire.  His show Tantrums, Testicles, and Trojans was something I wrote about a lot a few years ago.  His "Ode to a Colostomy Bag" is still one of my favorite humorous poems to this day.  Checking in with Michael got me the following responses:

  Q: What inspired this work?

  A:  This show was inspired by the success of Tantrums, Testicles, and Trojans.  It's an hour of new slam poems with roughly the same humor and vibe as my 2005 entry.

  Q:  Are there any unique challenges working on this project?

  A:  Memorization for these slam pieces have been much tougher than the ones I did three years ago.    It'll be fresh come Thursday.    I'm shooting for polished but not over-rehearsed.
   

• Behemoth Theatre Company -- The Legend of Little Bad: Not Her Father's Fairytale:  Symmonie Preston was in a production of The Tempest that I directed many years ago.  Since that time she has had a couple of kids.  This part of her history seems to lead directly into why she has entered a show into this year's Fringe in the "kids" category:
   

  Q:  What inspired this work? 

   

  A:  My 4 year old was upset that she had never seen me in anything. That's because I mostly do classical theatre and she isn't old enough to come. So, she looked me in the eye and said that I should just write a play for her and fix that problem. I chuckled and said I'd think about it. Be careful what you tell a 4 year old- they will not forget. So, after many reminders I promised her that I'd apply for a kid's fringe slot and if I got one I'd write that play she wanted. I went to the lotto thinking that I'd never get a slot and would be off the hook. I had assumed that there would be a plethora of people creating things to challenge kids, allow them to participate, and introduce them to the magical world that we frequently take for granted when we enter the theatre to do our work. Turned out that there hadn't even been enough applications to fill all of the kid's slots. That was an eye opener- and it made me determined to pull out all the stops and give her and all of the kids like her a real treat. She loves the story of the Big Bad Wolf and had asked for something to do with him. I got to thinking and wondered what the Big Bad Wolf might want for his daughter and what I would want for mine. This show is that show.
   

• Four Humors Theater -- Mortem Capiendum:  I first saw the guys of Four Humors during a remount of their first Fringe show, Inspector Rex.  Since then they have become perennial favorites, and dare I say heavy-hitters on the Fringe scene.  They have a great sense of humor.  Nick Ryan has traditionally written the shows by the company, but that is not the case this time... at least, not exclusively.  This piece was created by Ryan, as well as Matt Spring, Brant Miller, and Jason Ballweber.  Nick was originally the one who I sent my questions to, but he then forwarded them on to the rest of the crew, who were touring Canada at the time!  A couple of their answers:

  Q:  What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?

  A:  We've shown Mortem Capiendum at the Cincinnati, Toronto and Winnipeg Fringe Festivals and over the course of our trips a great deal of fine-tuning has occurred. By the time we reach Minnesota, we will have performed the show for over twenty audiences, and we've made new discoveries during every single one.

  Q:  Do you like Canada?

  A:  Yes, everyone is extremely nice. Suspiciously so.

So... That about wraps that up.  I do have two more previews with people who didn't fill out my form because I actually was able to sit down with them.  Look for them shortly.  Otherwise, this is it!  We're officially on the home stretch.  The fringe starts in just over 24 hours and I'm getting ready for "Day 1: The Beginning".

 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 30, 2008 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Choosing a Top 10 Numerically

Filed under: Fringe Festival

Each year I put out a top-ten list of shows.  Most of the other Fringe bloggers do, too.  Mostly because we were required to by the Fringe back when we were hosted on their site.  Matthew A. Everett normally couldn't bring himself to keep his list concise and always publishes a top-twenty.  Others listed ten shows they'd like to see based on the previews they've seen, or who was in the shows.  I always liked to keep the "By Numbers" theme going, even in my Top-10 list.  I think I'll stick to what works with this year's edition:

1. The Butterfly Kisses Effect or A Post-Nuptial Log Flume Towards Consensus
-- This show has the longest title in the Fringe this year.  By sheer numbers of letters, the coveted top spot in my top-10 is this filled by piece of work, which I'm truly hoping is a comedy.
2. Oens -- It's all about kerning in the number two spot.  This show by Wilson Loria claims the honor of being the show with the shortest title in the Fringe.  It was a close race, but JACK and Boom come up a little too long when compared in Times New Roman.
3. Deviants -- Herocycle -- Delirium for Two -- This is a three-way tie.  These three shows are all eligible to be crowned the show with the most performances.  Each has 10.  How can they each manage to get double the normal number of Fringe slots?  That's one of the huge advantages of being a "Bring Your Own Venue" show.
4. 10.10 Post 9.11: Laughter in the Aftermath -- Look at all those digits in that title!  Also, one of my favorite actors to work with is in this piece.  Hi, Michael Bruckmueller!
5. 59 Minutes 'Til the End -- Not only is there a number in the title, but it sums up the basic truth about all Fringe shows.  Once it starts, you've only got 59 minutes to go.  EXCEPT, apparently this show only runs 49 minutes in length according to its own description.  Leaving aside that bit of mathematical discrepancy, it looks like an interesting show.
6. The Chasm: Two Prevailing Winds of Gabriela Mistral -- Check it out!  Not only one prevailing wind, but TWO!  Also, I'll double the number of two's that I associate with this piece.  Two members of my household are in it.
7. elephant shoes, & olive juice; (mis) communication in a modern world -- This could have been listed here for having the most words that start with a lower-case letter in the title.  However, that isn't a category that I normally assign any value to.  No, the reason this show is here, is because of the theatre company's name that is producing it:  20% Theatre Company Twin Cities.  This is a great feminist theatre group that also just so happens to have a decimal fraction in its name (as well as its mission).
8. First Years -- I almost put this in the number one slot.  After all the ordinal in the name would have it that way.  The title declares it "first".  This show is produced by one of the ushertainers from Saint Paul Saints games.  I love Saints games.
9. The Gypsy and the General -- This is another show that earns its place here due to the company's name: 3 Sticks.  This group has produced some of the best Fringe shows over the past five years.  Sadly, that didn't land them on my list.  Nope.  It was the number 3.
10. How Does a Drug Deal Become a Decent 3rd Date -- Another ordinal, another spot in the top-10.  This play is coming all the way from Canada.  Anyone else notice that one of my standard interview questions involves Canada?

All right... That's my personal top-10, not that I'll get to see any of them.  Or perhaps I will.  Rolling dice and seeing shows at random doesn't ensure anything other than that I have no choice in what is going to cross my path at the Fringe.  You, however, may have just learned about a few shows to check out.  Do it!

And now for a bunch of random stuff:

• Now, I'm not one to pick on other media outlets (Wait!  Yes I am!), but I came across this on another Fringe themed website.  It's about how the Pioneer Press found its team of reviewers.  All I can say is I'm really wondering about the validity of their reviews, and the sanity of those involved in that decision.
• I started rehearsals last night for a tour that I'm going on later this month.  Wow!  This is going to be more work than I'd expected.
• Some former owner of my house painted the dining room radiator bright, shiny, metallic gold.  I'm trying to decide if that is a good thing.
• As always, there's some trivia from Hookedonfacts.com: "Drivers kill more deer than hunters." -- I have a bit of a bone to pick with this fact.  It isn't grammatically clear as to the meaning.  Do drivers kill more deer than drivers kill hunters, or do drivers kill more deer than hunters do?  This is where we begin to see the value a well-structured sentence.
• I've never read a Dean Koontz novel before, and technically I'm not reading one now.  But, I am enjoying the audiobook of Icebound.  I got it at the Saint Paul Public Library.  I've rediscovered how much I like libraries this year.  I had to pay a $90 outstanding fine before I could make this rediscovery, but now I'm happily checking stuff out and returning it on time.

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 30, 2008 4:58 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Creators of Great American Horror Movie Musical Not Too Scary

Filed under: Fringe Festival

One thing that is certain.  There is never a shortage of new oddball musicals in the Fringe.  You can normally tell them by their titles which are followed by the words "The Musical!"  In past years we've seen works such as Jaws: The Musical and Google: The Musical!  This year we have been blessed by a number of musicals in this vein.  There is even one titled Musical the Musical.  The musical that this particular entry is about, however doesn't have the words "The Musical" at the end of its title.  No.  It's missing the word "the".  I'm talking about Great American Horror Movie Musical.

Looking the cast list over on the Fringe Festival website makes it clear that this production managed to get some real heavy-hitters to play ball.  Some of the places you may have seen them before?  The Ordway, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, the History Theatre, and many more!

Before I go on any more, I'll give you the official description of the show:  "A criminal is at large; 7 brave filmmakers promise to hunt him down. Armed only with a camera, this kooky bunch sing and dance their way to making the greatest horror movie ever made - 80's Karaoke Style!"

Yup.  This isn't technically an original musical.  It is an original play with the music of the 1980's providing the soundtrack, sort of in the same way as ABBA songs provide the soundtrack for Mamma Mia!

At the Fringe-For-All they were featured singing their rendition of "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics.

I posed my standard list of questions to the producers of Great American Horror Movie Musical.  Sheridan Zuther is co-producer and also appearing in the production.  Daniel Ellis is the other co-producer, as well as the director of the show.  Playwright Jonathan Howle chimed in as well.

Q:  What prompted you to start performing?

SHERIDAN:  My earliest memory where I didn't think twice about what do with a stage was when I was 4 or 5 years old.  We were putting up the Christmas tree and always used a little platform on which the tree set.  While my dad was preparing the tree, I stood up on the platform, grabbed the end of an extension cord as a microphone and started singing "Hot Child in the City" (my favorite song at the time – I'm sure my mother was so proud).  Being a farm girl, I started really honing my talent in our empty concrete grain silo.  It had the best acoustics and I would sing in there for hours.  Shortly thereafter, my Dad decided to take me to the local livestock auction and had me sing the National Anthem before the sale began, as I stood in dirt and manure.  I simply loved an audience, even if it was a crowd of cows that didn't really pay attention as I performed on stacks of hay bales… I think it was good practice for any sort of house I now encounter!  I simply love to entertain. 

 Q:  Fill me in on your Fringe history:

DANIEL:  I directed a show back in Fringe 2005 entitled AT THE END OF THE DAY written by Gilad Segal.  After working once in the Fringe I knew that GAHMM would be a perfect show for the festival.  GAHMM just had to wait a few years for the stars to align properly and my lottery ball to be picked!

Q:  What inspired this work?  Why the Fringe?

JONATHAN:  During Christmas of 2002, at a small Methodist church in North Carolina, I heard some older men joking around about a friend they hadn't seen in a long time.  One turned to his friend and said, "Well, maybe he's up in the mountains helping all those people hide Eric Rudolph."  They laughed. I just had one of those "writer" moments where I thought to myself, "I have to write about this."  Then, on the way home from church, I heard "I Found Someone" by Cher on the radio.  I began to research Rudolph and began to research the music that he might have listened to at the time.  GAHMM was born!

DANIEL:  An 80's Karaoke style musical - part documentary, part horror movie, part musical - what better place to try out such an original idea for a musical than the Fringe!  The Fringe seemed like a good place where we could test Jonathan's play in an environment that would be well received and appreciated, while being enough removed out of the commercial market that record companies would allow us the rights to use 80's songs within the context of the piece.

Q: What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?  Other than this interview:

SHERIDAN:  Along with promoting, promoting, promoting, I just mailed off a check and license forms to Sony/ ATV Music Publishing for the right to perform the song "Eternal Flame" in our show.

Q: Are there any unique challenges working on this project?

SHERIDAN:  Daniel and I started working on rights to perform songs in March.  We had a list of about 22 songs that Jonathan suggested to fit in the show.  I first did a search for the songs with ASCAP and BMI (songwriter unions), then began contacting each publishing company that represented the writer(s) of each song.  Sometimes a song that had multiple songwriters had a different publisher representing each person.  I had to fill out forms for each publisher that described the production, how the song was going to be presented in the context of the show, along with show logistics (number of performances, number of seats in the venue we were performing, ticket costs, etc.).  Once the forms were submitted, it took a couple weeks – up to a few months – to know whether or not we had rights to perform the song and how much it would cost us each time the song was performed.  After we received approval, there was still the final step of actually licensing the song for our show, and mailing in the check with the proof of approval to each publisher to acquire a formal license. 

Another challenge for this show is its cast size.  Fringe shows typically have a shorter rehearsal process and it's tough to get everyone's schedule coordinated to work together at the same time.  We had to find people who could act, sing and dance, as well as discover their character in a less than a month's time. 

And money is always a hurdle.  This show is a great example how to have champagne taste on a Kmart budget.  You really can do theatre without all the bells and whistles if you get a little creative. 

Q:  Will you be hanging out at Fringe Central this year?

SHERIDAN:  A chance to meet new theatre friends and future collaborators?  Of course!  Theatre is a mélange of creative minds and I love to be a part of that.  Daniel and I are also encouraging our entire cast to hang at Bedlam during the Fringe.  You never know who you're gonna meet!

Q:  What are you reading this summer?

DANIEL: Naked by David Sedaris and The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

SHERIDAN:  The House That George Built… With a Little Help from Irving, Cole, and a Crew of About Fifty by Wilfrid Sheed and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 29, 2008 2:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

Guthrie's Government Inspector: worth bribing someone to get in

Filed under: Theater

If you've ever lambasted bureaucracy, experienced hubris or decried corruption, tovarisch,, I'm telling you, don't miss this one.

We've already reviewed The Government Inspector, the Nikolai Gogol play being offered at the Guthrie through Aug. 24. Our own Quinton Skinner declared it a "first-rate farce," and so it is. Set in rural Russia, the show lampoons sleazy government dealings through that time-honored tradition, the comedy of misidentification.

You'd think that a 19th century Russian work would be dated, but sloth and greed are universal topics. The adaptation is clever, the writing funny, and the lively show fast-paced.

With a fine ensemble cast, there are subtle pleasures to be found for each individual viewer -- Maggie Chestovich as the mayor's sullen, explosive daughter is mine -- but there's plenty to like, and not a weak point to be found.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at July 29, 2008 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe By Numbers: Patty Nieman sings her 'tween dreams

Filed under: Fringe Festival

In the summer of 2003, I had the honor to be in a show with three amazingly wonderful women.  One of those three was a beautiful redhead named Patty Nieman.  Patty is a skilled actress who brought warmth and caring to the character of LaVerne Andrews, a role that could easily have been misplayed as a stone-cold bitch.

Ever since then, I've been a huge fan of Patty's.  I loved her rendition of Tell Me On A Sunday which was part of the Fringe in the final year of the Illusion including its "Fresh Ink" series as part of the MN Fringe Festival.  When I was the Assistant Director for another show she was in at the History Theatre, it was a complete treat to see her work from the other side of the table.  And so, when I found out that Patty had gotten a slot in the Fringe, I was psyched.  Seriously, I did a little happy dance.  And I'm not ashamed.

Let me tell you a little bit about this project...  Here's the official show description:  "Small-town Ohio, 1977. In her bright yellow bedroom, preteen Patty dreams about an Indian dancing boy scout, a green velvet dress like Scarlett O'Hara's and a fab future in musical theater. Her diary tells all!"

Now, from that description, you might wonder if the character "Patty" is the real-life Patty.  From all evidence and reports, it is.  This show was built from the diary entries of Ms. Nieman.  Scandalous!  And, it is set to song.  A one-woman musical.  Now, I already dubbed this show one of the best at the 2nd Fringe-For-All, so I refuse to outright gush about it any further, but suffice it to say that if I weren't rolling dice to determine which shows to see, I would be seeing this one. 

And so... I shot my list of interview questions to Patty, and she graciously took the time to answer them.  Let's take a moment to observe the query-response pattern in its natural habitat.  Shall we?

Q:  What prompted you to start performing? 

A:  The very first recollection I have of knowing I wanted to be a performer was when my dad took me to see a version of Peter Pan. It was great to be in the audience and help bring Tinkerbell back to life and everything (without my clapping, her little light would have gone out for sure), but I really wanted to play Wendy – mostly so I could fly. Then fast-forward to eighth grade when I played a stripper in my first show, Flower Drum Song, at Sleeping Giant Junior High School. The messy greasepaint, the exotic rented costumes, the unforgettable smell of all that black hair spray-- I've wanted to be in the theater ever since.

Q:  Have you done Fringe Shows before?  If so, what were they?  Fill me in on your Fringe history.

 A:  A few years ago I did Tell Me on a Sunday, (another one-woman musical) for the Fringe. I got to perform it at the Illusion Theater and they took care of all the producing details -- which was heavenly. Other than that I've just been in the audience.

Q:  Is there any significance behind the name of your company?

A:  Patty Nieman? Yes.

Q:  What inspired this work?  Why the Fringe?

A:  October 20, 2002. Tod Petersen hosted the first Latté Dark at Theater Latté Da, an evening of short solo theater pieces each of which contains a musical element. The theme was "First Love."  I had a story for that right in my little yellow diary which is a pretty thorough record of my life on the brink of being a teenager in 1977. Audience response was encouraging and it felt like there was some good material for a one-act. Time marched on. Several years went by with the show on the burner in the way-way back. I realized I needed a firm deadline and, as luck would have it, I got a spot in this year's Fringe. Deadlines are great.

Q:  What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?  Other than this interview?

A:  Sewing curtains and a bedspread, Mod Podging, marketing, looking for a doll stand, narrowing my selection of 70s pre-show music, looking for a really long extension cord that isn't bright orange, cleaning for my parents' visit, delegating when possible, and basically trying to cross more things off my daily LYD to-do list than I add on to it. Oh, and rehearsing.

Q:  Who are you working with on this production?

A:  My composer, Rob Hartmann, and I created the original script and songs by narrowing the scope of the stories and emotional range we could cover in the time allotted. He wrote eleven great songs, eight of which we are using, and they all do a great job of sounding like the words come right off the page – which, in most cases, they do. My director, Rob Goudy, has been helping not only to shape the show but also to cut it down to size and smooth out the story telling. His insights are invaluable. My music director, Drew Jansen, is also dreamy to work with. He can play anything and has added his own perfect musical stylings to the scores as written.

Q:  Are there any unique challenges working on this project?

A:  I would say that my biggest challenge is to truly tell the story from the perspective of my earnest, emotional, lively, sweet, sassy twelve-year-old self without commenting from my, shall we say, more mature perspective.

Q:  What's your favorite thing about getting ready for the Fringe thus far?

A:  Getting the songs and the script together and actually doing this project I've had in my mind for eight years is big-picture fantastic. I have loved seeing the set take shape. The bright yellow curtains make me super happy. And Rob's dad made a pink dresser front that wraps around Drew's keyboard -– it absolutely puts me back into my bedroom at 12. I love it! Good times.

Q:  Do you like Canada?

A:  Um, sure. You betcha.

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 29, 2008 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Final Library Preview Finds Favor with Young Viewers

Filed under: Fringe Festival

I was glad to have the company of my 9 year-old daughter on the drive to the final MELSA-sponsored Fringe preview.  It was in Apple Valley at the Galaxie Library.  This past Thursday I went to a kids-themed preview alone.  And while I can judge pretty well what will and what won't appeal to my daughter, it was nice to have her along to confirm my thoughts and add her own insight.  I ought to mention that my daughter has been raised in the theatre world.  She is around actors all the time.  She goes to my rehearsals regularly when I'm directing.  She has a good grasp of what makes a good play.  She frequently surprises me with her wisdom regarding dramatic structure and the like.  So, I find it wholly appropriate to include her comments on the five previews we saw today.  Not to mention, she's a veteran Fringer.  Each year for the past four years I've set aside a day on which she and I did all the kids Fringe shows (and some of the adult ones that were at least mostly kid-friendly).  She knows what to expect.  She knows what she likes.

With all that in mind, I present our opinions on what we saw at the Fringe preview of July 26, 2008:

1. An Inconvenient Squirrel - Joseph Scrimshaw Productions:  Joe (Scrimshaw) and Tim (Uren) did the same routine at this preview as they did at the earlier preview (you can skim down the archive of this column to read it under the heading "Silly Squirrel, skits are for kids!").  It was still funny, and my daughter enjoyed it.  She would like to go see this one.  I still believe that I would, too.  My opinion of the piece hasn't changed since last time.
2. Pizza, Amore & Fantasy - Singing Beach Productions:  This play features perennial Fringe challenger (as opposed to champion), Carlo Cicala.  I'll say this for him, Carlo tries.  He does.  And over the years he has grown as a performer.  The last time I reviewed one of his performances, he was successfully chasing the coveted title of "Worst Show in the Fringe."  This is a title I quietly bestow upon the worst show in the Fringe each year.  I'm sure he wasn't intentionally vying for the title, but he blew the competition out of the water.  Anyway... onto this year.  Carlo is a much better stage performer than before.  He is still completely out of touch with his audience, his show is completely scattershot.  He actually set up a video tape to film his segment today while explaining that he doesn't have a director and so he is video taping himself to get better.  While an admirable endeavor (self-improvement), one might expect that a performer wouldn't break the fourth wall right off the bat with a declaration of how hard it is to find a director who will work with you.  not the best advertising.  Makes the parents wonder, "Is this the kind of person we want around our kids?" ... My daughter looking at me about 90 seconds into the presentation and rolled her eyes.  Afterward she said two things:  "You are not taking me to that.  No way!" and "He said we were going to sing in Italian and he made us sing in English.  He lied." ... Ah, the perspective of the target audience can be so frank!
3. Snip, Snap, Snute - Alrighty, Then:  This is a folk tale from those Norwegian folks one hears tell about in Minnesota from time to time.  The story is that of a girl (a human) who has been raised by trolls.  It is a musical.  It is done well.  The young actors are skilled, charismatic, and while a bit inexperienced, they are 100% committed to what they are doing.  The two girls who sang today handled the harmonies quite well.  The structure of the songs was not overly simplistic as it often can be in musicals featuring young people.  They not only surpassed my expectations, but also kept my daughter enrapt for the duration.  Right afterward she gave me a beaming smile and a thumbs up.  Much later, on the car ride home, she informed me that if she could only go to one show this year, it would be this one.
4. Fools for Love - Hastings High School Drama Club:  This was a pleasant surprise for me.  I love physical theatre.  I love theatre that is so simple it is stupid, and so stupid that it is beautiful.  Theatre that can accomplish the things mentioned in that last sentence is a rare thing.  In the time I've been working as a professional theatre artist, I can count on two hands, and possibly, really, only one hand, the number of times that I've seen a show that rose to the level of beauty as set forth in that aforementioned statement.  Noah Bremer has clearly taught the kids at Hastings High something that many adults can't begin to grasp.  Kudos to him on that.  The three performers in this clown show went through a variety of steps to express the remainder of a sentence which starts simply "Love is..."  Some things you might expect.  For instance, "Love is..." a feeling that gets tight in your tummy.  Some things you might not expect.  For instance, "Love is Pete!"  Pete is a pink hand puppet creature that vomits a lot and has a tendency to behave in a hostile manner.  Also, I'm still loving the fact that "Love is my trunk!"  I only saw a few minutes of this, but given those minutes, the rest of the hour must be beautiful, too.
5. Robin Hood The Musical! - Top Hat Theatre:  Let me begin by plugging some classes I teach.  Why not?  That's what the folks at Top Hat did.  I understand the need to plug one's company's other activities, and that the Fringe itself is a good way to do that, but it saddened me a bit that our first impression of Top Hat today was not that it wanted people to go to their Fringe show, but that they wanted people to take their upcoming classes in Plymouth... Anyway, luckily I'm familiar with past works of this group.  I took my daughter to see A Little Princess in 2005.  And as I just now re-read my review from that time, I've discovered exactly what I thought I'd remembered:  That production was mediocre.  Sadly that was the impression that I got about their voyage into Sherwood Forest today, too.  I love the Robin Hood myth.  I hope to treat it to an adaptation of my own some day.  In the meantime, I watch other versions, and in this one I find myself disappointed.  My daughter liked it okay.  She wanted to see more kids in the production.  I'm not sure how that could be accomplished, but... anyway...

It's been a while since I've posted my random bits.  I should note that my normal mode of operation is to post the random items in the first post of any given day.  I'm assuming that is how it will be during the actual Fringe Festival itself.  For now, I'll add to the randomness by throwing it in randomly.  Here you go:

• I stopped three different places today in an attempt to find 3-D glasses so my daughter could watch the Hannah Montana concert on the Disney Channel tonight.  I did finally find two pair.  They gave both of us headaches about halfway through the concert.  We turned it off.  Oh the things a father will put himself through for his kid!
• I'm hungry.
• The word "villager" has three syllables.
• "If you want to become a brand manager, you need to be self-motivated" - Wise words from a recent article in the JOBS section of the Star-Tribune.
• Despite enjoying the show about squirrels, I feel the need to inform the public that I'm not a current fan of the real creatures.  Really, I have mixed feelings.  I have two apple trees in my front yard.  One of them only had three apples started on it before the squirrels got at them.  The other one has easily over 80 apples on it at the moment.  I'm estimating that I'll have about 8 left if the little rats with fluffy tails keep up their current rate of apple desecration.
• Some things are so trivial... like, trivia, for instance:  "Nearly 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour." -  Does it make me evil that I really hope that the ones I wrote are included in that 22,000?

 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 28, 2008 3:35 PM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: A Dicey Issue

Filed under: Fringe Festival

All right, so there have been some questions about what on Earth a d20 is.  And since the whole gist of my blog depends on this item, I thought I'd let you in on an important piece of knowledge.  The following picture is very important:

Those are dice.  I imagine you could've figured that out, but just to be safe, I told you.  Now, those dice are in order from bottom-left to top-right: 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 12-sided, 10-sided (percentile), 10-sided (standard), 20-sided, and another 10-sided (percentile).  Most people are familiar with a 6-sided die.  It is the little cube shaped die that comes in games like Monopoly.  The one that we're going to be worrying about for this column is the white-colored polyhedron.  It has 20 sides and is numbered 1-20.  It is also the die that an entire system of role-playing games is based on... called the d20 system.  Hope that explains it to some degree!

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 28, 2008 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

 

Over the Weekend: July 25-27, 2008

Filed under: Over the Weekend

Western Fifth
Triple Rock, July 25

The last time I saw Western Fifth, I believe it was their second show ever. They had somehow landed the opening slot for Ike Reilly, and they fumbled through a shaky set and handed out burned copies of a couple of demo tracks in duct tape envelopes. Their live show needed some work but the demo showed promise; frontman Ryan Holweger sang with a quiet desperation, and the band accompanied him with a slow, unfolding country beat. Fast forward two years, and the band has improved exponentially as a group. Holweger seems to have grown more comfortable with his voice, which teeters between a subtle whine and a heart-wrenching warble, and has developed the band into a vehicle for delivering his slow, pensive country ballads.

The Triple Rock wasn't the ideal place to catch Western Fifth--the sound made it hard to hear the lyrics from almost anywhere in the room. Even still, the mood of their music washed over the room, causing the small crowd on the floor of the venue to hush up and sway back and forth.

Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble
Triple Rock, July 26

The Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble set unfolded like a dream. The members of Big Trouble took the stage first, setting the tone with an expansive instrumental song that warmed the room and drew the crowd toward the front of the stage. Big Trouble is a collection of musicians who have been playing together for years in a slew of different groups (Heiruspecs, Martin Devaney's band, Jessy Greene's band, etc.) and different configurations, and their collective history as musicians has helped to shape them into a unified and powerful force. Their sound is unique, laying dormant somewhere between blues, ambient, R&B, and shoegaze.

Crescent Moon strolled onto the stage for the second song, and the sound shifted again into an undefinable genre. I suppose, technically, that you could call Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble a hip-hop act. That's where the band's stellar debut EP is filed at the record store. Crescent Moon is perhaps best known for his work as an MC in a couple of different hip-hop groups--he made a name for himself in Oddjobs before starting up Kill the Vultures, which is still active--but he has also recently ventured into folk music with his alter-ego Alexei Casselle, partnering with his wife Channy in Roma di Luna. Which seems appropriate--as an MC, Crescent Moon is constantly fluctuating between loud and quiet, hard and soft, B-Boy and beat poet, becoming harder to define at every musical juncture.

Crescent Moon commanded the room. He worked through all of the material on the Crescent Moon is in Big Trouble EP, throwing a Kill the Vultures song and a Roma di Luna song into the mix as he went along. The most astounding moment of the set was most definitely "Broken Dishes," an intense narrative about addiction and abuse that is better left experienced than explained. Cresent Moon and Big Trouble don't play together often, making sets like Saturday's at the Triple Rock all the more precious for fans of these talented musicians.

The XYZ Affair
Nomad Pub, July 26

The XYZ Affair are an airtight pop band, and their set at the Nomad only served to confirm my love for their immaculate harmonies and intricate song structures. Lead singer Alex Feder grinned wildly as he sang, and it was as if he was in on a joke that no one else knew about--before long, though, we learned what Feder had up his sleeve. In addition to playing original songs from 2006's A Few More Published Studies and this year's new EP, Trials, the XYZ are known for throwing a few covers into their set. Sure enough, the band delivered with "Under Pressure" and a remarkably note-perfect version of "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men, complete with a spoken word verse by drummer Sam Rockwell.

To get a sense of The XYZ Affair's sense of humor, check out this video for "All My Friends," featuring a few old Nickelodeon television stars (including the older brother from The Adventures of Pete and Pete!):

See also: a feature on the XYZ Affair by Max Ross from this week's print edition.

Posted by Andrea Swensson at July 28, 2008 8:38 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Allegra Lingo inspired to tell tales

Filed under: Fringe Festival

When I started blogging about the Fringe, I declared that I do not like one-person shows, generally.  I find that many do not rise to the quality of actually being theatre.  Often times there is no plot, no acting, and no reason to watch.  That being said, it was through the Fringe that I became aware of a separate art: storytelling.  Now, I have been exposed to storytellers in other ways, namely as a child hearing them at library performances.  But through the efforts of people such as Nancy Donoval and Allegra Lingo I've come to appreciate certain types of one-person shows.  In fact, I've grown to enjoy the genre so much that last year I produced Allegra's show I Hate Kenny G.  Allegra is one of my favorite Fringe performers and so I chose her as my first pre-fringe interview.

Allegra is doing a show called Tipping the Bucket.  The official show description is as follows: "Rebelling against politics, proselytizing and puking, rockstar Allegra Lingo surfs the waves of her Baptist past and gay Catholic present to find an island of her own."

Now, last year's show involved a story about what some might call a "religious experience" that Allegra had in Europe.  And apparently people went up to her after the shows and inquired about her faith (more on that in the interview).  This show is the resulting answer.

Allegra is both self-aware and self-deprecating in her humor.  She is well-loved by many in the Fringe community because she's an enjoyable presence off-stage.  That same persona resonates from the stage.  If you're not her friend when you walk into the theatre, you'll feel like you have been for years as you walk out the door.

In my effort to interview a bunch of people in rapid succession, I didn't really sit down with Allegra for this chat.  What can I say?  The internet is wonderful!  So... I'm going to put forth my questions and her answers as we typed them.  Enjoy!

Q: What prompted you to start performing?

A:  I've always been a writer, but never thought about putting my words on stage until I began working for the Fringe in 2000.  After a couple years and seeing some of the shows, I thought to myself "hey, I think I could do that", and finally in 2005—the first
year of the lottery—I had enough courage to put in a show application.  I got
lucky and my ball was drawn.  My intent was to do one show just to see how
audiences liked my work, and then go back and keep crafting and put together a book.  But the audiences liked my shit-eating grin as much as my words, and I loved the immediate feedback and making people laugh, so I've kept writing for the stage.

Q:  Fill me in on your Fringe history:

A:  I was part of the Spoken Word Fringe (short pieces in a cabaret type setting) in 2001, 2003, and 2004.  My first solo show was 2005s Hubcap Frisbee, and I followed that up with A Heap of Broken Images in 2006 and I Hate Kenny G, produced by Commedia Beauregard, in 2007.

Q:  What inspired this work?

A:  This year's show grew out of audience response to my 2007 show, I Hate Kenny G.  One of the most frequently asked questions after seeing my show was "so what is your faith now?"  Since I was raised Baptist, went to a Lutheran College,
realized I was gay, and then decided to convert to Catholicism, I figured I had a unique story to share.  After my ball got drawn in the lottery in February, I started reading a lot of religion and philosophy and writing about these topics on my blog, http://thetravelingmonkey.wordpress.com.  Then in May, I sat down with my director and we created the show out of the themes that were emerging from my writing.

Q:  What are you doing right now to prepare for the Fringe?  Other than this interview?

A:  My director and I are busy rehearsing every night, making sure we've got all the cues and tone of each section down pat.

Q:  Who are you working with on this production?

A:  Anthony Paul, co-founder of Chopping Block Theatre (past Fringe productions include Serendipity and Gumball Jesus), is my director.  Charlie Bethel (Tom Thumb, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh) is also recording some voiceover for the show.

Q:  What's your favorite thing about getting ready for the Fringe thus far?

A:  A moment a few weeks ago when I finished the script—and reading through it for the first time and saying to myself, "yeah, I think I've got something cool going on here."  Opening the box of postcards when they come from the printer is fun, too.

Q:  Will you be hanging out at Fringe Central this year?

A:  Is a frog's ass water tight?  I'll be there every night, with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other.

Q:  Do you like Canada?

A:  I do!  Montreal is one of my favorite cities in the world.  I also went to Vancouver for the first time this year when I was on tour with my band, Buckets and Tap Shoes, and it was amazing.

Q:  What are you reading this summer?

A:  I'm just finishing up When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris. 

Further Show Info:   

http://www.fringefestival.org/2008/show/?id=883

 

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 28, 2008 4:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Of Charts and Errors

Filed under: Fringe Festival

Well!  Just as I get my charts close to completion, there are official changes to the Fringe Festival schedule according to the official staff blog (written by Matthew Foster, Fringe Festival Communications Director).  It looks like three shows dropped out.  Luckily three others were prepared to step up and fill those slots.

Cool thing?  The directories out there currently are wrong...BUT, the ones coming out on Wednesday in City Pages are going to be completely right.  Naturally!

For info on the changes... go here.

And, if you're just dying to get a copy of my dice charts for your own usage, I'll be making them available in a day or two.  So... c'mon back!  If you're wondering what on Earth I'm talking about when I banter about charts, go here to read more.

Posted by Christopher O. Kidder at July 27, 2008 8:51 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fringe by Numbers: Silly Squirrel, skits are for kids!

Filed under: Fringe Festival

Yesterday and today have really gotten me fired up even more about the coming Minnesota Fringe Festival.  You see, the structure of my column (meaning, going to see shows randomly) has always led to my not getting to talk to or about the shows that I have interest in prior to the festival.  So, a few years ago I decided that prior to the Festival, I would post little feature articles about some of the shows and some of the people who are involved in the Fringe.  As part of that effort for this year, I have been doing interviews that will result in a bunch of articles over the next few days.  Those interviews have me itching to get into the thick of Fringing.  I've been doing those yesterday and today.

Put that together with last night's preview at the Minneapolis Central Library, and this has been a great couple of days for stoking the fire of impatience for the start of the Festival.

I suppose you may not be reading this the moment that I'm writing it.  Makes sense, unless you're standing behind me right now and reading over my shoulder, and if you are doing that, cut it out!  That's just plain rude!  Anyway, the point is, I'll insert that by "last night" I am referring to July 24, 2008.  On that evening, four plays were featured thanks to the Fringe Festival's cooperative effort with MELSA.  The theme was theatre for young audiences.  Unlike the earlier Fringe-For-All, this preview didn't hold the participants to a 3-minute limit.  I'm not sure what the official time constraints were, but it seemed to be somewhere between five and seven minutes.  Whatever it may have been, it allowed for a nice flow that was quite kid-friendly.  There wasn't too large of a crowd, but those who were there had a lot of fun.

With only one last preview coming up, before I write about the actual performances last night, I would like to encourage you to go to the final library preview.  It is free, after all.  It's on July 26 at 1:00 p.m. at Galaxie Library (14955 Galaxie Ave., Apple Valley).

Okay... onto the shows:

1. JACK - Eric Van Wyk:  This is a one-man puppet show.  Not unlike many another puppet show, the scale of the performance was small.  The entire performing space was behind a five-foot wide by four-foot high cardboard construct.  The actual show will be taking place on the much larger Mixed Blood stage.  I'm hoping that the change in scale of venue won't adversely affect the show.  Also, not unlike many puppet shows, this one seemed to fit just right in a library.  My mother was a children's librarian once upon a time.  This guy is just like the folks that she would've brought in to entertain the little ones.  And you know, that was wonderful for this preview.  After Van Wyk had introduced us to his version of "Jack and the Beanstalk", he invited the kids to come on up and try out the puppets.  A couple of braver souls took him up on the offer.  Now, as for the actual interpretation of the classic tale?  Well, Jack is a character, and so is his cow.  Other than that, I'm not quite sure how close to the traditional version it sticks.  I did enjoy meeting Jack's uncle, who somehow has a tree growing out of his head.  There's also a prophetic bird involved.  This seems quite inventive and well done.
2. Cast of Dancing Delights - Suzanne Wiltgen:  I'm not sure where I've seen many of these dancers before.  But, I was pretty sure it was going to be good, just based on the fact that I saw them and said to myself, "Hey!  I know these people!  They're good!"  Thing is, I don't really know them at all.  But, my first impression was right on.  They are good.  They, too, brought some kids up on the stage.  They did it as part of their introduction.  Suzanne, the choreographer, explained how the six member ensemble built the dance.  And they had the kids participate in one of their exercises.  That in and of itself was an entertaining couple of minutes.  The dance that followed was full of whimsy and variety.  The dance was funny at times, but not just goofy.  It was really well done modern work.

3. The Supercilious Ways of Walter Wading - SPARK theatre + dance:  This would be a good time to mention that I got to the preview about 25 minutes early.  This only really matters because I got to share many of those minutes with the daughter of the couple who runs this company.  I should clarify that the girl is about 7 years old, and she's quite an outgoing little girl.  Her brother was there, too.  He's less chatty, but still more with it than many small kids.  Watching the kids, and then how they interact with their parents, it is clear that being brought up in a household where both parents are actors and dancers leads to having a lot of fun and being pretty darn well adjusted, too.  Anyway... this play involves characters that I can only assume are fairies. Three of them.  In this scene they encountered a mortal human, who couldn't see or hear them.  Despite that, they worked really hard to try and make him a friend.  I'm not sure if their attempts will eventually succeed or not.  There s