2026 Audience Reviews

Company: Third Space Theater
Show: BE NOT AFRAID
Venue: The Southern Theater

Eco Horror Thrill

Spectacular stagecraft and compelling performances. Genuinely spooky, especially in the Southern. Looking forward to a fuller production that further develops the play’s themes.

Company: Seán McArdle / Hero Props
Show: Minnesota is the Shire, or Fair & Back Again
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

A Tale of Fellowship

It is so heartwarming to see the shows that give attention to the community organizing of the last few years in Minnesota. This show is a love letter to both the North Star State and Tolkien. The moments of theatricality were my favorite. I would’ve loved even more, they’re really fun to see in the solo show format.

Company: CuerpoxCuerpo
Show: LATIN PAPI
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre

Yeehaw

Had the audience cheering and moving the whole time! Sensual and flawless. Shows like this bring this festival to a whole new level.

Company: Little Apple Theatre Company
Show: The Importance of Being Eternal
Venue: Open Eye Theatre

Wilde and delectable

Such a romp. What We Do in the Shadows vibes but somehow hornier? The performances really sell it. Love the shows where the whole audience is laughing through most of it.

Company: an alleged Theatre Company
Show: FAST Death of a Salesman
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre

A Quick Death

It is no easy task to get a huge audience to laugh through an hour of deconstructed Arthur Miller while meditating generational rifts, and yet I chortled and snorted for most of 60 minutes. And my oh my did it go fast. This hits all quadrants of a great Fringe comedy: riffs on a classic, sincerely funny characters played by sincerely funny people, Young Sheldon, and some great roast jokes. It was the ideal palate-cleanser after a the heavy show I had seen right before. The play rewards those who have worked closely with DOAS and wondered why they just called her "Woman". Go see this one if you like laughing alongside other people. PS Biff would have totally watched Kill Tony if he were Gen Alpha.

Company: The Miller Conspiracy
Show: Bay Creek
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

Focused and Lean

This play is precise and effective with one very dialed-in performer, simple but strong light choices, and audio for plot and atmosphere. I was a little worried going to the opening 10pm show, as it was the third one-man show I was seeing that day. The late night was a perfect opening, and the experience was uniquely engaging due to the strong, spooky script. Some shows just get under your skin.

Company: Kind Fool Theater
Show: Witness Loudly
Venue: Strike Theater

The Sacred Role of Neighbor

Kyle Dekker's latest piece, Witness Loudly, taps into a visceral and ongoing collective experience with grace and urgency, and creates a space for his audience to grieve alongside him in the wake of the federal invasion and occupation of Minneapolis known as Operation Metro Surge. A former Marine, Dekker tells the story through footage of ICE that he took while on rapid response calls this past January. I brought friend who had just flown in from Virginia, and they got a small sense of the fear and paranoia we felt as a city, as well as the warmth and swell of community. Everyone should see this show. It is our existential imperative to remember what those in power are capable of, and the power that we have to fight back. May we continue to tell the tales of the heroes of our time.

Company: True Men Productions
Show: Castrati: A Tale of Two
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance

Talented and testy

A joke-packed musical that relies on the idea that balls are funny. And let's face it folks. They are. The production comprises of an ensemble and medium-sized pit orchestra. The impressive host of people involved proves to be unwieldy in some story-telling moments, but the basic concept of "the first castrato" is such a great hook and this show delivers a fun time. The songs are great, and there are some standout performances. You gotta be down for scrotal humor though.

Company: Lethan Candlish
Show: Who Am I, Again?
Venue: Mixed Blood

Powerful and Personal Collage

This show does what only good theatre can do. Lethan's one-man piece and performance evokes deep reflection on the audiences's perception of self, grief, and healing. Who Am I, Again? stands out because of the deeply personal story of the writer/performer and others he'd encountered on their own journey after a traumatic brain injury. Funny, fast-moving, and educational, the piece is thoroughly successful in advocating for a community in need of support.