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2026 Audience Reviews
Member Reviews
The following reviews were submitted by Fringe Member: Zachary Benson
Company: Rituparna Rana
Show: The Shape of Home
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Deeply moving, on her own terms. Underrated!!!
I don't understand classical Indian dance's conventions. Yet, I loved how she didn't baby the predominantly white audience through it (I was probably the only non-white audience member when I watched it). Instead, she just performed specific movements which just innately showed her years of experience with voice-over which explained as much as she wanted to. But beyond this, her performance radiated warmth and invitation to the audience. And when she opened up about the meaning of dance to her, it just filled me with joy that she feels so at home in this art form. She also shared about her thoughts of being "othered" in this society, and I really do think that her much more subtle delivery actually hit harder than the 2 ostensible "ICE plays" ("Who We Are: Stories from the Surge" & "Witness Loudly"). I didn't expect to tear up, but I did have tears in my eyes from this performance. This show doesn't have the overt anti-ICE message that other shows have, but WOW does it make me think deeply about the meaning of home & identity, what it feels like for her as a South Asian immigrant, as well as my own experiences. This show was worth MORE than the ticket price, and I hope Rituparna Rana does other performances of this outside of Fringe. I would pay for this show even though my artist pass got me in free.
Company: Kind Fool Theater
Show: Witness Loudly
Venue: Strike Theater
Good, almost great. A bit Graham Platner-y.
Unlike other "ICE plays" of Fringe 2026, this show focuses on the Saint Paul half of the "Twin Cities," which don't get nearly the amount of love as Minneapolis. People DID go to the mat for their neighbors in SP but got LESS attention or praise for it. Which is how it SHOULD be: we shouldn't stand up for our neighbor due to the social cred it gets us, we should cuz a threat to any of us is a threat to all of us. I'll come BACK to this. I appreciate how he highlighted the work of ICE patrollers on the East Side, including the horror & emotional gut-punches that brings. I appreciated how he drew awareness to the concept of mutual aid and provided a gentle on-ramp for people to get involved. I loved how he shouted out local immigrant/refugee owned businesses. I liked how he shows his political journey. However, there's still things about this show which were too white for me. He is someone who served in the US military. Most white people, especially white men, NEVER FULLY reckon with just how straight-up COLONIAL the US military is, even now. For example, US military bases in South Korea & Uchina (Okinawa) cause LOTS of sexual violence against local women & girls. "Ginger Mountain" joined the military. To be clear, he clearly does not think the US military is a good thing per se. But digging deeper, many men (especially white men) join the military for toxic masculinity reasons, and there IS a SUBSET of EX-MILITARY white men who join the LEFT for the sake of wanting to do vainglorious things. This motivation can certainly be harnessed for good, but it easily turns into white saviorism. AND, anyone who has EVER been in the military MUST be watched like a hawk regarding their biases, respect for sexual consent, & being saboteurs. FTR: I'm NOT accusing him of anything. I'm saying this more generally is wise for how we interact with ANY ex-military, especially men, much like for ex-cops. There's a point in the show where he acknowledges the USA was founded on genocide & enslavement. HOWEVER, he brushes right past this, then speaks about his love of the constitution. This felt VERY WHITE. He ALSO acknowledges that he does have some of that "army guy" motivation for glory as a reason for joining ICE patrols. This ALSO felt VERY white, and this explains my worry that he is a "Graham Platner type." The WHITE LEFT did NOT exercise NEARLY enough self-criticism in the wake of the credible SA allegations against Maine candidate Platner, who is ex-military. The US military's treatment of indigenous people inspired both the Nazis AND ICE! Here in MN, Fort Snelling was used by the military to make a concentration camp for Dakota families, NOW it's getting used by ICE. This would be an EASY connection to make for "Ginger Mountain" to draw as a white man, but he doesn't. Which adds credence to my worry that he's Platner-y in views. Also, while I understand that it takes time to explore your local area (and I as a POC also struggle with that), it was also kind of white of "Ginger Mountain" to not be aware of these immigrant/refugee-owned businesses until after Metro Surge started. Like, it's an honest depiction of his journey, but I wonder given how NEW he is to all this: should he be the one to tell such stories??? I'm NOT saying I have an answer to the question, I just think it's worth it for white audience members to ask this question. To his credit, he donates all proceeds to worthy causes. This made me ADD half a star compared to "Who We Are: Stories from the Surge." I LOVE Indigenous Roots: they do AMAZING work, even platforming an artist from the Karenni diaspora (an indigenous people of SE Asia), which shows global solidarity with the global indigenous peoples. At the SAME time, given how he even acknowledges the common white male motivation for joining the military being one thing that pushed him to join ICE patrols, it's hard to avoid a feeling of unease that he "profits" in the form of social cred for doing "woke" (adjacent) work.
Company: JimJam Media
Show: The Local Music Scene
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Fun concept!
I loved the premise: local musicians do their music, then an improv group makes a story based on song's subject matter. I also enjoyed how each performance had a different local musician. The actors made a hilariously absurd story. The main criticism is that the specific local artist's use of reverb & delay effects on his vocals made it hard to follow the lyrics, which made it hard for my ears to connect it to the improv actors' plot. It so could be due to the space as well. Overall, definitely fun and interesting.
Company: Tiffany Michelle Foster
Show: Ambiguous
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Super talented, very personal.
My goodness, she did great at promoting her show, walking around with her artist pass attending other Fringe shows dressed up as Dora. I knew I had to see the show. I definitely found the struggles relatable, though to be clear, my experience is certainly quite different in many ways as a male Korean adoptee. She depicted the assumptions people placed on her by using her skills from playing kids' characters, and she embodied it very creatively. And she interacted with the audience in funny ways. I totally get why this is a touring Fringe show! She has incredible stage presence, and her friendliness to other Fringe-goers outside of the performances enhanced the performance itself. Also, the video parts did not feel like an excuse to change into new costumes, but it felt seamless with the points of the show. The message was a simple one, but told in a complex way that forced audiences to actually think about the impacts of such assumptions.
Company: be-Creative
Show: Therapist Zero
Venue: The Southern Theater
Definitely heartfelt.
It was definitely necessary to sit towards the front. Given the space, he certainly could work on projecting his voice (which is something I need to get better at as an actor myself). I did like his critique of mental health infrastructure. As a person of color, finding a good mental health professional is even more fraught in some regards. Even now, mainstream discourse about mental health often devolves into "go to therapy" with insufficient regard for how much of a minefield the mental health infrastructure is. I like how he shared about the struggles and the grifters & Dunning-Krugers he dealt with. I think the show would've been better set in a smaller theater space. While not my favorite show, I appreciated the emotional depth.
Company: One T Productions
Show: After the End
Venue: Mixed Blood
Interesting exploration of loss.
He certainly had stage presence! This one-person show had some great emotional resonance. He certainly put a lot of thought into what the collapse of support structures, infrastructure, etc. looked like. I certainly had tears in my eyes. My main criticism is that I would have liked to see him make more use of his props, which I think would've made it seem more real.
Company: Tiyatro Misafir
Show: KISMET
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Heartfelt, interesting story.
Fascinating story from a set of experiences I have little awareness of! I heard these two were famous in Turkey so I HAD to see what the fuss was about. I was VERY impressed by their command of different voices, and they even pulled off accents that exist in the English language VERY well. I also liked how they tried to show a glimpse of the political situation in Turkey (I wouldn't blame them for being guarded about how much they choose to share). I also appreciated how they make a commentary on how immigrants certainly are capable of engaging in capitalist exploitation of their own family, which is a type of nuance that immigrants & refugees tend to have a better grasp on. Overall, very emotionally compelling & humorous. Their talent was undeniable.
Company: Third Space Theater
Show: BE NOT AFRAID
Venue: The Southern Theater
Stayed in their lane well with the subject matter
As far as I know, the cast & writers are all non-indigenous people, but seeks to make a commentary about how settlers act towards both the land & its indigenous inhabitants. They did not seek to speak for the indigenous experience of nearby resource extraction, which I appreciated, since I know I wouldn't feel comfortable writing a story from that POV. I think the way the story used the settler viewpoint of deer (as pests) as an analogy to how settlers treat indigenous women worked well, given the juxtaposition of how it was written right next to sexual violence against another character. And I appreciate how something which initially seemed to be another horror element was revealed to be actually an example of post-traumatic stress & flashback to SA trauma (which itself is its own horror), cuz it seemed like it added an extra layer of gravitas. And, I appreciated how the lack of seed germination caused by resource extraction side-effects smoothly fit into the supernatural horror of the story as well. Same goes for the wildfire, which also fits with the IRL horrifying consequences of resource extraction. All of this cohesively connects with the message that indigenous peoples often emphasize about the effects nearby resource extraction: it causes wide-reaching environmental harm that the media doesn't cover & refuses to connect with the dynamics of stolen land (*ahem* Enbridge), AND it increases sexual violence against indigenous people, especially women & girls, due to how the work attracts large numbers of men. My main criticism is about timing. I do think the timing was sometimes off, which sometimes took away from some of the horror elements. Even so, I give it 4.5 cuz the premise, awareness of positionality, and message seemed great from my POV (I'm not native either, so I may have missed some things from my positionality). The story certainly stuck out for me. I also appreciate how the proceeds went to an organization that helps indigenous people.
Company: SUPERMOON
Show: the statue of liberty is nora in a doll's house by henrik ibsen
Venue: Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre
Unsettlingly interesting
Very cool production, even though full disclosure I don't know the Ibsen play's plot. The subtlety of the delivery of lines is very unsettling. The delivery of the music (done by an electric guitarist who played live) was incredible, and truly doubly enhanced the experience, because it created an atmosphere of dread and even horror. As a guitarist myself, the use of the electric guitar inspired me about how I might craft live sound effects with guitar in a hypothetical future Fringe show. I loved how the dialog used humor to disarm the audience at first, and then Torvald said lines in such an unsettling way. Even the song didn't take me out of the story, I thought it worked well. Certainly worth the hype that made me see this show.
Company: Narate Keys
Show: An Earth Goddess (Preah Mae Thorani)
Venue: The Southern Theater
I know other people didn't like it but I...
Full disclosure: I acted in Apsara the Musical in 2025 (last year), playing Hanuman. So, I do have personal experience with the playwright and her way of doing things. I certainly think it's fair to say that the play needed to be fleshed out and worked on more. Also, my neurospicy brain did kinda emotionally connect with what it was trying to do. I did see into the whiplash of being Khmer in Minnesota, with the script's attempts to connect Cambodian bodies of water with Minnesota bodies of water. Not perfectly executed, but I felt it. And the kid's games part brought back memories of me learning Korean games at a Korean culture camp as a Korean adoptee. To me, it felt relatable because of how I wish I had deeper connections to being Korean and also a wistful memory for my days in Korean culture camp. The part of the Buddha felt like an immigrant's search for meaning in the confusing state of Minnesota. I related to that as well. I know some people didn't like the vocals. Certainly there were some parts where the singing in the track was not in tune (and not in a way which was clearly the use of a non-Western scale with microtonalities), and this was a tad rough. But also, there were actually times when I think it somehow added to the performace. With the antagonist of the show, it created an effect of multi-voice villain. That felt cool and interesting. Yes, I think this show could have been worked on for next year. Quite a few things DID work for me, contrary to what other reviewers say.
Company: PhysicalLies
Show: How to Escape Hell
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Not perfectly executed, but very deep.
This show barely had an audience when I went to it. The performers did some incredible, moving experimental art. I don't know how to describe it, but I really think this show is quite underrated. The music choices really did underscore the unsettling nature of the dynamics of gendered relations. It wasn't perfect because it wasn't immediately clear how the audience participation would change the direction of the show, but it was definitely a subversive piece of work.
Company: Hey Rube!
Show: So Bright, the Night
Venue: The Southern Theater
Compelling story from oppressed community's POV
I really appreciated the way they depicted nuanced characters. I especially appreciated how they had a character who was a collaborator with oppressers while himself belonging to an oppressed group. This is the kind of nuance I really want to see more of in general. Most of all, I enjoyed how this story entirely focused on the thought-processes, fears, struggles, and coping mechanisms the Mexican characters went through. Too many "ICE shows" at Fringe this year seemed to focus on how white people feel about it. As a non-white artist, this does bother me. So this show was refreshing to see. The emotions of it were simply immediately compelling and deeply affecting in a way that makes you feel the enormity of the current slave-catcher machine today.
Company: Black and Foxy Co
Show: Ember
Venue: Rarig Kilburn Theatre
Systemic cruelty & trying to outshine it
Whether it's an artist trying to get their next big break or just a person trying to be seen & valued as a person in the context of a cruel system, too often, systemic cruelty makes people feel like they must be smaller, less vocal, less themselves. I enjoyed seeing each person share deeply personal experiences in their own commanding way. The most-commanding presence was still very vulnerable. I especially appreciated how many non-white people performed, because many Fringe shows def need more diversity IMHO. Each was emotionally resonant in unique ways. As I watched consecutive storytelling, I noticed the theme of how society, systems, norms, & powerful people with unexamined biases keep stifling, dehumanizing, & oppressing incredible people. Each person's very personal story reminded me of the sheer number of friends & former coworkers in my life who stumble through society in systems absolutely not designed for them at all. Each part feels very personal, and I think it will help you develop curiosity about the multitudes that exist within family, friends, strangers, & the people you see yet ignore. It reminds me of a quote from my faith tradition: "Abundant food is in the uncultivated ground of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice." (Proverbs 13:23) How many amazing, multifaceted people in your life stay stuck due to our society's design?
Company: CuerpoxCuerpo
Show: LATIN PAPI
Venue: Rarig Nolte Xperimental Theatre
Worth more than the ticket price
Full disclosure: I'm a boringly straight dude. And as a non-white audience member, I often do feel discomfort about how white people interact with brown people doing sexual performances. However, these performers did FAR more than what the adverts leaned into. They did experimental artistic stuff which had so much conceptual, subtle things (even elements of horror), and it worked incredibly well. My only criticism would be that the audio track was a tad hard to hear, but even this could be a tech issue. So, I do give this a full 5 kitties, cuz it was very compelling, thought-provoking, and unique, in a way that I'm still processing now days later. It's difficult to explain how well they did this with words. You should just go see it.
Company: Three Second Memory
Show: Who We Are: Stories from the Surge
Venue: Open Eye Theatre
As a POC, I have some nuanced thoughts
How much should we focus on how white people felt about Surge? I appreciated how they did choose lots of different stories from communities directly impacted by Operation Metro Surge and read them verbatim. I liked how the readers of these verbatim stories were a diverse group of people from multiple backgrounds. At the same time, as me & my non-white friends discussed afterwards, it did cross into white saviorist territory. One part of the play that bothered us was the line which stated "I saw...white people standing up for us" or something to that effect. While I get that this is a verbatim quote from a non-white person's actual feelings & thoughts, I think that for white liberals, this line will make them feel like congratulating themselves. As my friend put it: "I hope the white audience members realize that the REAL meaning is 'I'm kinda shocked that white people give a dam at all'..." The default mode of whiteness, due to privilege, is being "apolitical" and not standing up for your neighbor (and even for those who DO try to resist, the default mode is to be shocked that the feds are being this mean or overtly evil, MINUS a deeper interrogation of the USA's history of enslavement, indigenous genocide, etc. etc. etc.). One thing that bothered me about both of the 2 main "ICE plays" (other being "Witness Loudly") was the way white audiences seemed to love a white grandma who uses "cuss" slang. I mean, at a surface level, I get it, given how white women are socially expected to be. But non-white girls, women, femmes, & even grandmas have needed to be assertive for centuries in the face of empire, in the face of a racist system, etc. etc. etc. And like, a lot of slang that exists in the English vernacular...does kinda originate from the black community and other marginalized groups. So like, should the white grandma who cusses be a darling of white liberal audiences? I do like how they showed white liberals beginning to understand the concept of mutual aid. This kind of thing is something that frankly people of many political persuasions can be convinced to be a part of, not just those of us with radical politics. Overall, I would say that while I appreciate how it quoted people's feelings & thoughts verbatim (and other positive thoughts I have probably are already stated by other reviewers), I question the curation of those feelings & thoughts. Certainly, as an artistic form of historical documentation it works, partly because people will revisit the perceptions of people in our time and wonder "why did they do/think/feel this good thing, but fail to interrogate assumption _____ deeper?" Picture how we today look at the American Colonization Society, which wanted to free the enslaved people, but immediately ship them back to Africa instead of demanding equal rights here in the USA. Point being: there's some real cracks in the courts of public perception of that time, even with the ostensible resistance. And, in the same way, people will look back in frustration at the way white people acted shocked that ICE could happen in a society like ours (given our history), as well as their reticence to abolish immigration restrictions & hold Democrats accountable for being collaborators, even though it's ALSO true that they appreciated how even the libs took action beyond voting, which is usually how it goes. ICE is still in MN, and I worry that libs have already gotten complacent in favor of the mid-terms. There's a shortage of ICE patrols now. Why is that? Will a robust collective of mutual aid truly develop or will it fizzle due to liberal default mode?
Company: Deft Pictures
Show: Not Bad for a Punk Band
Venue: Theatre in the Round
Was hoping for more
I did think they did an OK job of fleshing out the characters' motivations. Just that the center of the plot (what's the appeal of being in a band?) could have been shown more and talked about less. Perhaps they could have played more songs from their days as a band. Or perhaps they could've talked more about their band's political convictions, because even though the type of "punk" the band does is def towards pop-punk, they alluded to wanting to take meaningful action in these unjust times. (They did have an amazingly-timed pun about ice, however.) The way the story was written felt similar to a 2000's "will the band get back together?" film, which is both a nostalgic and perhaps played-out premise. I do think it can work a crowd-pleaser stage play, which seems to be where it starts & stops. If it wanted to make deeper points about political stuff, it needs some more fleshing out.
Company: Budding Heads
Show: Scab for Hire
Venue: The Southern Theater
Entertaining, interesting, some tonal awkwardness.
The show was trying to make a serious point about scabs and the social phenomenon which cause them. Yet, the slapstick & absurdity felt like it went into too much comical ness for me. Now, to be clear, I say this as someone who believes I have done exactly the same in my drawing out of a character I acted in, in a play. I played 3 different villain type characters in a theater play ("Muyehpen") and during different specific performances, in hindsight, I made these (actually seriously horrible) villains perhaps too comical. The reason for this concern came from how I recalled the audience laughing at parts of the story which maybe "shouldn't" have been appropriate to laugh during (FTR, I get that some people laugh during socially inappropriate times for a wide range of reasons). Maybe that's my own insecurity talking, to be clear. But back to "Scab for Hire": I felt like the tonal awkwardness took away from the message. And making friends with a mouse, while interesting in multiple ways, also could have been fleshed out more. Meanwhile, the after the fact podcast part: it had potential. I do like the range of the actors to do something completely different and embody completely different characters. I also liked its commentary of the sophistry that exists in the podcast & video essay space, cuz that is a frustration of mine, too. The pacing did feel a tad slow though. Overall, I still enjoyed this show. I think it has potential, with improvements.
Company: Local 574
Show: HELL ON WHEELS: The Winter Strike of 1934
Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
History I didn't know, timely.
I barely got in! There's a LOT I don't know about union history, and I never learned about this history before. I enjoyed how this show had live music with classic union songs (many of which I'm unfamiliar with cuz I'm new to all this). I also enjoyed their realistic exploration of class dynamics, gender dynamics in working-class movements, in-union collaborators with bosses, mutual aid, religion as a pacifying force, etc. I also liked how the Swedish character had a Swedish accent. Additionally, I enjoyed the sound effects made by the cast, though some were more effective than others. There were a few times when music parts were a tad mistimed, but one could argue it added to the realism of how "breaking into song" works IRL. Also, the part low-key roasting Hamm's beer was pretty funny. My main criticisms: 1) the rhythm & transitions in the plot (some parts were a tad awkward), and 2) the main protagonist could have been given more space to feel uncertainty & fear of retribution, poverty, etc. without being so easily convinced to join the cause. The thing I appreciated the most was the groundedness, including local references, as well as the imperfection of the demands that were met. Certainly, this play is worth the hype.