2023 Festival Staff & Contractors
Voices: Josh Carson, Leah Cooper, Maria Ghassemlou, Jennifer Walker, Natalie Rae Wass
Hype Girl: Silly Miss Tilly
Front of House Core Team: Hope Hennessey, Court Symons, Matthew van Bruggen, Nicole Wood, Jeremiah Zortman
Data Steward: Brett Bowman
House Managers: Zach Aaker, Kat Ayemeloglu, Christopher Bauleke, Becca Donley, Ben Eng, JP Fitzgibbons, Jeb Hagan, Haze Harrison, Tara Kieffer, Noelle Kirscht, Eli Leupold, Teresa Mock, Madeline Schulz, Emma Swain, Amanda Ripley, Chioma Uwagwu, Alexandra Whitman
Box Officers: Patricia Arnold, Amanda Barsness, Maureen Bourgeois, Anita Bradshaw, Naomi Brecht, Bruce Center, Soren Chirhart, Culhane Cole, Ainsley Cox, Julia Dobbins, Noah Hamilton, Jenn Jensen, Nathan Klaers, Molly Miller, Keenan Perrera, Robin Rayfield, Cassie Slinger, Wendy Thoren, Velma Wagner, Megan Wells
Access Coordinator: Christopher Bauleke
Access Providers: Elana Centor, Connie Fullmer, Jules Lehto, Laurie Pape Hadley, Abby Turner, Bee Valentino
Photographers: Randy Duerr, Dave Suggs, Rod Wilson, Alex Wohlhueter
Videographers: Tamara Ober
Assistant to Technical Director: Elliot Johnson
Theater Technicians: Sarah Bauer, Kevin Champion, Alex Clark, Clara Costello, Alice Endo, Nina Gourley, John Griesheimer, Bryon Gunsch, Bevibel Harvey, Zoe Hemmer-Cisek, Tony Karna, Andy Kedl, Jon Kirchhofer, Jenny Moeller, Eme Stenbeck, Tucker Waltenbaugh
Billeters: Zachary Aaker, Maria Ghassemlou, Bethany Gladhill, Chris and Eric Herr-Madsen, Jenn Jensen, Dan Mollick and Greg Millerin, Linda Oeltjenbruns, Daniel and Jane Pinkerton, Brenda Quinn, Nancy Wass, Sam Landman and Becky Welander
Year Round Staff
Dawn Bentley, MNM, MBA, CSM
Executive Director
Dawn joined Fringe in April 2017 with a leadership expertise focused on navigating strategic vision to achieve
greatest potential. In her previous position as the first Executive Director of Art Shanty Projects, she was charged with creating
infrastructure and establishing improved outcomes in all key functional areas. Dawn is an arts aficionado and has played violin for
over 30 years in various ensembles from rock bands to professional orchestras with a dozen recordings in her repertoire. She holds
Masters degrees in Nonprofit Management and Business Administration from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN.
Ariel Pinkerton
Community Liaison
Ariel Pinkerton is an actress, lighting designer and storyteller who has been part of the Minnesota Fringe since 1999. She has served as an artist, volunteer, front of house staff member and enthusiastic audience and will not hesitate to share her love of our festival with you. She is Co-Artistic Director of Fortune's Fool Theatre and a company member of Ghoulish Delights and Freshwater Theatre she is also the Co-owner of the Hard Times Cafe, located in the heart of Fringe territory.
Amber Bjork
Office Manager / Artist Liaison
Amber has spent several years acting, directing,
writing, and producing as a Fringe artist before joining the staff as Office Manager and Artist Liaison in 2014. In her time outside of the office, she is a freelance artist and serves as the
founding member of The Winding Sheet Outfit. She is a graduate of University of Minnesota-Duluth with a degree in English Lit and Dramatic Theory.
Felicia Cooper
Director of Audience & Volunteer Engagement
Felicia joins Fringe with eight years experience in community art and engagement and is thrilled to be part of the passionate team at Fringe. She is a listener of stories, an organizer of calendars, and a dedicated people person. She holds an MFA from the University of Connecticut and has held artistic residencies at the Bell Museum, Winterthur, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and more. When Felicia isn't fringing, she can be found covered in paper mache as a proud member of Minneapolis's puppetry community, or riding her bike, often to a museum.
Mitchell Frazier
Technical Director
Mitchell joined the Fringe team in in the run-up to the 2022 Festival. Mitchell has worked with Fringe for several years as a theater technician and, with more than 30 years of experience, he is an awesom addtion to the team. Mitchell has a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and an orange belt in aikido. In his free time you might find Mitchell at a variety of theaters around town, lighting, directing, or acting in a show.