On the Fringe
May Lee-Yang in 'Ten Reasons Why I'd be a Bad Porn Star'
Image credit: Alex Nok Phasy
The 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival runs Wednesday, August 4 through Sunday, August 14. Find tickets, a full schedule and a list of locations here.
May Lee-Yang, Ten Reasons Why I’d Be a Bad Porn Star (pictured at left)
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
A comedy about the sexual journey of a starving artist.
Why should we see your show?
Come on. 55 minutes of stories including the first time I had sex and how breasts ruined my life. You get to meet BJ, the Polar Bear, and every show includes a giveaway. Other shows may be sexy and raunchy but if you want to add in fun and wit, come see my show.
What was the inspiration for your show?
I used to teach sexual-health education. Then I got a gig selling sex toys to supplement my income as an artist. Plus, I’ve always been fascinated with how people talk (or not) about sex. This show was an inevitable part of my career.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
The Duties and Responsibilities of Being a Sidekick by the Barkada Theater Project. I have an affinity for underdogs and I’m writing a show about superheroes at the moment. Gotta support the nerds.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Go on vacation. I’ve been promising myself a trip to Hawaii.
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Josh Carson, Our Freaking Kids Show
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Inept actors stage a kid’s show despite being ill equipped.
Why should we see your show?
Because you want to laugh. You want to laugh hard. And we provide you those laughs, whether you're 10, 20, 40 or even higher. This show is fun for the whole freaking family, including your actual freaking kids.
What was the inspiration for your show?
My producing partner and I have worked on many a-kids’ show over the years, and while it's not cool to talk smack about child actors behind their backs, it IS cool to write a fictionalized version of them and show the entire city. Or maybe it's not cool, but it's fun.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own),which one would you see?
This is quite tricky, as I'm friends with just about everyone in our venue, so no matter what I answer, somebody's going to punch me in the back of the head. However, my favorite part of the Fringe is finding one show that surprises me, and last year that show was Zombie High School, which I absolutely loved. To the point of stalking until I got a soundtrack. Which I still don't have. I'm eagerly looking forward to their follow-up: History Camp.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Returning in the fall are two shows I've been heavily involved with. First, the decidedly opposite of kids show, Bye Bye Liver: The Twin Cities Drinking Play at Camp Bar, as well as Employee of the Year, an interactive office party opening in Minneapolis. You might see me in those, but odds are, I'll probably be at the Green Mill in Uptown. I get mail there sometimes.
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Greg Nesbitt, Uncle Tom's Condo
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
A comic look at identity in America with some singing.
Why should we see your show?
You’re smart, unafraid, like laughing.
What was the inspiration for your show?
Reminiscing about a junior high school conversation whereby I was informed of being an Uncle Tom while observing some unique artifacts in my current abode. That springboarded into how things are categorized more than ever thanks to the age of the Google and added two songs.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
I haven’t even perused the whole list yet! I’ve seen maybe five brief excerpts, but the creators with whom I’ve spoken all piqued my interest.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Return to being a starving artist making things up without a venue in which to display or perform.
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Sean Hansberry, Delores Grimm: Fairy Tale Marriage Counselor
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Improvised Disney Couples Counseling. LIVE NUDE GIRLS!!! Well, not really.
Why should we see your show?
You love Disney. You know you do. Don't you think those couples would have some serious problems later in life? Most of them got hitched around their late teens. Think about your late teens. Think about who you dated in your late teens. How would that have turned out? And you're not royalty...
What was the inspiration for your show?
One day we were sitting and thinking up ideas for sketches. We thought about Disney marriage counseling and thought it was a great idea for a reoccurring sketch. Then we realized how much fun it would be to do it live for the Fringe Festival! And so it was done.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
I think we would have to support our improv buddy Tom Reed on this one. He's a bit of a competitor for us seeing as he is also mocking fairy tales but lets face it. The man puts on a hell of a show!
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
I hope it doesn't! I would LOVE to take this show on its own run and into another more long-term format and any number of theaters in the city! It's improv, so it's infinitely changing!
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Anders Lee, The Day the Nineties Died
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Anarchists plan to bomb a globalization summit in the late ‘90s.
Why should we see your show?
It is very thought provoking as well as funny. Not to mention, the talent is pretty top notch. We've got two actors from the Guthrie BFA program.
What was the inspiration for your show?
I've always thought the late ‘90s/early 2000s was an interesting time period. There was a boom in the information economy, but with that came a growing animosity towards materialism and corporate power.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
Ducklings, Rocks and Squad Cars at the Playwrights’ Center.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Go back to Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where I am studying screenwriting.
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Ben San Del, Minnesota Middle Finger
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Small talk about Minnesota weather, writ large as rapid-fire tragicomedy.
Why should we see your show?
It has acclaimed Twin Cities actors John Middleton, Leigha Horton, and Tim Hellendrung bouncing off each other as three neighbors trapped together by a snowstorm at the end of the world. All three actors were in top-10 best-selling shows last year and each received praise for their respective roles in The Damn Audition, See You Next Tuesday, and Speech! And they’re working off a script from the writer/director of last year’s fifth best-selling show, A Nice Guy’s Guide to Awkward Sex, which received a four-and-a-half star average rating from more than 70 audience reviews.
What was the inspiration for your show?
The relentless snowstorms last winter did a number on my psyche, and at a certain point I had a brief, panicky thought: What if the snow just never stops? Then I asked myself: What if I got a group of professional actors and placed them in that exact situation?
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
I’m way too Minnesota nice-ish to answer that question. I’d throw a dart at a board with all the show images on it and go to whichever I hit. That way, I wouldn’t hurt anybody’s feelings.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Sleep! Oh, dear God, sleep.
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Sharon DeMark, Knit One/Purl the Other
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Too many choices make Aviva question everything…and there’s knitting!
Why should we see your show?
Because it places us in a magical world where you can actually be in two places at once. It’s both funny and touching, and it’s directed by an incredibly visionary director and acted by some wonderfully talented actors. (I know there are many talented actors in this town, but boy, these guys are great!)
What was the inspiration for your show?
I’ve always been fascinated by choice – what happens if you take this road and not that? I wanted to see a show about the abundance of choice in this world and how that can tear someone in two. And I loved the idea of a knitting group as the anchor.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
Last year I saw Underneath the Lintel and if I have time, I would see it again – I loved the adventure that the librarian goes on upon finding a book that’s 123 years overdue.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Continue my day job. Have a cleaner house. Write another play?
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Heather Meyer, Your Responsibility for Sex Failure
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Sexy. Campy. Doctor-y. It’s a 1964 melodrama of medical proportions.
Why should we see your show?
It’s the only way you can spend 50 minutes with a doctor and not need health insurance.
What was the inspiration for your show?
Vintage 1960’s women’s magazines filled with stories like “I Was a Jealous Nurse,” “Surgery to Save a Marriage” and the article that titles the show, “Your Responsibility for Sex Failure.” It’s like Cosmo magazine 50 years ago, complete with outdated sex advice.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
Cat.
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
Use the medical tools from the show to open my own black-market doctor’s office.
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Jane Curry, Samantha "Rastles" the Woman Question
Describe your show in exactly 10 words.
Witty 19th-century farm wife "episodes" in favor of "wimmin's rights."
Why should we see your show?
It's humorous and thought provoking. As the retired trapper in Red
Lake Falls, Minnesota said after seeing the show, "Kinda sorry I came to this. Might have to change some of my idees."
What was the inspiration for your show?
I found "Samantha," a literary character from the works of popular author Marietta Holley, when I was in graduate school working on a dissertation about 19th-century American humor and women. Samantha's persona, sage observations, and subversion through horse sense humor were, it seemed to me, made for the stage.
If you only had time to see one show at this year’s Fringe (that is not your own), which one would you see?
What will you do after the Fringe dust settles and life returns to normal?
After the Fringe? Well, the caulking in the bathroom is done, so I'll move on to other exciting projects like washing the costume, replacing batteries in the smoke alarms, unclogging the kitchen drain. Oh, and there's the scuba diving trip, the racquetball matches, the books stacked up ready to read, the essay I'm working on. Keeps me out of trouble. Mostly.
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