Top Picks Minnesota Fringe 2026
- Lauren Hance
- Jul 31
- 6 min read
Minnesota Fringe is one of my favorite fringe festivals. The number one reason is that the people are amazing: artists, staff, volunteers, patrons, reviewers- the entire ecosystem of the festival is top-notch. For those that don’t know, Minneapolis is an incredible theatre town, from the Guthrie Theatre to the Playwrights Center to all the independent theatre companies; it is a place where new work is being made year-round, making it a prime community for a fringe festival to thrive.
There are a few things that make this festival special. They have a ton of reviewers, because a group of folks thought Minneapolis/St. Paul needed better arts coverage, so they created the Twin Cities Theatre Bloggers, who cover as much theatre as they can year-round. And during the fringe, they go hardcore and jam-pack in as many shows as humanly possible. The Patrons are serious about the fringe: from spreadsheets to politely clapping you off the stage when your preview time is up. These folks show up! I have made so many friends at the Minnesota Fringe, and they encapsulate what fringe is about: taking risks and creating work they love, all while cheering each other on.
This year I am shifting gears from performer to staff, and getting a peek under the hood of how this impressive festival comes together. I will be captaining their info booth and shadowing the Executive Director. And of course, squeezing in as many shows as I can.
With over 100 shows, I had some narrowing down to do, and here are my top picks for the Minnesota Fringe. Don’t forget to check out the Bonus Picks, they are special.
TOP PICKS MINNESOTA FRINGE
AMBIGUOUS
Tiffany is cursed to become versions of herself projected upon her and must learn who she is before time runs out. AMBIGUOUS blends stand-up comedy, original music, and character transformations to explore what happens when you spend your life fitting neatly into boxes. When Tiffany is magically forced to embody every identity people place onto her, she has one hour to figure out who she is or risk losing herself completely.
BE NOT AFRAID
North Dakota, 2012. A struggling farm in a town transformed by the oil boom is given a warning: a savior is coming. TST's newest original work places audiences at the edge of a nightmare on the plains. A motley crew of listless men, irate locals, and desperate neighbors fight for security and autonomy in a midwestern gothic of biblical proportions. As the heat rises and hope dries up, BE AFRAID explores what holds us together when the world is falling apart. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center.
BURY THE LEADS
Meet Clyde & Faye, two character actors navigating an industry of auditions, rejections, bit parts and false starts. Sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, it's improv so grounded, it seems scripted.
It all started with an unsuccessful film audition. Afterwards, Sam & Nissa commiserated about being consistently cast in character roles. So, they developed an improv set that focused on them as the leads, despite not being traditional leading actors. While this show leans into the ridiculous aspects of show business, audiences say that there’s a relatable quality of striving to be the main character yet never achieving it. If that sounds melancholy, that’s why this structured, long form improv is unique. It’s not always meant to be comedic in the same way life isn’t meant to be.
DOOZY
A good friend never forgets. Too bad, Dolly did. But no worries, it's her day off! No agenda, no script, no work...and all the time in the world for a little sweet, sweet revenge.
KISMET
A funny and moving story of two Turkish immigrants rebuilding their lives in America, confronting cultural differences, unexpected challenges, and the meaning of home.
Created and performed by Turkish immigrants, KISMET draws from lived experiences to tell a humorous and deeply human story of migration. Through rapid character transformations and theatrical storytelling, two performers bring to life the challenges, contradictions, and unexpected joys of building a new life in America while searching for a place to belong.
SMALL MINDED
Is being a dwarf clown REALLY half the size, but double the fun? Or is Tyler West just Small Minded? Either way, this show features juggling, magic, Shakespeare, storytelling, and some Ha-Ha's! from the heart.
SPACE COMPANY
An immersive corporate satire about a company that considers itself to be a family. "Mom", a middle manager at Space Company, welcomes the audience, now cast as new hires ("Babygirls"), on their first day.
TECH
This year's Fringe show opens tomorrow. The props are assembled. The actors have memorized (most of) their lines. The director has blocked the show. There’s only one thing left to do…TECH THE SHOW. An improvised one-act comedy from the people who brought you Rec League. Starring: Rita Boersma, Anna Hickey Fotis, Shanan Custer, Mike Fotis, Jim Robinson, James Rone, Nels Lennes, Bobby Gardner and Tim Hellendrung.
TOO FAT TO RUN
Three weeks before the Chicago Marathon, Eileen Tull gets a “concerned” email from a “concerned” acquaintance who is very “concerned” that she, fat as she is, plans on running the marathon. “What are you trying to prove?” they ask. In this funny, thought-provoking 60-minute show, Eileen Tull brings the audience along her marathon journey, skillfully weaving stories touching on sizeism, access, body image, disordered eating, sobriety, self-doubt, self-advocacy, self-love, and many, many miles.
WATERSHIP DOWN
Digger. Listener. Runner. A small band of rabbits embarks on a perilous journey to find a new home in this adventurous folk musical adaptation of the classic children’s novel.
After eight consecutive years at Minnesota Fringe, local company Melancholics Anonymous (Joan of Arc for Miss Teen Queen USA, A Girl Scout’s Guide to Exorcism) returns with the first-ever musical adaptation of Richard Adams’s beloved novel Watership Down, with original folk music by Bee Davis. Developed under special arrangement with the Adams Estate, this bold world premiere follows Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig, and their fellow rabbits as they fight to find and forge a new home in this classic tale of resilience, courage, and community.
BONUS TOP PICKS OF MINNESOTA FRINGE
I love bonus picks, and I think these picks are quite special, because they all feature Minnesota Fringe staff members! It is rare that I attend a fringe where someone on staff has a show in the festival. Many of the Minnesota Fringe full-time staff are also performing artists, and many of the part-time/seasonal staff are fully invested in the arts. It warms my heart to see the fringe staff actively participating in the festival they work so hard to produce.
A CONFLUENCE OF MAGICAL ARSEHOLES
Amber Bjork, Minnesota Fringe Artist Liaison, is a founding member of The Winding Sheet Outfit and is serving as the director of this production, as well as performing in the show.
The feckin' story and singy-song of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. There be the famous supper club for some bored c*nts and dilettantes, and this be that time W. B. Yeats kicked Aleister Crowley's arse. Winding Sheet Outfit’s goal is to make it rowdy and irreverent and real stupid fun.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING
Featuring part-time staff member Ariel Pinkerton as a murderous maiden, and she also serves as the show’s producer.
Samuel and Louise really know how to live; no morals, no regrets, no limits, no fear, no future. It's the night before their reckoning day and they've come to crack a bottle of wine, swap tales, and have a little fun. Based on actual historical murderers, The Importance of Living features Fringe Veterans Ariel Pinkerton and Tim Uren and is directed by Fringe favorite Duck Washington.
THE QUIET PIGGY
This may be the most exciting staff show, from Minnesota Fringe Executive Director Dawn Bentley! And it should be noted that she is also training for a bodybuilding competition happening shortly after the Fringe. This girl is on fire!
Minnesota Fringe Executive Director and theatre virgin Dawn Bentley makes her first (and only?) fringe show. A personal, political, and playful storytelling experience fantasizing about how IT finally happens, featuring recorded and live music, bouffon clowning, poorly executed puppetry, a pantload of swears, and a touch of bodybuilding.
MORE ON THE MINNESOTA FRINGE
For more on the Minnesota Fringe and to hear from one of the local reviewers, check out our podcast episode with Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon (one of my favorite MN theatre bloggers. Maybe it's because we both have curly hair?)
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