mmerriam | Minnesota Fringe Festival Wrap Up Post

As some of you may have heard (because it’s all I‘ve been able to talk about for the last two weeks) I was a late entry into the Minnesota Fringe Festival. How late? I got into the festival the Monday before it started, had tech that Friday and the first performance that Saturday.

Despite this handicap,

careswen,

greykev, and I managed to get all the information needed to MNFringe on time, finalize the script, make postcards and programs, and then spent an evening at the Rarig Center (on the U of M campus. It is one of the Fringe venues and has four stage) handing out postcards and talking about how we were a late entry and were not in the program.

The tech went fine, except that my script was three minutes over the limit. Not a hard thing to fix, fortunately. The two techs assigned to my show, Glen and Julia, were amazing, creating a light plot that really emphasized the stories.

We had a little bit of an adventure on opening night when, right as we were leaving for the opening performance one of the toilets backed up and then we couldn’t find my mobility cane, which not only do I need to travel safely, but is also a prop in the show. Crisis averted, we reached the theatre in plenty of time. After the show we had a nice gathering at Pizza Luce on Franklin Avenue. It was the first food I had actually tasted in days.

At the second performance, I rushed the beginning, but settled in on the second story. At this point I had my ever changing script about half-memorized, but knew there was no way I was going to get off book. I tried to make up for that by being more physical and using voice to the best of my ability. The second show was a good show, though it was pointed out to me that I tend to swing my arms at my side when not using them for a point or gesture.

The third performance continued the trend of each show getting better. I had studied other storyteller performers and watched how they handled their bodies in performance, making notes and incorporating the good things.

The fourth show was supposed to be my best time slot, but was pretty sparsely attended. It’s probably just as well, since I walked out unhappy with the performances. I stumbled over words, lost my place once, and in general thought I did a poor job. I have to remember next time that I need to be rested, because a big part of what went wrong was that we had been running around from show to show all day, and I was tired by the time it was my turn to perform. Lesson learned.

The final show was, from a performance stand point, the best of the bunch. I was rested, had command of the material, and was about as comfortable as I could have been. It was also the poorest attended, though we did record this one to video.

And just as I hit my comfort zone and got the script where I wanted it, the festival was over.

Some things to remember:

If you come off the wait list late, don’t panic. We put together a credible show in five days. Would we have liked more time to prepare? Sure! I could have memorized my script and been able to use the stage more, but those weren’t the cards I got dealt.

The Rarig Center is the most effective place to market, because it has four stages and eventually everyone who is seeing multiple shows will come through the Rarig. Having cards on the table and working the lines is crucial.

Though we might have an Artists Pass and want to see every show possible, it is crucial to get sufficient rest. My show on Saturday night suffered because I was worn out from running from show to show and staying out late at Fringe Central.

I’m not sure how well Fringe Central works for me. It was crowded and noisy, which is pretty much hell for me. I only know a handful of people in the local theatre scene, so it’s hard for me (a dedicated introvert of the highest order) to strike up conversations. Plus, I didn’t like the location of Fringe Central this year. The loss of the Bedlam Theatre was felt.

Am I glad I did it? Sure. Would I do it again? Sure. That said, I’m worried that we didn’t even break even. We plunked down an application fee, a producer’s fee, bought postcards and programs, had to eat on the run, and burned gas mercilessly in rush hour traffic. The perk of the Artist Pass makes up for it by letting us see 20+ shows, but I had a 75 seat venue (a small one) and never had more than 24 people in a show, and as few as about 12 on the closing.

Thank You to:
Rob Callahan for advice and buzz.

John Heimbuch for the same.

Amy Rummenie for hanging out with us at Fringe Central and introducing us to people.

Tim Wick for the same.

Bad September for letting us use a song they haven’t released yet in my pre-show music.

Matt and Dena Stoll for the loan of the video camera.

Sam at KFAI Radio for the last minute interview.

Glen and Julia, the two amazing techs assigned to our show. They were a joy to work with.

Kevin McIntyre for taking over production assistant duties and handling them with calm ease.

My wife, Sherry L.M. Merriam, who took over as producer and got the marketing in full swing.

And thank you everyone who came out to see the show!