Every August Minnesota is swept up in the whirlwind of off-color jokes, unexpected tender moments, and an eclectic variety that is the Fringe Festival. In the summer of 2006, The 13th annual Fringe Festival sold nearly 45,000 tickets, maintaining its official status as the largest non-juried performance festival in the nation, and its unofficial status as completely insane. From hip-hop to calculus, to the University’s own annual “Deviled Eggs,” what makes the Fringe unique is its method of selection. Shows are selected not by jury but by lottery to insure its three basic principles of “Fringeness: Unjuried, Uncensored, and Transparent.”

In addition to consistent growth for the Fringe, 2006 was a year of newness. For the first year ever, the Fringe boasted “nightcaps” at a different designated bar each night, new sneak-preview events, and 100% handicap accessibility. Also new this year was the “Fringe Encore,” performed in the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio February 1-4. This event highlighted four of the twenty best-attended shows of Fringe 2006: “Love and Times of Rinderpest,” “Gooogle: The Musical,” “African Roads, American Streets,” and “Wonderland.”

On the first weekend of February the more odd-looking patrons in the Guthrie Theater lobby were ushered to the ninth floor, where the Dowling Studio was transformed into a typical Fringe performance-setting. The stage was bare and black, with only a disco ball on the ceiling. Rows of chairs were set up in an open-seating arrangement among the faint but characteristic smell of old dug-up costumes and set pieces.

One show with particularly elaborate costumes was “Love and Times of Rinderpest,” performed by the Bedlam Theater. This absurdist comedy about high school forensics competitors featured such distinctive characters as the drama coach known as “the Oracle of Chaska,” performed by Sarah Paley Garner, costumed as a renaissance bard, and the love struck “Cardboard Box,” performed by Jon Cole, costumed as, well, a box. Written specifically for the actors, the success of this play was made, according to actress Kristi Ternes “by the people, the characters in it; the story is really irrelevant.” Indeed, each actor seemed to revel in his or her part; the performers’ enjoyment of the play transferred to the audience.

The play began with an onslaught of jokes and spoofs—some of which hit the mark, and some of which missed. As the story progressed, however, it developed a warmth that struck a chord with the audience, who responded more and more favorably to the completely random turns of event and left-field comments.

The characters presented in “Love and Times of Rinderpest” struck many a familiar chord. The play allowed audience members to laugh at themselves in a loving way—whether as the awkward, hormonal high-school sweetheart, the over-zealous drama coach, the thick, sports-fanatical athletic director, or one of the many other caricatures presented in this play.

By the time the characters, having all found love— “the weirdest prize of all”—joined “Bruce Springsteen” in a touching rendition of one of Cardboard Box’s folksy tunes, “Love and Times of Rinderpest” was like the puppy that you just had to take home with you.

Actor Topher Brattain expressed surprise at the success of the play. “It was like the little show that could,” he says, “[my favorite part] was fighting the laughter, and being on the edge of hysteria at all times.”

Actor Joe Efans had a similarly entertaining experience working on this production—“With the Fringe you can be as crazy and out there as you want to be,” he explains.

An equally wacky production also performed at the Fringe Encore was “Gooogle: The Musical.” Performed by The Imbecile Domicile, this play was inspired by Gooogle’s announcement of its plans to digitalize all books. It discussed the idea that the Internet is the “next big thing” in the development of culture, and regardless of our opinion, now that we have lived with it, we will never again be able to live without it.

“The Internet is the new great discovery that’s changed everything,” explains actress Haley Chamberlain, “[this show] was a lot of fun, but it also meant something to us.”

This production employed music, dance, and most of all, humor, to bring across its thought-provoking message. Off-the-wall characters kept the audience amused, confused, and alert; among them were sex-crazed, bipolar avatar “Gooogle,” performed by Debi Kilde, and Indian “outsourced” tech support guy Ragit, performed by Cherian Koshy.

With only one rehearsal in the Dowling Studio, “Gooogle: The Musical’s” choreographed dance numbers faced challenges in an unfamiliar environment. “We didn’t have all of our ducks in a row,” Chamberlain says. Be it so, at its first performance at the Dowling Studio, the musical suffered but a few bumps and bruises early in the performance, from which it recovered with grace as it moved towards the dynamic musical finale.

On February 12th, the Fringe Festival Lottery for the summer of 2007 was held at the Mixed Blood Theater, where ping-pong balls in a spinning bingo cage determined the performers’ fates.

“We’re fiscally sound, our board of directors is talented and engaged, and the staff, both seasonal and year-round, is terrific,” says Fringe Executive Director Robin C. Gillette, “so I’m excited by the possibilities that lie before us.” Thousands of artists, performers and fans are excited as well. Ever expanding, the 14th annual Fringe of 2007 may be the biggest, wildest, and quirkiest yet.

Tags: Bedlam Theatre