Juried fringe fest, Jane Minton fired, Guthrie at the movies and more. It's news and such!

Hello Minnesota performing arts makers, consumers, and lovers -------- Every year after the Minnesota Fringe Festival there’s a lot of prognosticating about what could be done differently and occasionally, even though in Minnesota the word ‘different’ is considered pretty critical, there will be a call for ways that things could be done better. The fact that this criticism always happens demonstrates the sizable role the festival plays in the Twin Cities performing arts community. And it could easily be said that because this sort of critical evaluation happens every year it’s less an indication of any actual issues that need resolving and more an indication that people need to write something so they look for areas to criticize. From my point of view, no creative enterprise is without room for improvement. I like to think that perfection is pretty damn close to boring but there’s a significant chance I tell myself that because I’m so far away from perfection in my creative work. So the fact that there are flaws in the Fringe Festival isn’t particularly odd and it’s not something that can ever be fully overcome. The Fringe Festival is a heavily people-based enterprise and a bunch of people can make even the most simple thing complex. Adding to this years criticism of the Fringe Festival are Star Tribune arts journalists Graydon Royce and Rohan Preston in this recently published conversation that calls for a juried element of the festival. They argue this would add a “minimum level of quality” that would help address the “suffocating hours during which I'm checking my pulse.” Read the whole conversation - Fringe Festival: Shake it up Even when not sitting through a show because my job made me do it, which must inform every theatrical experience for Royce and Preston, I’ve experienced those pulse checking and perhaps more damning watch checking moment. But I don’t know that I agree about adding juried elements to the Fringe Festival. What I am inclined to agree with that I have certainly heard before and I think is alluded to in the “Shake it up” conversation is that the Fringe Festival would be better labeled as purely a theater festival as its not terribly focused on work being produced on the fringes of any larger thing. I think the word “Fringe” promises a certain base level of experimentation that the artists themselves aren’t necessarily promising when they apply to participate. But I’ll also say I think it’s absolutely true that you could ask 500 Twin Cities theater artists what they would change about the Fringe Festival and you’d get 498 different answers. Two repeats because some people just can’t help but be derivative. What ideas do you have for tweaking, changing, improving, or streamlining the Minnesota Fringe Festival? Perhaps more importantly, do you think they want your ideas? -------- Guthrie Theater and Film Society announce partnership If you love movies and theater as much as chocolate and peanut butter you’ll be quite pleased about the news that Film Society of Minneaplis/St Paul and the Guthrie Theater are partnering on a series of film screenings. Here’s more details about the announcement from the State of the Arts blog - Guthrie Theater and Film Society announce new partnership The film series will include filmed theater from the National Theatre of London as well as films inspired by the Guthrie’s current season of show. Films will be shown at the St Anthony Main Theater. And I’ll be honest, I think there’s a chance this might be awesome. -------- Do you know Jane Minton? I don’t but am finding out how many people I know who did as the news of her firing from the Independent Filmmaker Project and the murky details behind that firing slowly come to the surface. Minton was the Executive Director of IFP for the last 23 years. She has a lot of friends in the world of Minnesota film making, which isn’t a surprise after working for 23 years for an organization dedicated to helping filmmakers make their work. Apparently the firing came out without much warning to even those involved in IFP, and perhaps Jane herself. There’s limited explanation of why she was fired, but the abruptness of it implies some impropriety on someone’s part. I don’t think I’m capable of contextualizing all that’s happened, particularly because it seems to be still unfolding so I’ll point you towards source material for details and you can dig as deeply as you like into what appears to be a mess of indeterminate size. Here’s the letter IFP sent out to it’s members - IFP letter to members Here’s the announcement IFP put on their website after the firing - IFP MN reorganization Here’s the Star Tribune breakdown of the firing as of Friday - Board dismisses longtime local indie film champion And here’s Sheila Regan of TC Daily Planet nicely breaking down where things are at with Minton’s firing and the reaction from the community as of August 19th - Local filmmakers rally behind Jane Minton We’ll try to keep up with this story as more details emerge. Do you have stories of working with Jane Minton? Do you have any good firing stories? If so, post them on our Facebook wall -------- Hey, do you guys remember when theater maker Katie Kaufmann wrote a cool article for us about developing an ongoing theater practice where folks can come together and work on elements of their craft on a regular basis? You can reread it here - Practice Makes Perfect Katie has just announced that folks are invited to come together and “practice, work up a theatrical sweat and sit in the uncomfortable place of the unknown.” The first meeting will be this Saturday, August 25th, from 10am until noon at Interact. -------- I’m not sure if it’s a new work or an old work or some very odd combination of the two but if you want to find a bunch of performing arts weirdos plying their theatrical wares the Minnesota Renaissance Festival started this past weekend and runs through September 30th. There aren’t many places where you can predictably find the absurdly awful and the absurdly wonderful smashed together on a few acres of land but the Renaissance Festival will consistently deliver on the good and bad fronts. I’ve enjoyed it ironically as well as with blatant joy as a father watching a fairy sprinkle magic on his child. And there’s nothing fatherly or ironic about watching armored jousting. That’s just theatrical sport on horses. So if you’ve got a free weekend day and about $20 head to Shakopee. -------- Did I miss something awesome? Do you want to respond to something? I know it’s no fun to login here to leave a comment so feel free to post thoughts, questions, ideas or whatever on the Minnesota Playlist Facebook wall. Tally-ho! -Levi