Fringe Review: Inferno

by Robert Subiaga

Well, I suppose it had to happen. I finally saw a Fringe show that, in its current form, I can’t recommend.

And I blame Lino Lakes.

You know, the town who passed their little “English only” language ordinance. You see, language seems a hot-button subject with some people and they give in to fears and insecurities about the other, especially when communication is occurring that they don’t fully understand.

But the truth is, that when we don’t give in to our fears a little mystery not only is fun, but we tend to seek it out. All we need is a little hint, a clue, a hook on which to hang our own speculations. Think about the first time you saw Shakespeare performed after trying to decipher the “English” reading it in class; all you needed was a summary of what’s going on in each scene and you enjoyed figuring out the rest while the actors emoted and action unfolded.


I wanted to like Carlo Gicala’s Inferno in its current form. Not that I knew what to expect. Was it a quirky take on Dante or literal reading? It is the latter, bit I’m a sucker for great literature and a daring try at that could work. The problem is that Inferno just isn’t daring enough--precisely because Gicala tries to be too accommodating.

Gicala gives a very dramatic reading of the first few cantos of Inferno, at each point from a single spot on stage while on the large screen a video rolls. The backdrop is visually arresting - the work of Gicala’s collaborator, the gifted videographer Renata Sheppard - but the graphic hardly changes. This is to facilitate subtitles in English of the entire text being read, just so those who cannot understand Italian can follow along.

This is information overload. The summary leading into each canto is sufficient; I found I could make the production tolerable by not reading the English, instead just shutting my eyes and basking in the almost incantation-like mystery and beauty of the Italian. It reminds me of how another Italian, the brilliant writer Umberto Eco, willingly challenged his readers in bestselling novels like in The Name of the Rose, a medieval detective story laced with untranslated Latin. Readers might pause to look things up, but were even more likely to save it and just speculate on the exact meaning, based on whatever background knowledge we had and the context. It is a mystery, after all.

So all I can do is hope Gicala doesn’t shelve Inferno but refines it to be more aggressive and less accommodating. That he just broadcasts the canto summaries and maybe an occasional literal passage, instead letting Sheppard have free rein to use images. And that he allows himself to walk or pace or even stalk the stage as he sees fit; I sensed the passion in his voice was only the surface of the energy of his whole body if he cut loose.

In short, I wish Carlo Gicala had given himself permission to scare us a little.

This is a trip into Hell, after all.

Oh, over in Lino Lakes they still probably would have hated it. But for them facilis descensus Averno.

Inferno hits the stage once more before the end of the Fringe Festival on Saturday, August 14th at 2:3opm at Intermedia Arts. Click HERE for more info and tickets

Fringe Review: Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts

By Robert Subiaga

Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts. I don’t.

You’d think that’d bode badly for my liking her piece. But see, Rachel Teagle is a storyteller. And for that matter, I’m not sure whether she even believes in ghosts herself.

That’s the whole idea people would do well to learn about storytelling and myth. (And by the way the original word mythos simple means “story.”) Stories are crafted to tell a truth, not necessarily to be literally true. So long as someone’s not pulling the wool over our eyes--or admits they might’ve temporarily pulled the wool over our eyes to get us to think--a mythos is immortal.

Storytelling is also an art we’re blessed to see a lot of at the Fringe but too little otherwise. It’s got its quirks if you want to pull it off.

I've been to a lot of open mics in the past decade or so. A LOT of open mics. Poetry open mics, musical open mics, stand-up comic open mics. And do you want to know the most curious thing I noticed? If you want to be appreciated for what you do, go to an open mic that has more than just what you do. And look for the person who does something else to come up and be doing the appreciating. Maybe that's partly from competiteveness. Poets, for example, aren't really there to listen to other poets, they're there to have other poets listen to THEM. (Watch how fast they bolt some time when the list is too full to get them on.) But another big factor is just that too much of the same thing, even when good, even when GREAT, is still just...too much.


The Fringe time slot is one killer advantage to make storytelling work. Instead of using the 90-minute feature as a target, 45 minutes works better. Still, 45 minutes of just doing a "reading" in the same way will cause the audience to tune out, so the best storytellers weave in variety. A variety of sounds and music, a variety of images, even if it's where they move or stand or sit. And a variety of kinds of story, a variety of topics and tones.

The only trick is that this still needs to have one or more connecting threads. Rachel Teagle, in Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts, weaves back and forth through a beautiful range of stories types, showing just how much can be connected to the common thread of--surprise!--"ghosts!"

She opens with a Southern belle kind of tale, using the balcony of the Rarig Experimental stage and stalking around in a hoop skirt until she descends below us as if into Hades. It was a chilling, Beloved-like feel that segued into the brighter, modern memoir of her moving to Georgia, and maybe having a ghost in her new home. This meandering yet oddly sensible way she goes traverses her own experiences and classic stories--even her experiences as a girl reading classic stories--from the South to Minnesota to California. She goes back and forth between the present and the past (including the infamous Winchester house supposedly haunted by those killed with the Winchester repeating rifle). And she interweaves the macabre and the funny, the gothic with the modern, and going-along-with-it credulity with genuine skepticism, not giving short shrift to any quality.

Some interpretive dance movement and rotating guest artist near the end are unnecessary--just because they distract from her tales--she's that good.

I still don’t believe in ghosts. But I’m starting to believe in Rachel Teagle!

Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts has one more run during the Fringe Festival on Saturday, August 14th at 2:30pm on the U of M's Rarig Xperimental stage. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.

Fringe Review: Happy Sauce & The Sad Carousel Double Review

By Robert Subiaga

The word “sophomoric.” You say that like it’s a necessarily bad thing? Saturday Night Live and MadTV have made an institution out of it. And if you really think back to all your friends in high school and college, at all those parties, improv-ing all sorts of silliness--yes, you may look back with a groan, but odds are you split your sides laughing at the time. Weren’t those laughs worth it?

Two shows in one day, both sophomoric. And no, I’m not saying it like it’s a bad thing.

Neither The Sad Carousel nor Happy Sauce has a joke in it that anyone would label profound, and the sketches that’ll make you laugh out loud are sometimes a little groan-worthy, though they work to hold the laughing parts together in a way that I see no way to improve--or need to. The laughs meanwhile (which can be especially gut-busting in Happy Sauce) are worth it.

Oh, the jokes might be politically incorrect, particularly in A Sad Carousel, but given those jokes are by a B-level insult comic it’s perfectly keeping in character; this is both a homage to insult comedy and a parody of it.

The Sad Carousel

As well as both an homage to and parody of the Fringe. Keep in mind that the Fringe is representative of the full range of performance, from standard plays to poetry or storytelling to dance and beyond. What makes the comedians of Pommelhorse in A Sad Carousel most effective is a very judicious use of breaking the fourth wall, as well as exceptional performances of what otherwise might be pedestrian characters. Sam Landman is perfectly cast and costumed as Herschel, and Peter Ooley in multiple roles works wonders. But the most standout performances are Matthew Glover in an understated role as Herschel’s nebbish nephew, and Lindsey McDonald Dorsey as the bimbo with a heart of gold, who exudes tremendous sex appeal with spot-on movement and stance.

Happy Sauce is the even more “sophomoric” of the two. Again, not a bad thing. Whether it’s Ben Gansky as Felix flipping out with messianic revelations after tasting the sauce; Eric Powell Holm beaming with pollyanish enthusiasm for the recipe or the girl he loves; Maren Searle (also being an unusually sexy love interest) suddenly stirring up the denouement to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing;” Joshua Fazelli as Mr. Turtle expounding on his self-made used-car-salesman venture capital philosophy, or Ben Lewis as Tommy Bottles just being, well, an exaggerated douche-lord of a friend; these are parts and performances a million people--including you--could probably pull off for their friends. And you know what? You’d laugh just as hard.

Happy Sauce

The difference is they put in the work to give it to you in an organized way. Look at all the cast members SNL has had over the years, does the fact that many people can pull similar things off make it any less funny? Maybe all it takes is somebody to dare to do it, and to organize and compile them into a whole performance. (Without overextending themselves. Skits, especially live skits, even 45-minute compilations of live skits--good. Feature films ranging around “real“ world sets? Not so much.)

I appreciate that. The stress relief of good laughs, no matter how lowbrow, can’t be faked. The human interaction with real performers doing it can’t be faked in a movie house, no matter how good the 3D.

You know, come to think of it I loved my sophomore year. Bet you did too.

A Strange Carousel has two more shows on the fringe schedule. Saturday, August 14th at 1pm and Sunday, August 15th at 5:30pm at the U of M's Rarig Center Arena. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.

Happy Sauce has one more performance on the Fringe schedule. Saturday, August 14th at 10pm at U of M's Rarig Center Arena. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.

Fringe Review: Alexander at Delphi

by Robert Subiaga

“Dying’s easy, comedy is hard,“ right?

Bullshit.

Don’t get me wrong. Great comedy is hard. Gets short shrift among big awards. But why are high school plays usually comedies? Why are most people’s formative attempts at YouTube videos comedy? Why is the first thing out of your mouth at a casual gathering a joke?

Because if you fuck-up, people laugh. A laugh won’t kill a comedy.

So, generally most theater companies are afraid of doing drama. They won’t even try it unless it’s a big production with a lot of money, or at least a script by an already renowned writer. I like the Minnesota Fringe for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that companies aren’t afraid to do drama.

This year’s particular production of Alexander at Delphi isn’t without its issues. So how can I give it a perfect score?

Because, boys and girls, the script is that good.

And it’s a script by the director.

A tall claim. After all, the history the theatre stretches back to ancient Greek drama, coming up from there through Shakespeare, and so on. People who we not only see in performance but read in literature classes, poring over the fine points of themes and philosophy, arguing about hefty matters like fate and free will. But Minrod Mier’s writing shows he understands these things, even enough to hold his own among the giants.


The structure of the play mimics classical Greek drama, complete with song and actors working in chorus. The Fates open the play, original fixtures in Greece yet at the same time reminiscent of Macbeth. This will be an exploration of ambition and hubris, only in this case it involves Alexander the Great. Alexander, before he conquered Persia, was known to have visited the Oracle at Delphi seeking a prophecy. No one knows just what the Oracle told him, but Mier here gives us his take on it--a take that also like Macbeth has a twist.

The only hint I’ll drop is that when we‘re taught about Macbeth it doesn‘t necessarily seem to fit the formula of tragedy: the protagonist sees the light and is redeemed, only too late. How is Macbeth redeemed? “Lay on, MacDuff.” In the last few moments, Macbeth may have become a monster, but now goes his own way, regardless of what is fated, not caring whether the card deck is stacked for or against him. An often unsung feature of heroism, compared to going through life like a video-game player with all the cheat codes.

The unfortunate flaws in Mier’s production are that he understands these parallels and nails them in the script, but doesn’t trust the audience will get it. He splits the difference between his lead being like the real Alexander and too-obviously like Macbeth in look and mannerisms. The historical Alexander was a mix of ferocity and drive with boyish naivete, a rash talent like a star athlete, not a ruthless but wickedly careful businessman. All the important parallels hold up in the script alone, even if we were given a historical Alexander in look and feel, but Mier’s Greeks are attired like Romans, and in the lead Chris Dexter gives it his best try, but he’s just too respectably lantern-jawed to be Alexander.

This no doubt will have many reviewers ready to play senator to Mier’s Caesar and slip out their knives. Once people have been forced to read things like Shakespeare, hating it, and then see how vibrant it becomes in performance, something flips; theatre folk tend toward the position the performance is the real key, as if a great producer or actor could make something out of your grocery list.

Thinking it doesn’t all start--and even sometimes end--with the writing isn’t the key? Now that’s comedy!
Check out Alexander at Delphi at the U of M Rarig Center Proscenium on Wednesday 8/11 8:30 p.m. and Friday 8/13 7:00 p.m. For more info and to purchase tickets click HERE.

Fringe Review: Bite Me Twilight!

By Robert Subiaga

Ah, social media. There's a lot of criticism of it; there always will be things worth criticizing. But it does prompt people to write. And at the same time it does rein in people like me who are often a little too...verbose.

Not everything that's good needs an encyclopedia to argue for it anyway. My Facebook status the other day? "More Fringe reviews to crank out! But the one for Bite Me Twilight! should be short and easy. Just how much elaboration does 'I and everyone else laughed our asses off the whole way through!' take?"

Well, that, and a little side of "Hell, with that much enjoyment it'd be a success even if it'd been a drama."

What? You'd like at least a little more?

Well, OK. Let's say the formula with this success starts with a smart choice: you can never go wrong with a parody of something that's wildly popular, especially if, despite its popularity, it splits the public into a love it/hate it dichotomy. This won't make most Twilight spoofs great by any means, since Twilight is one of those properties that's almost its own parody to begin with. But at least its an interesting start.


The next step is where it really gets interesting, however. A whole cast spoof is probably easy, since for any given character there's no shortage of talented young people wanting to give it a shot. Bella, Edward, Jacob...Between the people who love the character and try their hand at an impression, and the ones who hate that character and want to tear it down, a whole cast parody would be easy to put together. A single talented actor/comedian who can pull it off? AND give us that love-the-character/hate-the-character synthesis? Now you’re talking!
Not enough can be said about the sheer physical gifts Tom Reed has for an entire range of impressions and caricatures. The way he alters his face, his movement, his mannerisms, and his voice is astounding.

Still, that would all make a good parody, but what about more, what about something intelligent enough to be satire? The key factor piece here starts with something quite functional. Reed emphasizes that no one in the audience needs to have read the books or seen the movies, and he's right. He chooses which dialogue for his caricatures to use extremely wisely and ties these snippets together in a seamless narrative. Those who know the original might get a kick out of the comparison/contrast, those of us who don't might wonder on a detail if he's taking something literal from the storyline and parodying it, but everyone's happy. I even think those of us who don‘t know the original are better off by a little bit.

Finally, let's not forget the little embellishments. While this could have been a total one-man show, the addition of a keyboardist Jill James and the unobtrusive contribution she makes is very nice. Reed also will surprise you with twists like a physical prop to describe Edward's sparkliness, or ripping open his shirt, Jacob-like, with the abs he needs for the move and all the sweat that he's been building up from the intensity of his performance and the hot lights.

And...! Damn. "I and everyone else laughed our asses off the whole way through!" What more do you need?

Check out Bite Me Twilight! at the Mixed Blood Theatre on Monday 8/9 10:00 p.m., Saturday 8/14 7:00 p.m. Sunday 8/15 5:30 p.m. For more info or to purchase tickets click HERE.

Fringe Review: I Remember You

by Robert Subiaga

Funny thing about being a writer, people will ask the same questions all the time. Questions like “where do you get your ideas?” No one wants to admit that getting the ideas is the easy part. What really sucks is that you’ll never have the time or energy to get to all the ideas, even the ones you’ve put down in detail.

And since no one’s so brilliant that some of those ideas aren’t had by someone else, it can put you in a prickly spot. A no-win situation. And if the other people don’t do the idea justice, the originality of the high concept is lost--cat’s out of the bag.

But sometimes, just that rare sometimes, no-win becomes win-win.

Then a feeling like satori washes over you. What you’ve just seen is not only as good as you would have done, but better. Way better. Now the pressure is off. You get to be just another appreciative audience member. And as far as the idea goes, all you have to do is point to that other production and tell people: Go see that!

I Remember You. Go see that!


About twenty years ago, I was on the way to the supermarket when I had this odd vision. I anticipated running into a young woman I hadn’t seen in a while, one with whom I’d been very much in love, but we ended on a bad note. I never did run into her, but I had a weird inspiration about what could’ve been a quick cover: saying I’d been in an accident and memories going back many years (including, conveniently, of that instance of me speaking like a psycho) were gone. It led to a whole outline where a guy does that with an ex, only to have them reconnect and fall back in love, with the obligatory dilemma of whether he should fill her in on the truth eventually, and if so, how?

My story probably would’ve sucked. Possibly it would have been mediocre. I Remember You starts with much the same idea and makes it great.

It takes place at an end-of/just-after high school party, the natural place for powerful nostalgia to intersect with the white-hot energy of youth. This is what first caught my attention, knowing even a pedestrian treatment of the subject--which I expected--would still be mildly interesting.

Instead, I Remember You has unexpected depth. Depth that sounds natural. These aren’t characters “wise beyond their years” in that way that often comes across as unrealistic and forced, but dialogue with that wise-beyond-our-years insight we all actually had in those days. The kind where we might inadvertently expound on something that is corroborated in the words of Buddha, or Plato, or a discovery in modern science--except we hadn’t been exposed to them yet and didn’t know how to put them in a refined way, let alone to reason too many steps beyond.

Donny is one of the two leads, the young man with the memory loss. As the play opens he’s sitting on a couch conversing with Erica, his “old girlfriend” from sophomore year, a relationship he can’t recall. In the exchange, with side characters occasionally becoming part of for a few seconds, some questions pop up that are insightful (How is it that he has declarative memory of his school subjects and didn’t have to repeat grades? How can he clearly recall being in grade school with Erica--including things she had herself forgotten for a long time--but not sophomore year?) and doofusy (“Hey Donny, how many fingers am I holding up?”) Yet all the questions, even the idiotic ones are shockingly believable for anyone who’s experienced of that contradictory mix of erudition and immature idiocy at a drunken party.

Jeff Spoo as Donny

Even if nothing else were to work in this play (and it’s the opposite, everything does) Donny and Erica would carry the whole play. Jeff Spoo plays Donny like a down-to-earth, very real bodhisattva, whose situation has forced him into an intelligent but laid-back maturity--more mature for the very way he’s laid-back. You can sense the mental sighs of Donny at the people around them, but he’s not at all disdainful of them. Rather if anything he’s more empathetic, more an authentic friend, even if he’s not just going to go along with posturing or d-baggery. We can sense that somehow Erica was into him in the old days, but this “new” Donny built on the ashes of the old is even better. Donny‘s memory loss is both a curse and a wry blessing.

Victoria Nightingale’s portrayal of Erica is even more than perfect, her delivery and movement so natural and believable I was in shock. In fact, there was a litmus test against which to gauge it almost objectively. The portrayal of Erica reminded me of a very real young woman I also knew and loved (though not the one who inspired the memory-loss cover idea, one much later in my life). Smart but authentic, somewhere between sturdy and willowy the way that can rock jeans and sneakers and needs little makeup or accoutrements. The “tomboy” who’s inarguably feminine. It’d be easy to dismiss my reaction as over-personalized, but the truth is there are a significant number of women out there with just these qualities--most of us have known at least a few. For Nightingale to make Erica that realistic is sublime, and this is an actress to be on the lookout for--though big things to come wouldn’t be surprising for Spoo or much of the rest of the cast.

Victoria Nightingale as Erica

I will say I Remember You ends on a bittersweet note, but how much bitter, how much sweet, and how it ends is worth finding out for yourself.

The script is remarkable in its ability to sneak some really deep thematic treatments in without lengthy philosophical discourse. Functionalist questions of philosophy of mind? Questions about reality and illusion? How critical memory is or isn‘t to who we really are? Choice and second chances? It‘s in there.

But when and if you see it, it might be dense and profound, merely make you curious, or just seem quirky, depending on your background knowledge and experiences. Just know that whatever level you catch it, it’ll never interfere with the story or make you feel insulted for “missing” something.

Which just might be reflected itself in a party game Erica and Donny (occasionally others) play a little, to come up with statements that are simultaneously “literally and figuratively” true. Another weird reflection of reality, as I can think of any number of intelligent games I’ve played with intelligent people at drunken, down-to-earth debauches.

Talking as much as I have on Donny and Erica might give the impression that the supporting performances fade into the background. Au contraire. Not only is each and every supporting character written as very human and worthy of some empathy and understanding--even the crass ones--but the performances and timing and physical layout of the stage and blocking out of the movement are impeccable. Joy Dolo as Brooke is simply hilarious and charming.

I Remember You is the sleeper of the Fringe, a young crew, cast and creators who’ve nailed it. I staked out Fringe Central on Sunday night hoping that I’d run into them, and if I’m lucky at some point I will. To praise them in person, to ask a few questions--just something even better than just “Where do you get your ideas?”

Check out I Remember You at the Minneapolis Theater Garage: Thursday 8/12 10:00 p.m., Saturday 8/14 7:00 p.m., Sunday 8/15 2:30 p.m. Click HERE for more info or to purchase tickets.

Fringe Review: Couch Aliens vs. the False World

By Robert Subiaga

Some productions are born great (the source material is written so well even a stumbling attempt will come across as pretty good). Some productions are made great (the source material is pretty pedestrian but the performer really makes it shine).

Then there are productions where thinking about how "great" it is--how many stars, thumbs, kitties, whatever--is just wrongheaded.

That's any easy truth to lose as we age and get used to the arts. As an example, when I was a kid I was a huge Marvel Comics fan. In those days--the end of the Silver Age--nobody was trying to make comics "serious" (let alone super-dark) "literature" yet, nor target them to adults. But hordes of kids like me read the comics and our development was bootstrapped by how creators like Stan Lee wove in mature literary features here and there along the way, happily keeping it kids' lit.


Couch Aliens vs. the False World isn’t quite kids’ lit, it is a little too profane for that (though not too bad and kids are more stable than we often give them credit for.) But Duck Washington, already known in the local sci-fi and performance scenes for working with the fantastical, pulls off the same kind of synthesis my boyhood comics did.

The play centers around Gordon, a couch potato holed up at home like an agoraphobic while he mopes over his lost girlfriend, Tracey. While Gordon isn't looking, a multidimensional alien climbs right out from under one of the cushions of the couch and makes himself at home, just wanting to vegetate on human TV. The alien is supposed be studying humanity, and/or on the run from obligations to his family back on his homeworld, but claims that we're just so damned boring that TV is preferable.

The snarky alien and the slobby, melancholy Gordon have one thing in common: withdrawl. But they also can't help but grate just enough on each other that they each draw each other of their shells, as the alien takes Gordon through various dimensions of the "multiverse" and back again. They encounter even more alien creatures, including a piscean magician and a red-robed "Inquisitor" who's job is mysterious even to the alien, but has something to do with protecting the “secret” of the multiverse. As Gordon and the alien go back and forth, a couple of Gordon's human associates--a douchebaggy friend and a pizza girl--get drawn into the mix too.


With too many plays, being experimental or fantastical would stop with just weaving disparate elements together; showing a lack of understanding of how important good writing is for the stage. Here though all the loose ends are brought together to make the plot tight. There is a moral to the story or two that are timeless, and have been explored thousands of times in other stories--but of course never in this exact way.

That novelty really shines here, with creativity in characters and costumes worthy of Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, and so on. The production works well enough within the limitations of theatre in general and budget. The alien magician is in an unusually nice full-face rubber mask that is nevertheless a mask, and Jesse Corder as MAX the alien works a look that calls to mind a David Bowie glam rocker. The costuming is not super-professional, nor does it go for the opposite of pushing the campy on us. Supposedly this is a mistake; a "serious" attempt at production would try to go one way or the other. Then again, those childhood comics of mine valued representational art without worrying that the colors were a little washed out or simple. Or that the characters were dressed in Spandex. Or that everyone--even normal people--were just a little more muscular than normal. Sometimes a mixed tone just works.


Other creative touches also come across well, like a simmering "prologue" with music playing and Gordon glumly pacing in his bathrobe, playing darts, as the audience is being seated. And the way MAX crawls out of the sofa at the beginning is freaky and funny. When America's "Horse with No Name" suddenly pipes in to signal a flashback and the tone shifts from funny to nostalgic the transition is seamless.

Of course, some of the attempts at staging creatively didn't work as well for me. As Gordon and Max are holed up at home there are phone conversations to outside parties like Tracey. These are done with a live actor on a sidestage, but I found it distracting from the good claustrophobic quality of the main characters in Gordon's apartment. (On the other hand, use of the sidestage to "show" cheesy infomercials that are supposed to be playing on Gordon's TV work hilariously well.)

I also would have liked the story between MAX and Gordon to start in media res, with MAX already on the sofa and their original meeting being in the past. We don’t need Gordon’s shock at their meeting and him being won over to semi-credulity; his life is already surreal enough to buy it.

The most notable "flaw"--common to writers and poets everywhere--is that the ending runs too long trying to make “what it all means” clear. In this case too long by about two minutes. There's an exchange between Gordon and MAX, as they’re back on the sofa that captures it all, and the curtain should’ve gone down right there.

Here's a thought: Like those Silver Age Marvel Comics of my youth, sometimes good is good enough--not because we’re settling, but because art is never “perfect” and chilling about it can be the best way to sneak in the profound, here and there.

Check out Couch Aliens vs. the False World at the U of M Rarig Center Proscenium: Wednesday 8/11 10:00 p.m. Thursday 8/12 8:30 p.m. Saturday 8/14 5:30 p.m. Click HERE for more info and tickets.

Weekend What's What 7/31-8/5

THE DOOM TREE GROWETH

This weekend is going to be a wild one, that's for sure. With collaborative extravaganzas poppin' off in all corners, you're destined to get your arts and culture served up sizzlin' on a silver platter. Not only do we have a plethora of amazing dance parties, fashion, art and theater events (150 of them, thank you very much Fringe Fest!) but we celebrate one of the Twin Cities' most respected Hip Hop crews, Doomtree, and the long-anticipated release of their sure-to-be-classic collaborative album.

xo-l'étoile

Photo by Eric Eul for l'étoile



THURSDAY JULY 31ST (THROUGH AUGUST 10TH)

Minnesota Fringe Festival

@ 18 venues all over town
Uptown, West Bank, North Loop, Northeast, Minneapolis

$10-150 + $3 admission button

You’ve heard it before and we’ll say it again: Minnesota is lucky to have the most theaters per capita outside of New York. We also have the BEST Fringe Festival. Bike, walk or ride the train to see about a million one-hour shows from performers from the far ends of the earth. With over 150 shows, you can pick a neighborhood, spend all day steeping in culture, and maybe even mingle with the thespians after the show. Through August 10th.

SHOUT OUT: Check out l'étoile pal Curt Lund and Laura Bidgood's play Boys Don't Make Passes at Girls Who Wear Glasses at the Rarig Center! Check their myspace page HERE for more info.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FRINGE FESTIVAL SITE



THURSDAY JULY 31ST

Solutions for the Other 90%

@ Walker Art Center
Cinema
1750 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis

7pm / Free

In conjunction with the outdoor Sculpture Garden exhibition of similar name, this evening of presentations on humanitarian design is filled with eco-stars. Designers talk sustainable solutions for education, health care, transportation, and water and energy for the other 90% of the population living with shortages. Stick around for the reception, enjoy a DJ and food and drinks, and get the chance to talk to the experts.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE SOLUTIONS SITE



THURSDAY JULY 31ST

Duffy

@ First Avenue
701 1st Ave N
Downtown Minneapolis

6pm / 18+ / $20 in advance, $22 at the door

Welch soul singer Duffy has pipes far more mature than her 24 years that have earned her numerous comparisons to Dusty Springfield and Amy Winehouse. Her vintage sounding vocals are both unique and charming, and will send you straight back to the soulful pop music of the 60’s doo-wop and Motown. She will be kicking off a string of US dates right here in Minneapolis, so get your tickets now before the backlash begins!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE DUFFY MYSPACE



FRIDAY ART PICK: SCULLY & OSTERMAN

France Scully Osterman and Mark Osterman are gods on the antiquated photo processes scene. They work in wet-plate collodion, which is one of the most complicated of all processes. While France portraits people sleeping, Mark ran a traveling medicine show and is now making work reminiscent of the era of elixirs and potions. They also run workshops, publish darkroom journals, and continue to amaze with their mysterious images.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE SCULLY & OSTERMAN SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

@ Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis

7pm-10pm/free

Global and socio-economic work takes it to the heavy this month at Altered Esthetics. Pull out your Chomsky, memorize a few insightful phrases, and get thee down to AE. With the RNC around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about the broader picture and our role in this corner of the earth. Over 100 works, ranging from performance, installation and sculpture respond to this ambitious topic. Through August 30th.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

Flow: For the Love of Water

@ Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis

7:30pm / $8 or $6 for members

Flow: For Love of Water is an inspired yet disturbingly provocative wake-up call. The future of our planet is drying up rapidly. Focusing on pollution, human rights, politics and corruption, filmmaker Irena Salina constructs an articulate profile of the delicate relationship uniting human beings and water. While each community's challenges are unique, the message is universal--the time to turn the tide is now.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE WALKER SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

Doomtree CD Release

@ First Avenue
701 1st Ave N
Downtown Minneapolis

8pm / 18+ / $8/$10

Hometown idols Doomtree will flood the Main Room on Friday night as they unleash their biggest project so far - the long-awaited Doomtree crew debut album. Expect the 2 DJs, 2 Producers, and 5 MCs to deliver sharp, thought-provoking content, rallying choruses and melancholy vocal lines over an expansive production of neck-snapping snares and killer hooks as the crew feeds off each others energy and yours. This is a momentous occasion for the troop, so be there to witness their most spectacular blowout of all.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE DOOMTREE SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

La Nouvelle Femme

@ Rogue Buddha Gallery
345 13th Avenue NE
Northeast Mpls

8:30pm / 18+ / $8

Get a glimpse of the latest wave of creativity conceptualized by emerging female talent in the Twin Cities. Enjoy an energetic evening of juxtaposition where fine art, music and fashion meet. Featuring the fresh fashions of Calpurnia Peach on live models styled by the nimble fingers of Eclecticoiffeur, plus an art exhibit and of course, hot, hot tunes. After the show, follow the well-heeled masses over to the 1st Ave VIP Room for the Get Cryphy after party - see official listing below!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE LA NOUVELLE FEMME MYSPACE
Photo by Nic Marshall, Styling by Eclecticoiffeur



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

Hotel

@ Kitty Cat Klub
315 14th Avenue SE
Dinkytown Minneapolis

10pm / 21+ / Free

Jonathan Ackerman’s always amazing and always free monthly dance affair known as Hotel continues get party people amped with special guests So Gold and Modern Radio Kingpin DJ TRL. Prepare for an audio spectacle that will get your weekend started proper!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFO



FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST

Get Cryphy!

@ 1st Ave VIP Room
701 1st Avenue N
Downtown Mpls

10pm / 18+ / $3

Join the Cryphaholics and sassy DJ duo Tendercakes for a dance-filled night at the VIP! Bop til you drop to rap, electro, clubby bangers, and more, but don't forget to dress to impress because tonight is all about dazzle! Sweaty dazzle, that is. And maybe sequined fanny packs.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE GET CRYPHY MYSPACE



COOL LINK: YES WE CAN!

l'étoile fave Andy Sturdevant’s literary genius takes on art and design in these pre-election times. His latest article on The Rake connects campaign visual design, the WPA and artists with Obama’s visual lexicon. Here’s a taste: “I don't know if it is Obama's intention to suggest outright that he's the direct heir to FDR's high-minded hard-times liberalism (and his detractors would say he's hubristic enough to do just that). But there is something stirring about his campaign - yes we can! - that owes quite a bit to the outsized optimism of the 1930s, and a lot of that has to do with the aesthetic decisions Obama's campaign and his supporters have made.”

Andy Sturdevant is a regular blogger for The Vicious Circle on The Rake.

CLICK THE IMAGE TO READ “YES WE CAN!”
Image courtesy of obeygiant.com



SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND (THROUGH SUNDAY)

Powderhorn/Loring/Uptown Art Fairs

Loring Park Art Festival
Sat: Aug. 2, 10 AM-6 PM
Sun: Aug. 3, 10 AM-5 PM

Powderhorn Art Fair
Sat: Aug. 2, 10 AM-6 PM
Sun: Aug. 3, 10 AM-5 PM

Uptown Art Fair
Fri: Noon-8:30 PM
Sat: Aug. 2, 10 AM-8:30 PM
Sun: Aug. 3, 10 AM-6 PM

It's Art Fair weekend in Minneapolis! Three Minneapolis neighborhoods will put on their annual art fairs showcasing of some of the best art, music, and food from around the world. The big daddy of art festivals, The Uptown Art Fair is the largest of its kind in Minnesota, with thousands of pieces in a mind-boggling number of mediums, not to mention stellar people watching.

Probably the most friendly and spirited of the three Minneapolis art fairs, the Powderhorn event goes to fund Minneapolis parks projects. Located in Powerderhorn Park, this fair boasts a Green Day full of green events and activities in addition to traveling and local artists displaying original works.

As if two fairs weren’t enough, there’s a third show - the Loring Park Art Festival- smaller and more accessible, with more local artists and less expensive works than the Uptown fair tends to attract.

Driving and parking at these occasions is a nightmare, so visit all 3 in air-conditioned comfort on the free Target Art Hop – a bus service connecting each of the fairs. Happy art-ing!

CLICK FOR THESE ART EVENTS AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM



SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND

Off Register

@ Umber Studios
3109 E 42nd St.
Minneapolis

8pm / Free

Described as a “traveling group exhibition of experimental printmaking," Off Register will prove to be an incredibly exciting show. Artists and graphic designers in the commercial print design profession but do not usually consider themselves printmakers show their take-and their daily works’ influence on fine art printmaking. Over twenty artists, including l’etoile bff’s WeWorkForThem, and more from across the globe are represented in this show organized in collaboration with LA-based Foundation Projects. Through September 1st.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM



SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND

Claudia Billy Baca Opening

@ Olive Salon and Gallery
1506 Nicollet Ave S
Minneapolis

8pm-1am / Free

Saint Sabrina’s tattoo artist meets hipster hair salon! Mexican folk art and religious icons intersect with the tattooing aesthetic to make one hell of an art show. Chowgirls are catering, so your night will be complete. Ashley Berg (photography) and Mike Ritter (mixed media) also show.

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM



SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND

The Melvins

@ Grumpy’s Bar
1111 Washington Ave S
Downtown Minneapolis

8:30pm / 21+ / $16 (Sold Out)

Ahhh, the Melvins: like Husker Du and Wire, one of “those bands” revered by music nerds and virtually ignored by everyone else. These guys have been rocking hard for almost 20 years (raise your hand if that makes you feel old!) and are back at Grumpy’s for their annual shake down that will surely bring you back to the days of grunge and flannel. Bring your earplugs.

UPDATE: This show is sold out, get resourceful!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE GRUMPY'S SITE



SATURDAY AUGUST 2ND

BLACK: Happy Birthday Aaron Bliss!

@ First Avenue VIP Room
701 1st Ave N
Downtown Minneapolis

10pm / 18+ / $5

Saturday is the new black! Bring your fancy footwork to the VIP room tonight for some bonafide lovin' from B-day boy Aaron Bliss along with special guests Easy Lee and Andrew Kevins as they help celebrate Aaron's birthday in style - with an impeccable selection of funk, soul, disco, and house. Not to mention, 2-4-1 Cocktails until Midnight. Happy Birthday Mr. Bliss, l'etoile hearts you!

BONUS: Don't forget to stop in for quick dance-off at Too Much Love featuring Soviet Panda and Mike the 2600 King!


CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BLACK MYSPACE



SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: THE MOODS

Trebly guitars, lush piano lines, and rich vocal harmonies lay the foundation for the Moods head-bopping, toe tapping tunes. These catchy pop vocals laced with powerful guitar licks and rolling rhythms evoke the New Pornographers and Belle & Sebastian. The buzzworthy LA-based band is currently touring in support of their debut album, Have Your Day, and their fan base keeps growing steadily by the day. Cross your fingers for a Minneapolis stop!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MOODS MYSPACE



SUNDAY AUGUST 3RD

Caffetto Craft Fair

@ Caffetto
708 W 22nd St. @ Lyndale Ave
Minneapolis

10 am to 5 pm/free

Completely overhauling your look is possible this weekend thanks to Caffetto’s first annual craft fair. Start with new bike accessories, outfit your feet with new shoes, strap on a backpack by one of many designers, and fill it with Roger Lootine’s comic books. Stop at The Fox Den hair salon to get a new style, and when you’re tired from all this excitement, massages will be on hand, along with a melodica trio!

CLICK FOR THIS ART EVENT AND MORE AT MPLSART.COM



TUESDAY AUGUST 5TH

Silver + Gold

@ Clubhouse Jager
923 Washington Ave.
North Loop

Every Tuesday / 21+ / 10pm / Free

Join DJ Jonathan Ackerman and l’étoile magazine for an evening of sly winks and sideways glances every Tuesday at Clubhouse Jager. Create some mystery, sip 2-4-1 cocktails with pretty people, and dance the night away to electro, pop, and so much more.

BONUS: Flirt up a storm then visit letoilemagazine.com on Wednesdays for "missed connections" from the night before!

Sponsored by l'étoile magazine & Alphasuede

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR L'ETOILE TEXT CONNECTIONS



TUESDAY AUGUST 5TH

Pine Hill Haints (Alabama), Chokecherry, The Knotwells

@ Big V’s
1567 University Ave
St. Paul

9pm/$5/21+

Why wait until Friday to hear a rockin’ show, when you could go out Tuesday? The Pine Hill Haints (K Records) are here all the way from Alabama, so let’s show them a good time, St. Paul-style. Described as ghost-country music with a washboard, accordion, and washtub bass, the possibility for washing your clothes on stage has tripled. Local favorites Chokecherry and The Knotwells get the whiskey flowing. Five bands for five dollars is quite a deal. With Bitch ‘n’ Brown, and El Truth Turtle (look! A palindrome)

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PINE HILL HAINTS MYSPACE



What's What Editor: Kate Iverson
Contributing Writers: Lacey Prpic Hedtke, Robyn Lewis

ALL CONTENT © L'ETOILE MAGAZINE 2008

Weekend What's What 8/9-8/12

LIFE ON THE FRINGE

Thought we forgot? Oh no, not us. The 2007 Fringe Festival is feeling fierce under new executive director, Robin Gillette. 162 shows, 22 different venues in 10 days - whew! And you think your job is tough. We've picked out a few below, but check the fest's site for much, much more. What to do next? You are going to show this town how to party. From a stellar lineup of local beatmachines at Clubhouse Jager to the all-girl dance riot via DC Productions, your late nights (well, early mornings) will be wonderfully uncivilized. Leave the gardening and the groceries for next week and sleep in!

xo-l'étoile




THURSDAY AUGUST 9TH

Beat, Bash, Bang

@ The Turf Club
1601 University Ave
St Paul

9pm / 21+ / $4

Brit is IT as The Flavor Crystals top this delightfully poncey bill along with Fab Tab and the Teds, The Screens and The Debut. DJ Hot Roxx Jen and Vampire Hands Colin will be spinning between bands.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE TURF CLUB SITE



THURSDAY AUGUST 9TH (through Saturday)

PEZcon 12

@ The Ramada MOA
(formerly Thunderbird Motel)
Bloomington, MN

Hours Vary / All Ages / $5

What kind of people go to the Pez convention? We have no idea, but you will definitely find out this weekend at PEZcon12, a celebration of the little candies and their collectable dispensers. Enjoy all things Pez, craft seminars, vendors, and more...Pezalicious!

Strangely enough, the website has already been updated for the 2008 convention, but rest assured, this weekends festivities are sitll in full effect!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PEZCON12 SITE



FRIDAY ART PICK: Christian Ward

Christian Ward's visual landscape is occupied by femme fatales, psychedelic mind clouds and caped villains. Reminiscent of Richard Linklater's films, Ward's dream-like yet hard-edged style combines fine lines, lush colors and a sense of surrealism.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR CHRISTIAN WARD'S SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 10TH

The Alarmists

@ Uptown Bar
3018 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis

9:30pm / 21+ / $5

The Alarmists continue their tour de force at the Uptown with an evening of blistering jams that includes local rockers So it Goes, Raven, and The Exchange!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE ALARMISTS MYSPACE



FRIDAY AUGUST 10TH

Theo Parrish

@ Foundation
10 S. 5th St.
Minneapolis

10PM / 21+ / $5 before 12, $8 after

Detroit House legend Theo Parrish will sear your ears with his motor city bass-lines and signature hypnotic beats. Parrish spins an impressive 4 hour set. Don't forget to pop into the Deep Lounge for a change of bass - Mike 2600 and DJ Applejews entertain!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FOUNDATION SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 10TH

Excursion: A Late Night Dance Affair

@ Secret Location TBA
Minneapolis

Electro-nerds The Hamptons are a sure thing if you crave hot scratchings on the wheels of steel! Jack Trash, Tink, Nathan Vox and more will make sure that the rhythm does in fact get you. All night long.

Check mnvibe.com or call the info line at 651-206-6023 day-of for location. Presented by Sound in Motion!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MNVIBE SITE



FRIDAY AUGUST 10TH

Fringe Festival Pick: A Fistful of Dice

@ Theatre de la Jeune Lune
105 1st Ave N
Minneapolis

10pm / $12 (+ $3 for button)

Throw on your best cloak of darkness and summon your sages, mages and paladins - we've got a show for you! This Blacky Cat Company production follows Trent, a professional gamer, as he decides whether to hang up his 12-sided dice or go for Dungeons and Dragons glory.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FRINGE SITE



COOL LINK: Beautiful/Decay

Beautiful/Decay's t-shirt shop is a bit like threadless.com with 'roid rage. The designs are completely out of control! We're in love with the lo-fi stereo visuals and we're especially enamored with local l'étoile contributor Josh "Toothjuice" Clancy, whose "Melting Hearts" will be crowning our wardrobe in 3-5 business days.

Our friends at ROBOTlove in Minneapolis carry Beautiful/Decay products and have the new shirts on order, so stop in soon to pick yours up! While you're there, snag the latest copy of Beautiful/Decay Magazine - it's a l'étoile favorite!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL DECAY SITE




SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Familia DVS Shoe Release and Party

@ Familia Skateshop
647 Snelling Ave. S
St.Paul

Store Opens @ 10am / Free

Familia is the only game in town for totally awesome skateboarding paraphernalia! Saturday marks the arrival of the Familia DVS Huf 5 shoe and its sure to cause a stir. After 9pm hit the Psycho Suzi's after-party with the Familia crew, and wear your new kicks! Tucker Gerrick, shoe designer and owner of Familia Skate Shop, sat down to chat shoes, skating and Typoscura:

How and why did you start Familia?



Familia was created out of a dire need for a skate shop in the Twin Cities. I was aching to open a store where I could get O.C.D. on all aspects of it's design and personality. Adam & Steve wanted to stores too, but on their own. We figured out that with all 3 of us involved, the odds were too good NOT to do it.

How did you get into designing skate shoes?

It started 7 years ago with my first trip to California to see the operation at Sole Technologies (parent company of Etnies, Emerica, eS and 32 boots). Immediately after I started working in a shop, and began the treacherous descent into shoe geekdom. Only recently with opportunities from opening Familia have I had the chance to actually design.

What is your best skateboard related memory?



My fondest memory would have to be of Aqua Jam (Aquatennial's long gone skate contest) in 88 or 89'. I was skating with my little brother with all these strangers and there was a mini ramp contest - some kid was skating a board without griptape...and he was KILLING it.

Your personal blog, Typoscura, is very clever - How did that start?

I was hesitant to do anything purely about me on the net, but I ended up having so much "content" surrounding all the stuff I've been up to, that I figured why not? It's been rad though. Now I have an outlet, but it also acts like a buffer or layer between me and the real world.

Any new projects on the horizon?

I've got a handful of special events before the end of this year, events that non-skateboarders are gonna love too. As for next year, let's just say I've got my hands in about a billion cookie jars. I can't say exactly what those jars are full of though.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FAMILIA SITE



SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

BULK.

@ Clubhouse Jager
10th & Washington
Minneapolis

10pm / 21+ / Free

One definition of the word BULK is to "gather, form, or mix into a cohesive or uniform mass". And we think the boys have that covered tonight as BULK officially launches its new bi-monthly dance party. A seamless blend of the cities hottest party DJ's flip wax for your pleasure all night, featuring Mike Cina, Jonathan Ackerman, Attitude City, Scott Butters, and Mike 2600, just to name a few.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE JAGER MYSPACE



SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Blockalypse

@ Pizza Luce
32nd & Lyndale
Minneapolis

Noon-10pm / Free

Pizza Luce hosts the block party to end all block parties at this 5th Annual shindig. Ian (of Drinking With fame) emcees the lineup of bands, including Chooglin and Doomtree. And yes, there will be pizza.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PIZZA LUCE SITE



SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Mickey Avalon

@ The Fine Line
318 1st Ave N
Minneapolis

8pm / 18+ / $16

Mickey Avalon rolls back into town for the second time this year peddling his Hollywood-glam brand of electro-hip-hop-punk. We just can't get enough! If you missed him the first time now's your chance to mend that regret.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE MICKEY AVALON MYSPACE



SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Teen Girl Squad

@ The DC House of Love
Location TBA
Minneapolis

It's an all-night, all-girl dance riot at the DC House of Love! The cities prettiest and most talented will be spinning, including Symmetry, Nancy Cheng, DJ Eve and Mustang Sally.

Check Symmetry's myspace blog the day-of for directions to the secret spot!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR SYMMETRY'S MYSPACE FOR LOCATION



SATURDAY AUGUST 11TH

Fringe Festival Pick: Super Glossy

@ Red Eye Theater
15 14th St W
Minneapolis

10pm / $12 + $3

In this sci-fi satire, brought to you by Big Sexy Productions and Courtney McLean. Beauty media, celebrity idolatry, brainwashing, and baby-snatching merge to create the ultimate distopia.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FRINGE SITE



SUNDAY MUSIC PICK: DJ Talk Radio

Local multi-talent Ken Hannigan aka Talk Radio aka Anthem Heart has become a force to be reckoned with over the past few years. We've watched this cat grow from an up and coming graphic designer to a budding multi-media empire! Ken took a moment to chat with us about his rise to local esteem:

You've been djing since the late 90's - how has your musical esthetic grown over time?


I started deejaying a lot more after I added CD turntables, music blogs, and file sharing to my previously "vinyl only" mode of operations. I used to stick to various genres, but over the past maybe 6 months things have blown wide open for me: I'm always attracted to the "disco-punk" tracks out there, but at parties I end up playing more of the "booty" stuff.

You also own Anthem Heart Clothing - how has your business and style evolved since you began designing?

I've been willing to take more chances and experiment. Also I've been collaborating a lot on many different levels. Hyper Lush for Voltage 2007 was an AH project. We will be releasing some new pieces designed by Tooth Juice and Mint Condition at an after party for Too Much Love on August 25th!


Best place to record dig in the cities?



Vital Vinyl (now refered to as simply "Vital") has emerged as the leader in vinyl but also gear rentals, clothing, cds, event tickets and promotion of the local scene. After Let it Be closed a couple years ago Vital really stepped up.


Top 5 dance tracks of the year?

off the top of my head...I've been digging these:

KWIK Allstars - Theater of Disco
Pogo (Maximized By Punks Jump Up) - Digitalism
Fancy Footwork - Chromeo
Bojangles (tyler fedchuk edit) - Pitbull feat. Le Dust Sucker
Give It To Me (Sta Remix) - Timbaland ft Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

Any future/ongoing events you want to plug?

Too Much Love at First Ave every Saturday. Electrobowl Thursdays at Memory Lanes. Jonathan Ackerman & I are curating a big after party for TML on August 25th at DEFI, featuring live art & video installations, limited edition wearables, giveaways, and of course a hot dance floor!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE TALK RADIO MYSPACE



SUNDAY AUGUST 12TH

Plaster the Town Closing Party

@ The Soap Factory
518 2nd St. SE
Minneapolis

Noon-10pm / Free (donation suggested)

Join Twin Cities rock poster royalty Squad 19, Burlesque Design, Aesthetic Apparatus and more for the closing of this amazing show. In true Minneapolis art-star fashion, craziness will ensue featuring DJ Espada, Mike 2600, Chooglin, and STNNNG!

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE PLASTER THE TOWN MYSPACE



SUNDAY AUGUST 12TH

New Works by Allen Brewer & Greg Gossel

@ Barbette
Irving Ave and Lake St
Minneapolis

3pm-6pm / Free

Pop meets graffiti meets surrealism: Allen Brewer and Greg Gossel show off recent work in this new show at Barbette. Brewer's paintings second-guess conventional beauty and narrative, while Gossel's stencils question cultural identity while referencing an urban landscape.

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE BARBETTE SITE



SUNDAY AUGUST 12TH

Fringe Fesival Pick: Take a Left by the Giant Cow

@ Pillsbury House Theater
3501 Chicago Ave S
Minneapolis

7pm / $12 + $3

North Dakota storytellers Curt Lund and Laura Bidgood are back from last year's uberhit "Two Queers and a Chubby" to share more about growing up in " Minnesota's awkward stepsister to the West."

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FRINGE SITE



COOL OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Artists: These Elves Went to Art School

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: September 1st

The Gallery @ Fox Tax would like to invite local artists to be a part of their holiday exhibition entitled, "These Elves Went to Art School", a display of miniature art by 50+ local artists. All works for this show must be 4"x4", 2"x4", or 2"x2". Our hope is to showcase each artist's unique style in miniature (and affordable) form.

Deadline to Complete and Deliver Artwork: Nov 1st

Please send submissions/questions via email to: mark@foxtaxservice.com




If you would like your event, link, or opportunity to be featured in l'étoile magazine's WEEKEND WHAT'S WHAT please email info and image to kate@letoilemagazine.com for consideration.