COMMFEST is a micro-festival of experimental performance running February 6-8 at the Bryant Lake Bowl, presented by Commutator Collective, an interdisciplinary arts group based in Minneapolis.
COMMFEST features two shows per day.
Purchase tickets to both shows on the same day and receive a free drink!
One ticket deal, two performances, plus a little something extra.
Friday February 6th:
Shorts & Jorts - 7pm Show / 6pm Doors
The Shorts: A Variety Show of New Experimental Performance
Bouffon-inspired physical theater, experimental dances about Gratitude and Girlies, an interview with the Universal Publick Friend, and 19th-century drag performances all feature in this rapid-fire variety show of new work by Frankie Gormley & Ben Capp, sn/ophie, Eliana Durnbaugh & Co., Shelby Richardson, and Nat Young.
The Jorts: "GUILLOTINE CITY," A New One-Act Play
Watch your fingers! The blade-like doors of the Minneapolis-St Paul Elevated Rail are razor-sharp, and the masses of swarming, indifferent crows are hungry. Who are you supposed to believe in this city of 44 million people? What kind of revolution wears a mask? And why should I care? "GUILLOTINE CITY" by Marge Jorts Buckley. Directed by Sam Weisberg. Music by Leo Dreis. Starring Erik Abramsen, Sasha Blinnikova, and Allison Young.
PLEASE! - 10pm Show / 9:30pm Doors
PLEASE! is a high intensity and humorous trip through expressionism and indie sleaze, exploring the depths of surveillance, desire, power and who holds it. PLEASE! was created in collaborations with Lizz Windnagel, Sam Weisberg, Alice Endo, Davey Steinman, and LIPING VONG, with original music by Lisa Frank.
Felicia Cooper is an artist working in puppetry, performance and embodied research. Her work has been seen at LaMama Theater's Puppet Festival, the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Dixon Place, and locally in the Twin Cities. It has been supported by the Tri M Foundation, The National Humanities Center, the Connecticut Sea Grant, the Heinz Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Pennsylvania State Arts Board, and others. She makes work embedded in community and creates platforms for others to create experimental work, including the Puppet Union and her work with the Minnesota Fringe Festival, where she serves as the Director of Audience and Volunteer Engagement. She holds an MFA in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut. Go Huskies.
Saturday February 7th:
Shorts & Jorts - 7pm Show / 6pm Doors
The Icemen Goeth (An ICE-Out Open Mic) - 10pm Show / 9:30pm Doors
Feeling like you could really use four minutes in front of an audience to unburden your heart or speak your mind? We're doing an open mic! Bring a poem, dance, speech, open-mouthed scream, short theatre piece, or any other open-mic style offering. You could even get up and sing a karaoke song...YEP! We'll have a karaoke set-up. Come in a little early and put your name on the list. The only rule? ABOLISH DHS.
All of Commutator Collective's Saturday proceeds will go to support MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).
MIRAC is an all-volunteer, grassroots, multiracial, and multinational immigrant rights mass-movement organization. MIRAC fights for legalization for all, an end to immigration raids and deportations, an end to all anti-immigrant laws, and full equality in all areas of life.
Sunday February 8th:
Movie Brunch - 10:30am Show / 10am Doors
Because nothing goes with brunch quite like Orson Welles playing a Nazi war criminal. Selection inspired by the COMMFEST premiere of "GUILLOTINE CITY." Join us for a matinee showing of this excellent and underseen film noir, co-presented with Sloppy Discs Video Rental.
Sloppy Discs is a pop-up video rental in Minneapolis. Created by local film enthusiast and physical media booster, Emmet Kowler, Sloppy Discs is a balm for the broken promises of streaming, bringing back a little IRL magic to watching movies at home. Catch the Sloppy Discs rental table at COMMFEST or find them around town at sloppydiscs.com
Shorts & Jorts - 2pm Show / 1pm Doors
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Tickets for all shows are $15 in Advance / $10 - $20 Sliding Scale at the Door.
Tickets for MOVIE BRUNCH are $10.
Our full restaurant and bar service is available in the theater! Order from your seat and enjoy the show, we'll take care of the rest.
Also check out other Entertainment events in Minneapolis, Festivals in Minneapolis.
