The cast of SmashHammer: The Musical.

Last Monday, 29 shows appearing in the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival gave 3-minute previews at the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center’s Stoll Thrust Stage. This was the first official look (at least as far as live performance is concerned) inside the festival overtaking Minneapolis stages in 2 weeks; a packed crowd showed up to start figuring out what must-see shows to add to their calendars.

Presenting a compelling preview is an art in and of itself; presenters are limited to a single sound cue, have no special lighting, and are unable to use a piano or any instruments requiring a lot of space or setup. Some of the previews that stirred particular interest (as measured by audience response) were, in no particular order:

• Gilligan: A Tropical Musical (a parody of Gilligan’s Island, preceded by MN Fringe Executive Director Jeff Larson reading a cease-and-desist notice)
• Air D&D (featuring the pen-and-paper roleplaying game)
• The Abortion Chronicles
• Snow Country (a parody riffing off Sun Country airlines)
• Game of Thrones: The Musical
• Caucasian Aggressive Pandas and Other Mulatto Tales

Videos of each of the first round of previews are available online.

Tonight, another 30 shows will present their excerpts at the Stoll Thrust stage.