You are here
Home > Arts > FRINGE FILE #12: INTERVIEW – Storyteller and Producer Jena Young on <em>The Label Maker</em> and More

FRINGE FILE #12: INTERVIEW – Storyteller and Producer Jena Young on The Label Maker and More

by Basil Considine -

A promotional image for The Label Maker, a solo storytelling show starring Jena Young that plays at the Minnesota Fringe Festival from August 8-16.

Behind every show is a producer, making sure bills get paid, tech gets handled, and artists are able to make art. Or, if you’re Jena Young, you could star in your own storytelling show and be the producer for not one, not two, but five other shows at the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Jena Young spoke with the Arts Reader’s Basil Considine about her solo show The Label Maker and bringing the Social Butterfly Project collection of shows to the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Official Show Description

What’s the difference between BPD and BD? Is the expert always right? From anxiety to PTSD, storyteller Jena Young shares her experience with an undiagnosed parent, being misdiagnosed, and the power of labels.
Storytelling artist and multi-show producer Jena Young.

What are some of the things that you do as an artist?

Currently, I’m primarily focused on directing and storytelling, though I’ve also been known for other forms of performance including improv, dance, clowning, stand-up, and fight choreography.

I also really enjoy graphic design, although I have no formal training.

How did you first engage with the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and how has that changed over the years?

In 2008, Walking Shadow cast me as an actor combatant for their show William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead. It was an extreme honor right out the gate. Since then, I’ve done a lot of fight choreography and solo shows with MN Fringe, and that has really defined my theater career.

Being part of a Walking Shadow production with an encore performance for your first year, I was told by others it would never be this good. And it was an exceptional experience. But it’s always good. Just a different kind of good.

A photo of the artist’s desktop.

What’s a favorite piece of non-Fringe theater that you experienced in the last year, and why?

I don’t remember which company produced it, but GUT at The Hive Collaborative was an incredible piece of artistry with some stellar performances. The story played with concepts of safety and obsession, and really made us think about how far is too far. It’s a bit of a psychological thriller, and I love using theater as a way to explore the mind and the human condition.

What is your role in bringing this show to the stage?

The Label Maker is a one-woman show, and I am that one woman (although anyone who’s done a one-person show can tell you it’s never just one person). I am the writer, producer, and performer.

What kinds of things will the audience experience at your show? What is its general aesthetic?

The Label Maker is a show exploring the concept of mental illness and diagnoses, and how that feeds into perception and experiences. It’s an autobiographical show that includes themes of abuse and violence, so it can get very heavy and intense at times. But it’s also very heartfelt with some comedic takes and some genuine feel-good moments. A little something for everyone.

  What’s a favorite moment in this show, and why?

I think one of my personal favorite stories is when I talk about a particular phobia I have. It’s an exceptionally silly phobia, but I have had panic attacks over it. The juxtaposition of it tickles.

The artist onstage.

Tell me about your other Fringe show. What’s it like juggling two schedules?

My other show is called Stories From the Trauma Dump, where I host a rotating cast of 10 storytellers offering comedic takes on mental health. Each show will feature a selection of storytellers, many of whom are in other shows this Fringe as well. Every once in a while, I look at this list of A-listers that have agreed to be part of the show, and I’m truly humbled by it.

It’s happened many times for Fringe that I’ve done multiple productions in a year, but never before as an Independent Producer. And I’m heading up an IP collaborative at Phoenix Theater on top of it (Social Butterfly Project [a group of 5 shows at the Phoenix Theatre in Minneapolis] – all of our productions around mental health), so it really is a new experience for me. Lining up technicians and box office, front of house and ushers…it really adds a level of appreciation for what MN Fringe does for its artists in the lottery productions.

What are two other Fringe shows that you are interested in seeing, and why?

Obviously, I’m definitely excited for all the IP productions in our Social Butterfly Project at Phoenix Theater, and all the shows my storytellers from Trauma Dump are involved in, but I’m trying not to be biased.

The five Social Butterfly Project shows are all playing at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis.

I have some high expectations for Silent Movie! by The Improv Movement Project. They do incredible work; I love how they build a world with movement and tell stories without words.

I’m also definitely going to check out the shows at the American School of Storytelling, especially Ben San Del’s Apologies for the Late Reply. He has a delightful way of blending comedy and heart in his performances.

What’s up next for you creatively?

My next major project will be directing There’s Room for One Thousand, by Snikt! Bamf! Thwip! as a part of the Twin Cities Horror Festival this coming October. What better setting for horror than Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride?

Personally, I think Disney and Horror blend together far more than anyone wants to admit, and I’m excited to help bring that story to life.

Jena Young backstage.

Basil Considine
Latest posts by Basil Considine (see all)
Top