Freshwater Theatre Company’s debut production was a remount of two highly successful productions from the 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival in one great night of theatre dubbed Fringe Remounts XXL!
Fringe Remounts XXL received a glowing review from John Olive of HowWasTheShow.com, which can be found here!
The night began with the Fringe sleeper hit Table 12: A Play at a Wedding. Welcome to Table 12. If you’re seated here, the Bride and Groom would prefer to avoid you- and for good reason.
There’s Amy, drunkenly awaiting her blind date. She’s next to Christophe and Leroylyn, a pair of “professional crafters” who are afraid of the Internet. They are avoiding Charlie, the groom’s cousin who happens to be stalking the bride. Next, there’s Saul, the ex-brother-in-law of the Bride – he’s the one they kept.
And meet poor Mave, whose only violation forcing her to this ceremonial purgatory is the fact that she’s the Groom’s boss…and where the hell do you seat your boss, anyway?
Your waiter will be by with drinks, food…and restraining orders.
Want to know more about the original production? Check out the original Table 12 page on the Minnesota Fringe Festival website here!
Brad Richason of the Minneapolis Examiner said the original production of Table 12 at the Fringe was “insightfully written” and that playwright Ruth Virkus “displays a knack for writing deceptively deep characters whose surface eccentricities cover relatable lives”. Director Crystal G. Schneider “keeps the quips flying” while “the entire cast sparks an infectious energy with collectively charged performances”!
For some behind the scenes info on the initial rehearsal process, the origins of Table 12 and much more, go to Baron Dave Romm’s videoblog as well as the Twin Cities Theater Connection podcast with Freshwater Theatre Company Artistic Directors Ben Layne and Ruth Virkus along with Table 12director Crystal G. Schneider!
Then, An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein featured Lacey Piotter and John T. Zeiler, taking you through 
the darkly comic adult world of Shel Silverstein, a world where nothing is as it seems and where the most innocent conversation can turn menacing in an instant.
A bag lady in training?
60 words for boobs?
Auctioning of a woman at her own request?
A dead pony for a birthday present?
The punishment for not reading the fine print?
6 different talented local directors, 6 different twisted vignettes, 12 characters, and 2 actors.
Details on the original 2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival production can be found on their site here, and the original trailer for the show can be found on You Tube here!
The Star Tribune’s Brian Leehan raved about the show, saying that An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein is, “not your 6-year-old’s “Light in the Attic,” but it’s the same tremendously good fun” and that “Silverstein’s wordplay and deliciously demented stories require performers who can embrace the madness, and he is delightfully well-served by Lacey Piotter and John T. Zeiler. Not to be missed.”
An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein was directed by: Claire Avitable, Mike Davidovich, Mary Fox, Ariel Pinkerton, Duke Piotter and Nicole Wilder
Table 12 publicity photo courtesy of Matt Black Studios.