James Eli Shiffer, Author of The King of Skid Row: John Bacich and the Twilight Years of Old Minneapolis

Once upon a time, Minneapolis tried to keep their citizens with a penchant for hard drinking—lumberjacks, farmhands, and railroad workers—into the oldest quarter of Minneapolis. It was an era of flophouses, preachers and nuns trying to save souls and a barowner named John Bacich, aka Johnny Rex. The Star Tribune’s James Shiffer has written a new book about Minneapolis’s Skid Row and its king. We’re going to bring those stories to life on stage through improv. 

Doors at 6:00 - Show at 7:00 - $12/$10 in advance, with student ID, with Fringe button or for seniors. BUY TICKETS HERE!

What is the show?

Our interview based show is a powerful medium for exploring issues and bringing them to life using theater. All of the ideas and challenges brought up in this conversation serve as the inspiration for the improvised scenes to follow. The improvisers tasks are not to make light of the issues or mock the players involved. Instead, scenes make the previous conversation come to life with living, breathing characters in the situations described. It’s a show unlike any other.

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE.

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.