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My Dog is Huge
and how to collect 'em all
Hello hello!
Welcome to The Flying P, a weekly newsletter covering your Phipps Center for the Arts and anything else I might want to throw your way.
I hope you were able to have a little fun this weekend. Did you catch any Olympic breakdancing? If not, you 100% missed out. Sampling below.
It was…um…interesting? 😐️

A+ to this Aussie for trying
This issue has…
A Busy Week at the Phipps
Friday was nuts and here’s whyFringe Recommendations
you’ve got some choices to makeBusby Pics
my dog is pretty cute y’all

PROGRAMMING
Busy and fun go hand-in-hand
Ever have one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong does go wrong? That was us last week at the Phipps.
I’m being a dramatic. Nothing major happened, but we had lots of little fires to put out, and by the end of the week the staff here at the Phipps was definitely ready for the weekend.
The payoff was Friday, though, when we had one of those magical Phipps days where the building is buzzing and people are having a great time and exploring art and catching up with one another, etc etc etc. It was lotsa fun.
In a single day, we had…
the conclusion of a week of Summer Arts Camps: kids sharing their newfound talents with family members, which is always a delight.
the opening of a new exhibition in the galleries: so many folks stopped by to share in the newest works being displayed by some amazing regional artists.
a contra dance workshop: the good people at Tapestry Folkdance Center brought a contra workshop to our black box. I was able to find time to poke my head in once or twice and it looked very fun. I’ll definitely be trying it the next time it comes around (sooooon).
The Drowsy Chaperone rehearsal: the building was so busy, our Drowsy actors were relegated to the Music Room (not really a relegation when the room is as nice as our Music Room, but you get my point).
a sold-out Mo Pitney concert: need I say more?
galleries were buzzin’ | ![]() Drowsy team was workin’ |
F.U.N.
just give Mo a rug and a guitar
Friday’s building energy was awesome. Can’t wait for the next super-busy week! 😄
PHIPPS TOP 10
best-selling upcoming events this season by tickets sold…
1. The Drowsy Chaperone
2. I Am Woman…. presented by Lori Dokken
3. Prancer
4. Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society
5. Colleen Raye’s NYE
6. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers
7. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production
8. Silent Sky
9. Transyl-Mania
10. A Brass & Organ Holiday
BETTER HURRY LIST
best-selling upcoming events this season by percent sold (i.e., closest to being sold out)…
1. Underneath the Lintel, or: The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers
2. I Am Woman…. presented by Lori Dokken
3. Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society
4. The Andrews Sisters Onstage: a Jen Burleigh-Bentz production
5. Cabaret Night at the Phipps (fall)
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Fringe selections have been made!
I know I talked a lot in last week’s issue about the MN Fringe Festival and the upcoming encore week at the Phipps, but I can’t resist mentioning it again, as now we actually have the 5 productions that will be taking part. Here they are in order of performance:
The Flowers You Gave Me An evening of dances that explore the fleeting, ephemeral nature of our lives as we seek connection, experience loss, and return to each other through the memories we carry with us. | ![]() |
Once Upon a Pine: The Adventures of Pinocchio The world's most beloved puppet comes to life in this humorous and heartfelt adaptation of the Carlo Collodi classic. | ![]() |
The Dumb Waiter Two hitmen, Ben and Gus, are waiting in a basement room for their next assignment. The absurd, political, 1950's one-act by Harold Pinter comes to the Fringe Encore at the Phipps. | ![]() |
Daddy Issues Daddy Issues is a solo show recounting Allison Vincent's caretaking for her father while also negotiating their complicated relationship and the demise of his memory and her childhood home. | ![]() |
A Horse Walks Out Onto the Stage and Dies Taken from the perspective of a life not worth living, but not worth losing, a dying horse climbs through his lack of value to find purpose in the world around him before it's too late. | ![]() |
Many folks have been asking me for my recommendation. This is an impossible task because all of these productions are wildly different.
If the Fringe sounds fun to you, I suggest seeing as many of these as you can. Make it a fun “collect ‘em all” thing for the week. The shows are, at most, 60-minutes long and I think we’ve priced them well.
Love dance? Wednesday’s show.
Have kiddos to please? Thursday’s show is for you.
Want a well-done classic? Check out Friday.
Into amazing solo shows? Swing by on Saturday.
Enjoy the quirky but impactful? Sunday’s matinee is perfect.
No matter your choice, remember: the Fringe by definition isn’t mainstream. Like all good art, these pieces may challenge you. That’s a good thing! Embrace the challenge and you’ll have a great time.
And as always, share your opinions with me next week. I always want to hear from you.

artist: Jacob Docksey
👆
my favorite gallery piece of the week
I really like how much this one has to take in.
Get to Gallery One and check out Jacob’s work.
PERSONAL STUFF
Busby is in the house
In addition to recently becoming an Olympic breakdancer-in-training, I’m also a very happy dog guardian. My wife, Amanda, and I have a Bernedoodle and his name is Busby.
We’re 3 issues in, so I just thought you should know.

yes, he’s that fluffy
yes, he’s that big
How much do you know about the Phipps?
Try The Flying C(rossword) and find out.
👇

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Talk to you next week!

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