The first annual Manna Fest, a spiritual-oriented festival comprised of 28 shows, runs through Aug. 12 on various stages at Augsburg College. Over the last couple years, the “spiritual fringe” ran as part of the wildly popular Minnesota Fringe Festival that takes place each summer in Minneapolis and St. Paul, according to artistic director Dean Seal, an adjunct teacher in the school’s religious department who formerly led the larger Fringe Festival, which is also taking place this month (see calendar, page XX).

Manna Fest independently reformulates that strand of the Fringe with a wide variety of solo performances, improv, comedy, drama and spoken word performances that range from edgy to scholarly, said Seal, adding that the “spiritual fringe” is too self-selected for the Fringe, which emphasizes numerous genres and forms and has also grown too big to accommodate every performer seeking the spotlight.

Spiritual fringe
Manna is a term common to theology for Christians, Muslims and Jews, said Seal. In Hebrew, manna translates literally to “What is this?”

Similarly, Manna Fest mines all kinds of spiritual, religious and ethical topics, posing that same kind of question, Seal said. “It’s an opportunity for theatre artists who have a spiritual life to express it in their work,” he said. “Very widely different spiritualities get to engage in conversation with each other.”

That rare opportunity has drawn such renowned artists as storyteller Jim Stowell and performance artist Heidi Arneson to the festival, which includes a tale about a Methodist woman married to a Hindu guy, a play about the role of Christianity in torturing victims and a play titled “Jesus at Guantanamo.”

As in the regular Fringe, casts and crews use barebones sets, props and costumes. Shows run from 45 minutes to an hour. It is noncompetitive, without judges, contests or auditions. Performers come from all over, with some troupes traveling from outside of the state.

Manna Fest
Foss Center,
Augsburg College, 625 22nd Ave. S.
Friday, Aug. 3– Sunday, Aug. 12

$12 for adults, $5 for children 12 years and under, $10 for students and seniors
For tickets, call 343-3390 or visit www.uptowntix.com
For a complete schedule of shows and times, visit www.augsburg.edu/mannafest

last revised: August 5, 2007

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