Minn. Fringe Fest Celebrates 18th Anniversary

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Fringe Festival opens Thursday for an 11-day run in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The annual performing arts festival features 168 different productions at 18 venues. Anyone can enter a show in the festival, but because there are so many applications, a pingpong ball lottery determines which shows get in.

Shows run the gamut from comedies to musicals to kids' shows to spoken-word performances. Shows are performed in the Uptown, downtown and West Bank areas of Minneapolis and at the Gremlin Theatre on University Avenue in St. Paul.

All shows are up to 60 minutes long, with a 30-minute break between performances. A $4 Fringe button is required for admission to all shows.

The Fringe runs through Sunday, Aug. 14. This is the festival's 18th anniversary.

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