Crane Theater hosting Twin Cities Horror Festival through Halloween

All right, it's the longest running live performance horror theater festival in the United States. It's been going on in Minneapolis since 2012 and it runs through October 31st at the Crane Theater. And here joining us now to talk all about it is Nisa Nordlund. Nisa, thanks for coming on the show. I'm so happy to be here, thank you. Okay, so Twin Cities Horror Festival, 'tis the season, Halloween is around the corner. What is it? Tell us about this festival. I'd love to. It is a festival that celebrates all the facets of horror in live performance. So specifically we're gonna get to see all types of different subjects in horror, might be a creature feature, might be something that's more about murder, might be a dance show, but we also have all these different formats of performance. So like I said, we get dance, we get improv, we get a regular play, we get something we've never seen before, something different. We have a show that's about sound and poetry. So it's a mix of theatrical genres. Yes. But all in the horror genre. Exactly. But I do understand that you have different level ratings for the scariness factor, the fright factor, if you will. Yes. So if someone's like, I don't want something too gory or I don't want something too dark, they can go on your website, right? Tell me about that. Tell me about the fright factor. Yes, we have the tchorrorfestival.com, and we have every show listed on there with a brief description as well as language, blood, and age rating, so that people know what they're getting into before they get to the theater. I'm imagining this is not kid-friendly? Actually, we do have kid-friendly shows. We have several shows that are all ages this year. One is The Sludge, which even has puppets. It's so cool. It's a really great story, and we have our dance show is also all ages. So we're ready for spooky season for everyone. How did this come to be? Well, we had the original founders of the festival got together and they, I was not one of the original founders. But they got together and they were like, we wanna make horror theater, but they couldn't afford to do it by themselves. So they kind of got together as a collaborative and created the festival kind of going, we love this, we wanna do this. And then they expanded and expanded to where we are now today and our executive director Doc Washington and myself have now taken the reins for the past about six years running it. Well, it sounds to me kind of like a film festival where there's different shows throughout different parts of the day. Over a multi week span, you can go to one show or you can go to multiple shows and you even offer a bundle where if you don't, you can buy individual tickets, but then you can also buy a bundle where you can see multiple shows. Absolutely. each show is 60 minutes or a little less and you can come and see a show basically the you know a TV episode an hour long and you can watch that for 15, what a steal or you can get our bundle which is a five frights pass for 70 still a great price it's a discount if you're gonna see five shows individually and uh i don't know how to word this but it's it's actor or it's um artist focused right? So like all the money goes to the artists, it's artists. Can you explain to us why you guys focus so much on making sure that the artists are in charge here and the artists get the profits? Yeah, I think it's because it originated with artists that created this festival making the shows that you were going to see and still does often like me and Doc Washington. We also often produce shows within the festival. But with that in mind, we wanted to ensure that the artists that were making it were getting the profits back. So when they first made the festival, that was a big or we call it like artist centric focus. So when you buy a ticket, all of that money goes right back to the producers pocket that put their investment into that show. So are these all original pieces or these plays or shows or musicals that you've seen elsewhere? I mean, some of our acts may be familiar names that people have seen which is awesome. It rotates each year. We are a curated festival, so it's never necessarily exactly the same groups of people each time. But within that, we have a bunch of different types of productions happening within that. So it's really, I don't know, it's really exciting. Wow, okay, all levels of spookiness. Yes, yes, all levels of spookiness. So you could get your trick or treat bag filled with any of these little nightmares. And you can go from a show that maybe you wanna bring a family member to or a teenager or a kid to things where you go, maybe this is adults only slasher. So do you see this as like horror movie lovers? This is for them? Yeah, I think so, yes. But also what's kind of fun is with anything about live performance, this is like magic happening in front of you. One wonderful thing about horror movies is you have the lens that the lens can focus you in on what you want to see, there's a stage. And we as creators of this show have to really go, how do we direct your eye where you want it to be? And a live blood effect is happening right in front of you, it's not a jump cut, right? Like a film would be. So there's something extra magical to me about the sleight of hand that comes with horror. So I'm sitting here wondering, should I expect Freddy Krueger or should I expect the Disney Halloween movie. Funny you should mention that because we even have a show that room for 1000 that's based on the Haunted Mansion from Disney. That is literally the premise of that show. So very exciting. So if you like Haunted Mansion, that is definitely the show for you. But yeah, we have something. So in that regard, I would say, yeah, if you are into something that's more Disney or maybe more safer, spooky, spoopy, if you will, we We got several things for you there, but we also have folks that live in a little more on edge. We got those shows too. Yeah, so there's a little edgy and there's a little safe. Yes. Talk to me about the Crane Theater, cuz some of these shows are gonna be a little more intimate. Yes, we have two spaces, the main stage and the studio space. They're all in the same building, so you show up to the same spot, free parking by the way. So yeah, so that same space, but the studio shows are going to be limited events. They are five consecutive performances for that producer. They don't have to shift in and out. One thing to know about our main stage shows is they have 10 minutes in and 10 minutes out. So they're building what we call a festival format, putting things up really fast and taking them down really fast. Our studio gets to kind of be in that space for a little while, live in it. We have a show that's going to be has two more shows, three more with tonight. I think no two tales of terror from the tomb that's puppets and improv. And even the improvisers don't know what the puppets are until they are doing the show, which is so cool. It's selling out 40 seats. So get those while you can. And there's also our second show, which is opening this Saturday by Cynthia Auger. And I think Minnesota fans will love this. It's an intimate show about siblings in an ice shanty in the 1970s and one of them wants to kill. Well, maybe they don't like each other. is animosity between the two of them. Animosity, and maybe a murder mystery? Maybe a murder mystery, yeah. So I mentioned that this is the longest running live performance horror theater festival in the United States. Why do, I know that Minneapolis, the Twin Cities is such an artist friendly community, an arts loving community. But why has this worked for so long here, whereas other cities have not been able to keep a horror festival running for this long? Yeah, I think it is something about embracing something unusual. I think people in our little niche community here with creating the live performances want to see something they haven't seen before and are really supportive of that. We have people that have been going to horror fest since the first season that are still coming back 15 years later. Buying a skeleton key is what we call it. We're sold out of them, but you can see every show in the festival. And they want to see that show that could be something that's like a puppet and children's show embracing that. But they also wanna see the blood fest that could happen with a dangerous production show that has been involved in the festival since the beginning. But I think there's something about our mentality here that we're open to seeing something artistic and new that grows our mindset. And I think that's a beautiful thing to embrace. One thing I'm always proud about our artists is that they come, often these could be established folks, they have made theater, this is not a new thing. But they're gonna challenge themselves to do something they haven't done on stage before. And so you could see someone go, I love that actor, I love that writer, and you're gonna see something new in their work. It's still them, but you're gonna see them stretch themselves in a new way. you're a traditional theater goer, is this for you? Yes, yes, we definitely have productions that are very much embracing. I want to see a play in a way that I would normally see an hour long production. And yes, we have that for you as well. And why, I mean, I have an idea, but why do this during Halloween quickly because we only have 30 seconds? I say because let's embrace spooky season in all of its wonderful glory. And let's celebrate art and all of its multiple facets. But I think we all come together as a community when we're breathing as one in a theater. Do you welcome costumes? Oh, yes. Please, like my dress today. Please come. Come as you are or wear as the spookiest thing you want. And it is a lovely dress. I wish everyone could see it up close. It's Halloween themed. Nisa Nordlund, really appreciate you. The Twin Cities Horror Festival will be at the Crane Theater through Halloween. Check it out. We're gonna take, well, we're gonna end the show, actually, so you're the closer today, Nisa. Oh, my. We'll continue this on.