Absolute Originals

For four years now, this installment of one-person shows has orbited August’s Fringe Festival at six months’ distance around the calendar, like a minor planet of local theater. Like the Fringe, the guiding philosophy here is “anything goes,” something not likely to change much as longtime curator Dean Seal hands over the controls to Joshua Scrimshaw, himself a local performance artist of anarchic bent. That’s the beautiful thing about not having to share the stage—nobody crushes a promising idea just because it sounds stupid at first. (Of course, that’s also the curse, but let’s not worry about that right now.) When they go well, one-person shows create an intimacy between performer and audience that’s uniquely electric. There’s no safety net, and nobody to get in the way. The eight productions here range from the punk-and-puppetry take on Greek tragedy “Medea, Medea” to Maria Cheng’s “Sworded Tales & Spirit Treks,” a serious-minded exploration of spirituality through a mix of storytelling, swordplay, tai chi and modern dance. Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., (612) 871-4444, www.intermediaarts.org