Bearded Child Film Fest Creates Bedlam (at the Bedlam)

FILM
Bearded Child Film Fest

I can hardly imagine a more fitting venue for the Bearded Child Film Fest
than the Bedlam Theater, with its carnie-friendly vibe and its rep for,
well, bedlam. After an 8-year warm up in its founding city of Grand
Rapids, MN, the Minneapolis debut of the Bearded Child Film Festival
will combine film, installation, music and live performance into "one
major multimedia explosion" that’s sure to impress anyone with eyes and
ears. I’ll attempt to recite some festival highlights for you, but the
schedule is almost too awesome to narrow down so make sure to check it out
for yourself. Check out the Light Speed Installation
by Chicago’s Karen Johannsen, or perhaps Peep Show, a collection of risque and randy
shorts for a curious culture. Be sure to pop in for the artists talk with Minneapolis’ own
Candy Eye Factory, or for any of the midnight electronic music
and circuit bending phantasms throughout the fest, which are bound to be weirdly fantastic! Runs today through Saturday.

13th-16th, 6pm-2am Nightly, Bedlam Theater, 1501 S. 6th Street, West Bank Minneapolis

LECTURES
MN Politics: 150 Years of Characters, Oddballs and Loons

There have been plenty of nutty, crazy, half-baked,
goofy, wacked and cracked Minnesota political leaders and instigators
in our fair state’s history, that’s for certain. This afternoon, join
in on a good-humored lunchtime discussion led by in-the-know Minnesota History Center
experts; learn a thing or two about our local politicos (some
lovable, some not) and the ins, outs and oddities of times past that
will surely entertain, if not enlighten. This noon-ish chat takes place
in the Courtyard of the St. Paul Central Library so pack a light picnic, or, for a more hearty option, make a post-discussion lunch date at nearby McGovern’s Pub, where the turkey dinner (served all day) will leave you snoozy and satisfied.

Noon-2pm, St. Paul Central Library Courtyard, 90 W. 4th Street, Downtown St. Paul, Free

THEATER
The Government Inspector

Reminder! If you haven’t seen this play yet, hurry up! It closes on August 24th.

The heads of a small Russian village are horrified to learn that a
government inspector is coming to make a thorough visit to the town.
Even worse, he may be in disguise. Mayor Anton Antonovich (Peter
Michael Goetz) knows his town isn’t an exemplary place – the hospital
was built the same size as its model, the school principal is
frightened of his teachers and geese are being raised in the courtroom
jury box – so he proclaims that the government inspector must be found
and dealt with. A case of mistaken identity leads them to Ivan
Alexandreyevich Hlestakov (Broadway vet Hunter Foster),
a down-on-his-luck-and-finances card player on his way to visit his
father. He unexpectedly finds himself the object of everyone’s
affections, getting bribes thrown at him from the men of the town and
much, much more from the women. -Andrew Newman

Click HERE to read the full review.

7:30pm, The Guthrie, 818 2nd Ave S., Downtown Minneapolis, $29-$59