What is Crankiefest? Crankiefest was brought into the world in 2022. It is one week celebrating the art of the scrolling story consisting of one dynamic kids' workshop, and a weekend of cabaret shows in the Phillips neighborhood. The three evenings feature crankie shows, live music, popcorn and our wacky, beautiful, ever-growing crankie community! We are excited to offer a platform for artists new to the form as well as those who are seasoned performers. We intend to honor those who have been holding up artists in this community and embrace those that are newly emerging, offering them an outlet and creative support to deepen their practice and connection to the rich puppetry community in Minneapolis. We celebrate the crankie as an art form with a selection of pieces that range from traditional to experimental, humorous to somber, heartfelt to crude.
What is a crankie? Crankies are an old storytelling art form that traditionally uses a long illustrated scroll wound on two spools, placed within a box with a viewing area, and hand cranked for audiences to watch.
WE ARE SEEKING CABARET APPLICANTS for the upcoming Minneapolis Crankie Festival, Sept. 25-27, 2026!! We seek performances that are 5-8 minutes in length that feature a crankie. We are open to you challenging the form and encourage those of all skill levels to apply. Performances will be part of a cabaret of pieces performed during the three outdoor shows. Our first three years, every show sold out, and we're excited to do it all over again!
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Diversity & Inclusion: Will this opportunity offer a platform for an artist that has not yet been or historically has not been embraced on traditional/mainstream stages?
Community: Our goals are to strike a balance between welcoming new people to the puppetry community, honor those who have been active in puppetry community in the Twin Cities, and bring outside ideas into the fold to expand the family. For these reasons, there are 4 slots open to emerging artists, 2 open to seasoned artists, and 1 slot to open to an out-of town artist.
Celebration of the crankie as an art form: Does the proposed project plan to feature the crankie form in a new or interesting way?
Story: Is the story compelling?
Format: Will the proposed show fit into the format of the cabaret style show (5-10 minute piece) performed in a backyard? As a performer/artist group, you will be committing to creating a piece and performing each evening of the festival: September 25-27.
If you are new to puppetry, performing, and/or specifically to crankies, please don't let that deter you from applying with an idea! There is support available, in the form of monthly scheduled sessions where artists can identify and ask for the help they need from the Crankiefest organizing team.
Selected artists will be given a stipend of no less than $100, hopefully more! This is dependent on fundraising and ticket sales.
Application deadline is May 20th, results sent out on June 4th.
If you're new to crankies or want to take a deeper dive, check out this informative website created by crankie aficionado, Sue Truman:
http://www.thecrankiefactory.com/