Sketches of Minnesota
A community-inspired civic improv comedy tour
Connecting through Comedy and Community
The Minnesota Humanities Center and Danger Boat Productions launched Sketches of Minnesota during the summer of 2024 to encourage active listening, facilitate real conversation, and to have a night of fun. This unique initiative allows attendees to enjoy a night of conversation with their neighbors – along with a healthy dose of improvisational comedy – about the concerns, hopes, and dreams of their community.
Questions?
2025 Tour Stops
We are back and excited to announce our host cities for the 2025 season of Sketches of Minnesota! We are excited to travel throughout Minnesota again and to hear about the wonderful, unique, and funny things going on in our State.
Our thanks to all who applied to become a host site for our Sketches of Minnesota Tour. We look forward to seeing you in the following communities:
- Arc Retreat Community, Braham Area – August 12
- New Ulm Turner Hall, New Ulm – August 14
- Rochester Art Center, Rochester – August 28
- Minnesota Public Radio, Minnesota State Fair – August 29
- Kingfield Neighborhood Association, Minneapolis – September 6
- Clearwater Forest Camp & Retreat Center, Deerwood – September 20
- City of Fergus Falls, Fergus Falls – October 3
- City of Rosemount, Rosemount – October 10
- Edge of the Wilderness, Bigfork – October 11
- Firefly Center of Art & Wellbeing, Fosston – October 18
- New York Mills Arts Retreat and Regional Cultural Center, Otter Tail County – October 27
What do MHC and Danger Boat hope to accomplish with Sketches of Minnesota?
We hope to build and strengthen the sense of community in Minnesota. The Sketches of Minnesota team travels to cities and towns across the state to produce a unique event that brings residents together for meaningful conversations about their communities through dinner and improvisational comedy.
While comedic, Sketches of Minnesota never punches down. The show fosters understanding within and across communities, highlights the threads that make up the fabric of Minnesota, and highlights what residents cherish most about their corner of the state.
At every Sketches of Minnesota stop:
1. Community Gathering and Meal
We collaborate with a local community organization to invite people from all areas of the community. As we facilitate the creation of new friendships and nurture existing bonds, we provide a free catered meal and ask that people consider sitting at tables with people that they did not drive with to the event.
2. Good Conversation
Over dinner, comedians from Danger Boat Productions and staff from the Minnesota Humanities Center guide community members and friends through a facilitated conversation using the following questions:
- What makes their town great?
- What do people get wrong about their town?
- What challenges do they see for their town?
- What future do they hope for their town?
3. Improv Performance
The Danger Boat cast then takes the stage, doing an improv show inspired entirely by the reflections on the participants. The show creates smiles, laughter and fun while providing insight into the pertinent issues facing the community.
4. Town Talk Back
Being good hosts, leaders from MHC and Danger Boat facilitate an audience Talk Back after the performance to give them an opportunity to discuss what they saw, heard, enjoyed, what was moving, and sparked their interest to know more.
Brought To You By
The work of the Minnesota Humanities Center is to create a stronger Minnesota by increasing our understanding of the beauty, wisdom and stories of its people. Only through partnerships can we facilitate spaces, like Sketches of Minnesota, that build our connections and deepen our understanding of ourselves and our communities. In addition to the incredible organizations and individuals organizing these performances, we thank the financial sponsors of this work:
Initiative Foundation
Sketches of Minnesota is funded in part with money from the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, and by the National Endowment for the Humanities.