Join the Minnesota Humanities Center, Danger Boat Productions, and Edge Center for the Arts for a special return visit of the Sketches of Minnesota civic improv comedy tour! This free event will use laughter and comedy to celebrate Minnesota communities, promote dialogue, and bridge divides. This year, we will also be celebrating the 250th anniversary of our nation and diving into what that means for the Edge of the Wilderness.
We’re excited to welcome back the Sketches of Minnesota to the Edge of the Wilderness and reconnect the community. Beginning with a free catered meal, these gatherings invite audience members to share what makes their town great, what they think people get wrong about it, what local divisions concern them, and what future they imagine. An improv comedy troupe listens in on the conversations, takes everything they heard from residents, and brings it to life on stage through entirely unscripted improv comedy theater.
Date: August 1st, 2026
Time: Doors: 5:00, Dinner: 6:00, Show: To Follow
Location: Edge Center for the Arts, 101 2nd Ave, Bigfork, MN 56628
Cost: Free
Host Partner: Edge Center for the Arts
NOTE: Special Opportunity for Early Arrivals
The Edge Art Gallery is featuring the work of renowned photographer Craig Blacklock, who will be at the Gallery beginning at 3:30 PM on the day of the show. Mr. Blacklock is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, and recently completed a new book, “SUPERIOR: A 50-Year Photographic Journey.” He looks forward to your comments and questions, and copies of the new book will be available for sale.
What Happens at a Sketches of Minnesota Show?
How the Event Works
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. Through partnerships, we facilitate the spaces, like Sketches of Minnesota, that seek to build connections and deepen understanding of ourselves and our communities in pursuit of a more just society. In addition to the incredible organizations and individuals organizing these performances, we thank the financial sponsors of this work:
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.