We got great reviews all around, with praise for the actors' comic timing, for director Callie Meiners, and for the script. Some samples:

"The biggest winner, though, is Katherine Glover’s boisterous and nuanced script, which dissects celebrity from multiple angles without missing a comic beat. The literal star-fucking at the heart of the play is certainly not without consequences, but the fallout never lands exactly where - or on whom - we’re trained to expect." -Ira Brooker, Minnesota Playlist

"Can the setup sustain 42 minutes more? The answer, I'm happy to report, is absolutely yes, with some big belly laughs and a dash of surprisingly intense erotic heat." -Jay Gabler, City Pages

"More than just your run-of-the-mill wacky romantic comedy." - Matthew Everett

Minnesota Fringe audiences gave us an average rating of FIVE STARS!!!! (Click on "Read the Reviews.") They called us "hilarious," "marvelous," "wonderful," and all sorts of other great things, and one patron said, "I laughed through the entire thing."

My favorite audience review came from Andrew Troth, who wrote:

A taut, surprising script that uses a whimsical premise to delve into real emotion... underneath the many laughs lies a very worthwhile, non-cliché exploration of relationships.

There was only one negative review, and it addressed my own biggest concern with the script. [NOTE: spoilers ahead.] After praising the actors and director, user Kippler Donovan asked:

...Did Xander Lucas rape Mark? He brought him up to his hotel room even though they were going out for drinks, Mark seemed uncomfortable the whole time until they were liquored up, then gave in. I see some reviews mention "flexible sexuality" but that came at a price. I don't remember Mark ever saying "no" outright, so maybe consent was there, but it was very murky. All played for laughs? Sexual assault prevails

I have had real concerns about this moment and tried to make Mark's consent very clear and explicit. The level of drunkenness and the way the scene plays out physically can make a difference, and I do think the script provides enough evidence that Mark is willing, but Xander's behavior, while I wouldn't call it assault, is definitely manipulative and predatory.

Mpls St. Paul Magazine included Celebrity Exception as #3 on its preview list, Minnesota Fringe: Picks of the Pack.

Up-and-coming local playwright Katherine Glover has paid her dues on the Fringe circuit, playing more than thirty shows in the U.S. and Canada. Solo storytelling is her strength, but this time out she’s written a four-hander about a couple who are negotiating the idea of getting a free pass to sleep with the celebrity of their choice. The X factor: Who does the celebrity want to sleep with? Hint: The LGBT crowd will love this one.

We also got pre-Fringe shout-outs in City Pages and The Colu.mn.

The show opens tonight at 10pm at HUGE Theater.

You get one, Kaya insists: one celebrity you can have sex with and it isn't cheating. Her boyfriend disagrees. But when Kayla's pick, movie star Xander Lucas, comes to town, Kayla isn't the one he's after...

Celebrity Exception
Written by Katherine Glover
Directed by Callie Meiners

Featuring:
Corey DiNardo as Mark
Lizi Shea as Kayla
Emily Rose Duea as Steph/Liza Janneson
Daniel Flohr as Xander Lucas

At HUGE Theater
3037 Lyndale Ave S.
Friday 8/5 at 10pm
Sunday 8/7 at 7pm
Tuesday 8/9 at 8:30pm
Thursday 8/11 at 5:30pm
Sunday 8/14 at 5:30pm

Tickets and info available at fringefestival.org

at the Phoenix Theater in May, 2016:
An Evening of Two New One Act Plays

Celebrity Exception
written by Katherine Glover
directed by Callie Meiners

What They Don’t Know
written by Nissa Norland
directed by Andrea Nicholson

Celebrity Exception is a goofy comedy about the unwritten relationship rule that everyone gets the one exception to fidelity – a chosen celebrity. Because it’s not like you’ll ever meet them. Right?

What They Don’t Know takes a turn for the dramatic with a relationship with a darker problem. We sometimes live in shame due to what people don’t know about us. Perhaps keeping your secret is worse than revealing the truth.

at the Phoenix Theater, 2605 Hennepin Ave.
May 26, 27 & 28 at 7:30pm; May 29 at 2:00pm
Buy tickets.

I spent a glorious weekend at the Ottawa Fringe Festival, catching up with my fellow touring artists and hanging out with the cast and crew of Celebrity Exception, which I managed to see three times. The actors were delightful and managed to do something new and surprising with every performance; they kept the audience laughing from start to finish.

Reviewers were also impressed. Mariette Delevallée of Apartment 613 called Celebrity Exception "hilarious," "original," "well-written," and "naughty," while Allan Mackey of On Stage said it "continually subverts what you're expecting."

Chillin' with the cast in front of our promo-poster.

Celebrity Exception
at Ottawa Fringe, June 17-28 2015
produced by Black Sheep Theatre
written by Katherine Glover
directed by Dave Dawson
starring Mike Kosowan, Robin Hodge, Jonah Lerner and Alexis Scott.