Minnesota is the Shire
or Fair & Back Again
A one person storytelling show written and produced by theater artist and educator Seán McArdle. It’s about my experiences as a Minnesotan, how our history and culture resemble that of The Shire in many ways, and how we all just lived through The Scouring. The show premiered August 8th-15th, 2026, at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival.
MitS will be remounted the first weekend in November as part of a fundraiser for the East Side Freedom Library!
Performances: Nov 6-8, 2026
Friday, August 8 at 6:30 pm
Saturday, August 9 at 5:30 pm
Sunday, August 11 at 10 pm
The Map is complete! Prints available soon!
I’m printing and customizing 10 of these Lucky 13 articulated Dragons as a fundraiser for my one-person Minnesota Fringe show, Minnesota Is The Shire or Fair & Back Again! After a successful Minnesota Fringe run I’m remounting the show, along with my friend Kyle Dekker, as a fundraiser for the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul, MN. 3 performances, first weekend in November!
Each one is 3D printed, hand assembled, and detailed by me. Your purchase of a Dragon will help to cover the costs of production and allow me to donate my time!
A few months ago, in the midst Operation Metro Surge, I wrote this post on social media. It was the thing that got the ball rolling for this entire project.
In 1990, I made it my Senior Art Project to paint these maps of Middle Earth onto the walls of my high scholar classroom, because our teacher Kathy Stastny would read the books to us while we were drawing. They are still there to this day!
A glimpse into my process and preview of what is to come….
3D printed cards are in progress….
The custom map is coming along nicely too….