October 23, 2026

Minnesota

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Arts & Entertainment

Drag, burlesque, theater and the visual artists, venues and shows keeping Minnesota’s queer stages running.

Five horror movie posters side by side on a dark background: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jennifer's Body, Leviticus, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.
Arts & Entertainment

Queer Horror Films to Watch This Season

From a new Australian horror about forbidden desire to cult favorites Rocky Horror and Jennifer’s Body, five films to queue up this spooky season.

By Brett Burger

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Thrive with your community. Thrive Clinic, 612.369.7494, thriveclinicmn.org
Collage of six drag brunch event posters: Dolly, Clue and Addams Family drag brunches at Crave Rooftop, the 2026 Spirit Day all-ages drag brunch, LUSH Lounge and Theater's A Brunch of Drag, and POWER Drag Revue's A Very Merry Drag Brunch at the Rand Tower Hotel.
Arts & Entertainment

Where the Queens Are: Every Drag Brunch in Minneapolis and Minnesota

Themed rooftop rounds downtown, $10 seats in Northeast through 2026, a bottomless Sunday brunch and a dinner-theatre version in Chanhassen. Here is every drag brunch in the state and how to get a seat.

By Linda Raines

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls play acoustic guitars at the State Theatre in Minneapolis in front of a purple-lit backdrop.
Arts & Entertainment

Indigo Girls, Linda Perry and 2,000 Old Friends at the State Theatre

Linda Perry opened raw, the Indigo Girls brought the singalongs, and the State Theatre felt like a backyard with 2,000 friends.

By Nell Gelhaus

Linda Perry at an upright piano in her hat, looking toward the audience, an acoustic guitar and a small owl figurine beside her.
Arts & Entertainment

Photos: Indigo Girls and Linda Perry at the State Theatre, 2026

Thirty-five frames by a.m. photography from Indigo Girls and Linda Perry at the State Theatre, October 21, 2026.

By Nell Gelhaus

Nathan Cottam, in a white lace-sleeved shirt, cradles the face of a mannequin head against a dark blue velvet curtain.
Arts & Entertainment

Nathan Cottam on The Madness of Lady Bright

Nathan Cottam directs, choreographs and stars in Lanford Wilson’s 1964 one-act about an aging drag queen, at the Phoenix Theater Oct. 16–25.

By Shane Lueck

A person with a braid, seen from behind, stands at a wall of bookshelves in an independent bookstore.
Arts & Entertainment

Queer Bookstores in Minnesota: Where to Find LGBTQ+ Books

Queer and sapphic shelves, Two-Spirit titles, banned book clubs: where to browse, borrow and buy across Minnesota and the Twin Ports.

By E.B. Boatner

Cover of The Dream Factory by Daniel Swift centered on a tan background
Arts & Entertainment

Book Review: The Dream Factory Catches Shakespeare at Work

Daniel Swift’s history of London’s first playhouse turns leases, loans and a muddy Shoreditch lot into the story of how a glover’s son from Stratford learned to write plays.

By E.B. Boatner

Black and white concert photo of Dolly Parton singing into a microphone beside Porter Wagoner, who plays an acoustic guitar, both in rhinestone-trimmed stage outfits
Arts & Entertainment

Everybody Loved Dolly: A Glimpse of Glory

From the Imagination Library to a Boston concert photo she signed, a longtime fan on how Dolly Parton made people feel seen.

By E.B. Boatner

John-Michael Zuerlein in a yellow vest and red mittens and Katherine Fried in a blue knit hat look up open-mouthed as snow falls around them.
Arts & Entertainment

Rick Dildine on Staging Twelve Kinds of Ice Without the Ice

CTC’s artistic director on staging skating with no ice, how a bedtime book became a world premiere musical, and whether he’ll lace up himself. Oct. 13 to Nov. 22.

By Andy Lien

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Upcoming events

Indecent poster from Theater Latté Da: an illustrated typewriter and violin on stacked suitcases in rising water, with the tagline The true story of a little Jewish play

Indecent

Sep 16 to Oct 25
Lizzie The Rock Musical poster at Open Eye, October 1 to November 1 2026, a Victorian punk homage to Lizzie Borden

Lizzie: The Rock Musical

Oct 1 to Nov 1

Full calendar

Covering this beat

E.B. Boatner
E.B. BoatnerBooks, theater and sport, reported and photographed
Shane Lueck
Shane LueckTheater, burlesque and LGBTQ+ arts and culture
Andy Lien
Andy Lien
Nell Gelhaus
Nell Gelhaus
Bill Lund
Bill LundPersonal essays on queer memory and everyday life
Brett Burger
Brett Burger
Cindy Mundahl
Cindy MundahlIdentity, faith and the long work of knowing yourself
Harper Steinbach
Harper SteinbachTwin Cities queer artists, makers and the scenes around them

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Q Minnesota digital edition house ad: Every page. Free. Read issue 01, with the State of the Rainbow cover
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