The Penny That Rolled Up a Mountain and Landed at Borderlight Festival

(Pictured: Penny Sterling, ShMILF Life. Photo courtesy of Borderlight Festival 2022)

The first time I (hi, it's a-me, Amber!) met Penny Sterling in person was about 2017. I was sitting at a Fringe Central booth (that year it was Grumpy’s Downtown) chatting with some artists, and a pair of lacy panties came flying at me from…somewhere. I looked around and there she was, grinning at the bar. But the real first time I met Penny Sterling via email was months ahead of that, as a new-to-Minnesota artist, and let me tell you, this girl has SASS FOR DAYS and we got on not so much like a house afire, but like two broads cynically smoking in the ashy aftermath of said house fire. So the panties (clean, a prop, mind you)? Hilarious. Kindred spirit attained.

We’ve got this Midwest Trifecta Lottery application that’s closing January 15–that’s tomorrow! Applicants who win a spot for the trifecta can choose 3 of the 4 festivals to guarantee their spot in. One of which, of course, is Minnesota Fringe. And another is Borderlight Festival in Cleveland (this year running July 8 - 11). I knew that Penny had performed there, so I asked her to tell us about it. I also know that she’s been recovering from a holiday illness, so I didn’t press her too hard, imagining she might be laid out on a very elegant chaise lounge with an arm draped over her forehead. Probably not. But I can imagine.

Okay, my shiny Penny. Where might MN Fringe patrons know you from?

Spy in the House of Men: A One-Woman Show (with Balls) at 2017 Minnesota Fringe and ShMILF Life, 2022 Minnesota Fringe, both at Bryant Lake Bowl.

What shows did you bring to Borderlight Festival?

Parents & Children, Husbands & Wives in 2019, and ShMILF Life in 2022.

Ooooo. I haven’t seen Parents & Children. Hopefully I get the chance! Tell me, are you tour-sperienced?    

Well, I have folks clamoring for me to stay with them all over the midwest, so I guess I'm getting there.

Did you find that Borderlight Festival had a certain personality?

Clown-ish and Circus-y. There was a lot of clowning, not only in the circus sense, but also in drag, mime, physical comedies and even a dramatic retelling of an ancient Greek play. Plus, Wiz-Bang Circus is from Cleveland, and they pitch a tent in a park just off of Euclid. 

A tent? I LOVE A TENT SHOW. I LOVE A CLOWN SHOW. JEALOUS. How were your house sizes and/or enthusiasm?  

My first show was well-received by the audiences. It was a small venue but it was filled. The second show was well-received by the technical staff, and the small group of other artists who came to see it.

Any differences between Borderlight and MN Fringe you'd highlight to Minnesota artists traveling there for the first time? 

Traveling artists stay in a high-rise dorm (Fenn Tower) at Cleveland State University, which offers a fair amount of space, plus there's always the chance of hijnx breaking out. 

Hijinx?

Hijinx. All of the theatres are a block or two west of CSU, and are on or very near Euclid Avenue. The venues vary wildly in size and technical abilities but all have a manager and a tech attached to them. It's also only four days long, so you're gonna get two shows, and that's about it. 

A nice getaway weekend. Check. What else?

There's a huge frikkin chandelier right outside of Playhouse Square that hangs over Euclid. There's some really nice places to bike. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is there and is, of course, Disneyland/Times Square expensive. Parnell's Pub has some extremely good whiskies, including Knappogue Castle, which not a lot of places have. A lot of the social action happens in the Hermit Club, which is this members-only club that was built in 1928 and last redecorated in 1929, that has a parking garage surrounding it on three sides, and the Hofbrau House attached to it on the fourth. Hofbrau House/Hermit club is a lot of beer-related fun.

Hofbrau House. So it’s a German town.

Expect a lot of accordions.

Did you discover that you like accordions?

I discovered Dunkels. It's a beer at the Hofbrau House that's also served at the Hermit Club. I like it a lot. A lot of my memories involved drinking Dunkels, so mostly it involves accordions and an overwhelming desire for a dirndl. Whenever I drink Dunkels I want to buy a dirndl.

[Okay, so I had to go look up dirndl. It’s like lederhosen, but a skirt rather than shorts. See example.]

Example:

[And now I want one too. You know. For frolicking. In the alive hills.]

Anything else? 

If you like religious architecture–

I DO!

 …If you like religious architecture, Trinity Cathedral, which was constructed between 1901 & 1907 is a lovely revival of English Gothic architecture, but without a lot of flying buttresses.

Buttresses.

….

Okay okay okay. So I know you’re gonna be applying to Borderlight and MN Fringes again. In the meantime, what’s up next for you?

Next up is Mounting Washington: The Story of a Mountain & a Miracle, the true story of the time I pedaled my bicycle up the 7.6 mile Mount Washington Auto Road, known as the world's toughest bicycle hillclimb, and the miracle that happened at the top, that almost killed me. I'm performing it in April as part of the United Solo Theatre festival, and I'll hopefully be dragging my bike back through the midwest this year, because I do the entire show whilst pedaling the very bike I used to climb the mountain. 

What? Really?

Yes, really.

I’ve heard you talk about that show before. I’d really love to see it! Someday. Whelp, Penny, I hope you’re recovering and gearing up for that mountain biking show (pun intended). Any last words?    

Hello to the people I know! To the people I don't know: Hi! I'm Penny! Come see my shows! Everyone who sees me says everyone should see me!

Hard agree.

.

Amber's post note: I sent this interview to Penny to look over before I slapped it up on the blog and she had this to say:

"I like the way you wrote about how you met me for the first time. I have a different recollection of how we met. Well not really how we met but when and where we met. After emailing you half a bazillion times, my number one item on my Minnesota bucket list was give you a big-assed hug, so the very first thing I did was drive to some converted flour mill, I think, that was made into office spaces, which was the HQ for the Fringe. I ran into the office and gave you that big-assed hug. The panties came later."

Penny Sterling, everyone. Love her to death.

If you’d like to put on your best alpine gear and Dunkles into the wee hours following your best show ever, you can apply to the Midwest Trifecta lottery and choose Borderlight Festival as one of your choices. You’ve got today and tomorrow…MAKE IT COUNT.