The O'Shaughnessy Presents
Kevin Kling and Friends: Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log
Saturday, December 09
Doors: 7pm // Show: 7:30pm
$5 to $33
Kevin Kling, Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin perform their celebrated holiday show, “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” at The O’Shaughnessy this year. Joined again by the ever-popular Brass Messengers, the show has been performed every year since 1995 and has become a holiday tradition for many.
Kevin is best known for his popular commentaries on NPR and the PBS series, “Almanac”. His hilarious, often tender stories have delighted audiences around the world. Dan Chouinard is a local musical legend, arranging, performing, and creating programs with the best of the best.
Simone Perrin entertains and amazes audiences with a voice that ranges from sublime to comic genius.
Add in the musical acrobatics and anarchy of the Brass Messengers for the makings of an evening where everything is planned and then anything can happen. Like the holidays!
*ASL interpretation will be provided at this show.
*For patrons who would like to control the volume of their listening experience, assistive listening devices and sensory ear plugs are available upon request at the Ticket Office. More info at: https://oshag.stkate.edu/about-the-oshaughnessy/tickets/
Kevin Kling
Kevin Kling is a well-known playwright and storyteller, and his commentaries can be heard on NPR’s All Things Considered. His plays and adaptations have been performed around the world. He lives in Minneapolis.
Kevin Kling, best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and his storytelling stage shows like Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log, delivers hilarious, often tender stories. Kling’s autobiographical tales are as enchanting as they are true to life: hopping freight trains, getting hit by lightning, performing his banned play in Czechoslovakia, growing up in Minnesota, and eating things before knowing what they are.
Kevin Kling describes his zodiac sign as “Minnesota with Iowa rising…” He grew up in Brooklyn Park and Maple Grove, Minneapolis suburbs, and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater. His storytelling started when a friend from the now defunct Brass Tacks Theatre asked him to perform his stories. Since then, he has been awarded numerous arts grants and fellowships. The National Endowment for the Arts, The McKnight Foundation, The Minnesota State Arts Board, The Bush Foundation, The Jerome Foundation and others have recognized Kling’s artistry. In 2014 Mayor RT Rybak named Kevin “Minneapolis Story Laureate”.
Kevin was born with a congenital birth defect — his left arm is about three-quarters the size of his right arm, and his left hand has no wrist or thumb In 2001 Kevin was in a motorcycle accident and suffered brachial plexus injury (BPI). The brachial plexus nerves in his right arm were pulled completely out of their sockets. Currently, he has partial use of his left arm and cannot use his right arm at all.
Kevin Kling continues to write plays and stories in a rigorous fashion, and travels around the globe to numerous storytelling festivals, residencies, and has been invited to perform the acclaimed National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN for several years. Kevin has released a number of compact disc collections of his stories, has published five books, “The Dog Says How”, “Holiday Inn”, “Big Little Brother”, “Big Little Mother” and “On Stage with Kevin Kling.”
