Beyond the Fringe

Forty years ago, when Michelle Myers was growing up in St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood, it was populated by colorful, working-class folk with modest means and open hearts—pool hall regulars, single mothers, blues musicians, entrepreneurial old ladies, and most notably, her own father, a Korean War vet who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Central High offered a curriculum that included microwave cooking and daycare, and people rarely had money to fix up their homes. But her neighborhood, humble as it was, teemed with people whose stories were rich and textured.

In her one-woman show Blue Collar Diaries, Myers portrays more than 13 characters, all of which are based on the neighbors who helped shape her world view—old men, cheerleaders, children, a waitress, and a woman “as close to Rosie the Riveter as I’m gonna get.” Myers, a sonorous, compassionate performer of Norwegian farm-gal stock, has written a show that is funny and heartwarming even as it examines the impact of her father’s trauma on her family.

Originally conceived as a 60-minute Fringe Festival show, Diaries was scooped up by History Theatre artistic director Ron Peluso. “She came in and said, ‘We have a civic duty to remember our past.’ That really struck a chord with me,” explains Peluso. “The wide scope she has as a performer [enables her to do all these people] honestly and sincerely, and that’s what makes it fun.”

The extended version of Diaries runs 90 minutes and includes a more detailed story line revolving around her father’s wartime experience. “Diaries say so much about who we are, not just because of what we include but because of things we omit,” says Myers. “They are a deeply personal form of history, and there were so many things omitted from my father’s history. For a long time, I couldn’t see the full value of the gifts these people gave me because I couldn’t understand what it cost them. The show is about the ways people give from their lack. It’s a much greater gift.” March 28–April 19. History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul, 651-292-4323