What happens before once upon a time or after happily ever after? Are princes really charming? Join storyteller Laura Packer for the other side of enchantment. No Disney princesses, singing teapots or emasculated wolves. Darker. Sexier. Funnier. Grimmer. Participants: Laura Packer
Music for robots, replicants, and reavers. A cantina full of classic movie and TV SF/fantasy themes, from the dawn of man to the end of the universe...Red Dwarf, MST3K, Buckaroo Banzai, and even Stranger Things than that! Participants: Nick Rezmerski, Scott Hill, Bob Poate
Presenting old time radio comedy in a brand new hotel! Fearless Comedy will provide a comedy performance just as funny with your eyes closed as it is with your eyes open! Participants: Tim Wick, Dawn Krosnowski, Angela Fox, Charles Hubbell, Jerry H Stearns, Windy Bowlsby
Bringing 14th century instrumentation into the modern era, Brute Force Therapy bridges the gap of traditional "classical" orchestral score with modern "EDM" electronic dance music. Participants: Terry Hughes
Participants: Gregory Parks, Bryan Thao Worra, Chuck Tingle, Dawn Krosnowski, Bridget Landry, Peter David, Guy Consolmagno, Allen Turner, Aubrey Turner, The Doubleclicks, Laser Malena-Webber
Gernsback Continuum is a rock'n'roll power trio exploring science fiction via music. Loud guitars, thundering bass, and pounding drums tell stories of black holes, planet-busting starships, robot wars, and failed heroes. Participants: Justin Hartley, Dennis Maddix, Dave Stagner
The true story! Unfiltered by Federation bias! The conflict between the noble Klingon warriors and the dishonorable petaQ, James T. Kirk. Participants: Bill Hedrick
Smackdown returns and this year, it is time to take on the dangers of the natural world! If you've ever wondered who would win in a fight - the snake from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or Scooby Doo, you just might find out! Participants: Tim Wick, Christopher Jones, Joseph Scrimshaw, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Laser Malena-Webber, Aubrey Turner, Duck Washington, Birdchick, Matt Kessen
Progressive filk-rock songs about myth, transformation, and video game characters who won't sleep with you. This is the CD release party for "The Hero's Journey," a concept album inspired by Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With A Thousand Faces." Participants: Elizabeth Greenberg, Justin Hartley, Beth Kinderman, Dennis Maddix, Dave Stagner
Journey with the Twin Cities' nerdiest burlesque artists as they boldly strip like no one has done before! Featuring a medley of characters from your favorite fandoms dripping in the dazzling, humorous, and sensual light of nerdlesque, this year's show invites you to join us on a whole new world: MainStage! Featuring Mona Montague, Opiumm Hayze, Champaign Lorraine, Sinasaurus Vex, Foxxi Stiletto, Trisha Spectacle and MORE! null
Join Deborah Frethem and Laura Packer for stories of what haunts us. From the true terrors of the Twin Cities to the phantoms that lurk under the bed and around the corner, live storytelling that will thrill, fill, terrify, and amuse. Participants: Laura Packer, Deborah Frethem
3-man group comprised of a few nerds who love to play music. Their love of video games, television, and movies combined with music brought them together to play some of their favorite songs they grew up with. Participants: Luis Benavides, Peter Ryden, Steve Hermes
Tanya Brody graces HarmCon with her special blend of original and traditional folk, with a few fun covers thrown in for good measure. Hear her sing some favorite tunes, and learn a few new ones, as she accompanies herself on harp and guitar. Participants: Tanya Brody
Four "experts" must each give a PowerPoint presentation with slides they have never seen before, and the slides make no sense! Participants: Melissa Sue Kaercher, Bill Stiteler, C. Robert Cargill, Joseph Scrimshaw, Andrea Ropella, Duck Washington, Dawn Krosnowski
One by one, contestants make puns based on prompts they have received ahead of time; the finalists go head to head in a pun-off! Participants: Art Allen
Folk & comedy covers, born out of the minds of an eclectic group of outspoken nerds. After recently performing at Die Laughing VI, The Mourning Wood are excited to make their CVG debut. Look for them at the MN Renaissance Festival this season! Participants: Aiden Milligan, Chad Dutton, Ian Sinclaire, Rachael Dosen
Costume Wars is a judged competition where teams of two are provided with a sack of unknown and somewhat random materials and then will make a wonderful costume out of them in just one hour. The top three costumes will be awarded prizes.
A bolt of lightning. A magic lamp. An undersea experiment. A lone Martian. Magic and science collide in this full-cast reading of the first appearances of the Justice League. Participants: Dawn Krosnowski, phillip andrew bennett low, Kelvin Hatle, Duck Washington, Jena Young
The #Geeknation is coming to HarmCon! Lyritics is nerdcore hip-hop based in Minneapolis. They released their debut EP #Mugglelovers in August 2015. Come see them perform favorites like "KONAMI" and "I Cosplay Hard" along with some new music! Participants: Dante Quinn, Wednessday Ezaki, Jason Kruger, Kayla Sotebeer
Ever wanted to hear a live performance of a Chuck Tingle porn script? Now's your chance! Come listen to Dr. Tingle and local voice actors give life to his characters. Participants: Chuck Tingle, Matt Kessen, Lana Rosario, Angela Fox, Charles Hubbell
At 4:45, join us for a quick preview of the thundering taiko drums that await in Harisen Daiko's Sunday performance on Mainstage (home of the Taiko Sci Fi medley!). Stop by to get a taste of Harisen BRINGING THE BOOM! Participants: Harisen Daiko
High flying aerialists, dazzling dancers, and so much more! Step right up, come one, come all--our performers are back again to the CONvergence Main Stage! Not a show to miss!
Comedy storytelling duo Curt Lund and Laura Bidgood are at it again! Ripping up CONvergence with their unique blend of nerdy humor and true life stories of awkwardness and unfortunate situations. Participants: Laura Evelyn Bidgood, Curt Lund
This is a British radio game show: basically an excuse for four panelists and the host to play childish games for an hour. Come watch our panelists play Mornington Crescent and One Song to the Tune of Another! Participants: Melissa Sue Kaercher, Caroline Symcox, Nick Glover, Lee Harris, Tim Wick, Chrys VanDerKamp
Join comedian Joseph Scrimshaw (Adult Swim, ForceCenter, RiffTrax) as he speed-summarizes the last year of his life in one hour of "geek-flavored" comedy! Thrill to tales of social media obsession, Mary Poppins spoilers in a Hollywood bathroom, and how the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II prepared me to vote! Join comedian Joseph Scrimshaw (Adult Swim, ForceCenter, RiffTrax) as he speed-summarizes the last year of his life in one hour of “geek-flavored” comedy! Thrill to tales of social media obsession, Mary Poppins spoilers in a Hollywood bathroom, and how th Participants: Joseph Scrimshaw
The Faithful Sidekicks are an award-winning comedic geek rock duo that writes and performs catchy original songs about all the fannish things they love, from Star Wars to SQL Code. Website: www.thefaithfulsidekicks.com Participants: Eric Distad, Jen Distad
Vogon poetry. Bilbo’s Walking Song. Nevermore. Nerds have words, and the slam is back to celebrate them in an exciting competitive format! Show up, sign up, and if the lottery gods are kind, you (yes, you) may be drawn to read two three-minute poems. Participants: phillip andrew bennett low, Allison Broeren, Dan Marlow, Allen Turner, Duck Washington
Sincere and catchy original folk-punk from Olympia, Washington. For further information: garlicbreadandroses.bandcamp.com Participants: Steph Heron Beck
The Doubleclicks are a nationally touring, Billboard-charting nerd band with a cello, a meowing cat keyboard, and songs about dinosaurs, cats and Netflix, space, and Dungeons and Dragons. Their YouTube videos boast over 3 million views and have been featured on BoingBoing, Kotaku, the Huffington Post, and on NPR shows "Live Wire", "All Things Acoustic", and "State of Wonder". Find out more at http://thedoubleclicks.com. null
Join Miss Shannan (myTalk 107.1 radio) and Jatin Setia (Twin Cities Film Fest) as they discuss movies, TV, music, and pop culture from the geek perspective. Plus, a special guest each week shares what has them geeking out. Participants: Jatin Setia, Miss Shannan Paul
Revolutionary Jetpacks is a sci-fi cabaret that centers BIPOC, queer and trans, and disabled artists. Our theme this year is what roots us, and helps us steady, in our struggles against oppression, and what renews us, and keeps us going forward. Participants: Gabriela Felice Santiago, Xochi de la Luna, Keila Saucedo, Maitreyi, Ifrah Mansour, Nia Hampton, Johanna Keller, Eric Gonzalez
Vilification Tennis is a structured improvisational show where competitors engage in a battle of insults. The show is never the same because the competitors keep changing and the material is constantly evolving. We feel that there is humor inherent even in the most taboo subjects and we are, therefore, willing to make fun of things that most people would think aren’t the least bit funny. Like your mom. Beware--this show is not for those with delicate sensibilities. Participants: Nick Glover, Stephanie Hammon, David McKay, Tim Wick, Laurie Richardson Sweep, Lee Harris, C. Robert Cargill, Duck Washington, Jena Young, Molly Glover, James Fairbairn, Bob Alberti, Eric Knight, Nathan Gerber, Kelvin Hatle, Chrys VanDerKam
Two teams compete to see who is better at letters, numbers, and conundrums in this take on a hilarious British game show. Participants: Melissa Sue Kaercher, Dave Rand-McKay, Angela Fox, Nathan Gerber, Liz Capouch, Salsa Sterling, Miss Shannan Paul, Duck Washington, Megan M Slawson, Matt Kessen, Lee Harris, Caroline Symcox, Dawn Krosnowski (mod)
Friday July 5, 2019 11:30pm - Saturday July 6, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 4 Great Lakes B
Queerdo is not just a show, it's a riot. Featuring local performers on the fringe of drag and burlesque: the mission of Queerdo is to celebrate queer artistic authenticity. Become a part of our movement. Follow us on social media: queerdompls Participants: Seamus Shenanigan, Trisha Spectacle, Sissy Tops, Sparky Seduction, Kim Trailz, The Other Jeannie Retelle
Friday July 5, 2019 11:30pm - Saturday July 6, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 2 Regency Room
Dustin Ellringer, Shawn Ryan, and Peter the Great are stand-up comics who tell ridiculously inappropriate jokes about geek fandoms and nerd culture at pop-culture conventions! Come laugh your expletives off with these hilarious cosplaying comedians! Participants: Peter The Great, Dustin Ellringer, Shawn Ryan
Friday July 5, 2019 11:30pm - Saturday July 6, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 6 Yoga
Three competing teams of "literary experts" explain the history and plot of a book, based only upon its cover art. Participants: Chuck Tingle, Miss Shannan Paul, Dawn Krosnowski, Birdchick, Lee Harris, Caroline Symcox, Molly Glover, Nick Glover, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Tim Wick (mod), Jerry Belich
We're just like Voltron, except we have violins, viola, cello, harp, dulcimer and recorders instead of robot lions. And we play your favorite TV and movie themes, instead of defeating the Galra Empire. --- Okay; we're nothing like Voltron. Participants: Stephanie Claussen, Katherine Kilde, Chris Mortika, Kathleen O'Laughlin, Kerry Teckla Peterson, Eve Zabronsky
The Geeks Without God podcast returns once again to the convention where we started it all! Participants: Jeremy Stomberg, Laser Malena-Webber, Nick Glover, Tim Wick, Molly Glover
Karl has been writing comedy and novelty songs with scatological humor over the past 12 years, performing at MarsCon & FuMPFeST, & at HarmCon in 2017. He's been played on Dr. Demento & was in the San Francisco band Automatic Pilot in the 1980s. Participants: Karl Brown
Sci-fi storytelling with electronic accompaniment. Join award-winning writer and poet Cole Sarar and Artists-on-the-Verge alumnus Caly McMorrow as they take us on a series of journeys through space with unlikely heroines. Participants: Cole Sarar, Caly McCorrow
Scott performs original tunes for solo guitar, ranging from Celtic to Balkan to Blues, with a few surprises in between. He recently released a new album “Solo Guitar: Vol. 1”. Find out more at "Scott Keever - Composer/Musician" on Facebook. Participants: Scott Keever
SlytherPuff is a comedic musical duo based in the Twin Cities. Their primary fandom is Harry Potter, and other fandoms sung about include Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, and more! Participants: Maren Aalgaard, Morgan Strickland
Watch as talented artists are given impossible challenges! Could you create a CONvergence-themed amusement park in thirty minutes? How about design a new Doctor Who costume in five minutes? These artists create the impossible! Participants: Holly Chamas, Tim Wick, Christopher Jones, Louis Frank, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Jerry Belich, Windy Bowlsby, Danielle Pebbles
Laser of the Doubleclicks and their special guests play a "show version" of the game Fiasco. Participants: Molly Glover, Joseph Scrimshaw, Richard Malena-Webber, Aubrey Turner, Laser Malena-Webber
A showcase of authors and performers presented by the Not-So-Silent Planet, the only recurring open-mic in the country dedicated to speculative fiction. Curated guests include Gabriela Santiago, Rob Callahan, phillip low, Cole Sarar, and a few surprises. Participants: Ben San Del, Pat Harrigan, Gabriela Felice Santiago, phillip andrew bennett low, Cole Sarar, Bryan Thao Worra, Rob Callahan
The only recurring open-mic in the country dedicated to speculative fiction returns to CONvergence! Anyone can perform up to 7 minutes – sign-ups available outside the venue two hours prior. Participants: Ben San Del
Hothouse Weeds is an indie originals power trio with wry energy. Their unique vibe ranges from lush and thoughtful to loud and danceable. Influences span genres & decades from Willie Wonka to Neil Young to The Smiths to Cranberries to Alvvays. Participants: Michele Harris, Riley Kragness, Connor Keunnen
Elizabeth Ess performs a mix of stand-up comedy and storytelling. She has performed all over the US and at comedy festivals coast to coast. Elizabeth has performed for and written for Fearless Comedy Productions and Smartmouth Productions. Participants: Elizabeth Ess
Guante is an MC and slam poetry champion; Big Cats is one of the top beatmakers in indie Hip Hop. Together, they blink in and out of existence at the intersections of science fiction and social justice. Twitter: @elguante & @bigcatsbeats Participants: Guante, Big Cats
A live recording of Joseph’s hit comedy podcast about liking things a lot. Join Joseph and guests as they obsess over roleplaying games by playing an absurd adventure from the made-up game, Wizards & Whatever! Participants: Tim Wick, Laser Malena-Webber, Aubrey Turner, Joseph Scrimshaw
In honor of Guest of Honor Chuck Tingle, Fearless Comedy presents an encore performance of Pounded in the Tingle, an adaptation of Chuck's work by Sharon Stiteler. Love is love whether it is between a man and his dinosaur or a man and his own butt. Join us to celebrate love! Participants: Nathan Gerber, Matt Kessen, Jason Kruger, Kelvin Hatle, Birdchick, Dawn Krosnowski, Tim Wick, Tess Kean, Megan M Slawson
Returning for the second year to CONvergence's off-mainstage stage, this stand-up comedy showcase features Joseph Scrimshaw, Shannan Paul, Ben San Del, and Matthew Kessen. Hosted by Ben San Del. Participants: Ben San Del, Joseph Scrimshaw, Matt Kessen, Miss Shannan Paul
The Naughty Bawdy Brigade is a trio of female performers who entertain local Renaissance fairgoers with their uncouth humor. Not for the faint of heart, they specialize in original & historical songs, colorful limericks and questionable jokes. Participants: Tracy Fuller, Anna Miller-Sherman, Amanda K Nerud
Be part of the geek elite at this prestige event, where we will present the first-ever 37th Annual (completely fake) Jupiter Delta Awards for Exceptional Stuff! (A cash bar will be provided for improvement of the acceptance speeches.) Participants: Nick Glover, Duck Washington, Kelvin Hatle, Birdchick, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Joseph Scrimshaw, Jerry Belich, Bill Stiteler, Laurie Richardson Sweep, C. Robert Cargill
Saturday July 6, 2019 11:30pm - Sunday July 7, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 4 Great Lakes B
Come see some hilarious, no holds barred stand-up from some of your favorite Fearless Comedy Productions members. Participants: Aiden In A Kilt, Pher Sturz, Dustin Ellringer, Dave Rand-McKay
Saturday July 6, 2019 11:30pm - Sunday July 7, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 6 Yoga
The Dregs perform comedy and music in that order. Silly and quite strange and almost certainly not appropriate for children. But that's your call since they are your kids. Warning: We have an accordion and someone who knows how to play it. Participants: Tim Wick, Rachael Salisbury Dimba, Paul Score, Trevor Hartman, Molly Zupon, Susanne Becker
Saturday July 6, 2019 11:30pm - Sunday July 7, 2019 12:30am CDT
Hyatt 2 Regency Room
Someone on this panel is going to die. And someone else on the panel did it. You get to sift through the evidence and figure out what happened! A theatrical presentation by Fearless Comedy Productions. Participants: Duck Washington, Eric Thompson, Gregory Parks, Dawn Krosnowski, Angela Fox, Matt Kessen, Kelvin Hatle, Breanna Cecile, Garrick A Dietze
Easily the premiere go-to event for those that aren't still sleeping in their Sunday, Harisen Daiko presents CONvergence with a unique interpretation of science-fiction themes via traditional Japanese percussion and performance.
Artists create performances based on an Encyclopedia topic and are judged by our comedic fact checker. You might see poetry, you might see stories, you might see an artist make something out of condiments. You never know, because neither do we! Participants: Duck Washington, Matt Kessen, Tim Wick, Birdchick, phillip andrew bennett low, Cole Sarar, Kelvin Hatle, Pat Harrigan
Participants: Andrea Ropella, Bryan Thao Worra, Chuck Tingle, Dawn Krosnowski, Guy Consolmagno, Peter David, Bridget Landry, Laser Malena-Webber, Allen Turner, Aubrey Turner, The Doubleclicks