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Minnesota Fringe Festival, 2025
An all youth, high energy, uplifting musical about death.
With original music composed by 7th grader Gabriel Shen, Death! A Musical is a child’s uplifting vision of life after death. This high-energy show follows the journey of Alana Hemming, who dies, meets Death, and completes seven tasks in the Afterlife to become alive again.
The show had a cast of eight middle schoolers, accompanied by 10 youth musicians and many crew members.
Publicity
Publicity
Single White Fringe Geek: "Fringe 2025 Top 10 - #3 - Death! A Musical"
WCCO: "Death! A Musical" produced entirely by kids opens at Minnesota Fringe Festival"
Star Tribune: "Quirky, glitzy, fun, stark: 9 shows not to miss at Minnesota Fringe Festival"
Fox 9: "Minnesota Fringe Preview"
Mpls StPaul: "What to See at the Minnesota Fringe Festival"
The Stages of MN: "Episode 7: The Stages of MN Get's a Preview of the MN Fringe Festival"
An Uplifting Perspective On Death
An Uplifting Perspective On Death
Death is a complicated topic, especially what happens after it. Death! A Musical provides a positive perspective on death, and emphasizes how important it is the circle of life, and the greater order of things. The musical combines many common beliefs about death into one plot, from Heaven and Hell, to the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Unlike many adults, the kids in this cast aren't afraid to talk about death!
Behind the Scenes - Creating Death! A Musical
Behind the Scenes - Creating Death! A Musical
An early map of Death! A Musical
Gabriel had the idea for Death! A Musical in the summer of 2023. Gabriel and Francis, their dad, continued to write the musical that year. In the summer of 2024, Gabriel and four of their friends performed Death! A Musical at the Kilburn Theater in the UMN Rarig Center.
After revising the songs and script, Gabriel entered Death! A Musical into the Minnesota Fringe Festival. They also started a non-profit, Twin Cities Youth Theatre, which allows youth to take full control in musical theatre shows.
This image is part of the early planning stage of Death! A Musical, showing Gabriel's drawing of the Afterlife.
Performance Dates
Performance Dates
Friday August 1 at 7 pm (2025)
Saturday August 2 at 8:30 pm (2025)
Monday August 4 at 5:30 pm (2025)
Saturday August 9 at 4 pm (2025)
Sunday August 10 at 1 pm (2025)
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