Quote of the Day: In 2024, Kathleen set out to see if she could connect some of the names in the graveyard with names in the patient log books in the museum. “There’s Something I Must Tell You” shares stories of some of those who lived and died at the hospital. Kathleen Coudle-King on researching her plays at the Jamestown State Hospital in Jamestown, ND. Her research inspired her play Retail Therapy, which she produced in Grand Forks, ND in the spring of 2023. You can hear voice over recordings on her website. But, the stories she read about the people who had lived and died at the State Hospital kept talking to her, so she wrote There’s Something I Must Tell You, which will be presented on the Fringe Festival Tour this summer. I have the honor of being one of her actors. 

Jace Erickson, Mary Aalgaard, Juliet Wolfe, Ashley Fredericksen and our mascot George in the Fringe show “There’s Something I Must Tell You” by Kathleen Coudle-King. On tour August 2025

What a thrill to be part of a traveling troupe of actors for the summer! You never know when a grand, new adventure will come your way. Since this is a brand new script and written for the Fringe circuit, which means it has to be under 60 minutes in length, we are developing it alongside the playwright. As we develop our characters, learn our lines, and become acquainted with each other, we’re also tightening up the dialogue and learning how to adjust to new spaces for when we take it on the road. All the actors are experienced and ready to jump in with ideas and adjustments as needed.

Ashley Fredricksen plays Claire, a young woman who has come to the State Hospital to do research for her graduate paper in English. She’s five months pregnant and has some worries about the mental health of the women in her family. I play the nurse in present day who lets her into the hospital and museum for research. I also play a nurse in the past as Claire uncovers stories and is visited by the ghosts of former residents. I also play one of the patients who was related to Claire.

Jace Erickson plays various characters in the play, patients who were there for various reasons. All the stories are heartbreaking and powerful. Juliet Wolfe also plays various characters who range in youthful and funny to tragic. Josh Widmer plays a couple different characters including Sgt. McLaughlin, a soldier suffering PTSD (before it had a label), who had served with Lieutenant Colonel George Custer. Dean Whitlock will be taking over those roles when we hit the Indy Fringe Festival.

We did an old-fashioned serious shot.
Jace Erickson, Mary Aalgaard, Juliet Wolfe, Ashley Fredericksen and our mascot George in the Fringe show “There’s Something I Must Tell You” by Kathleen Coudle-King. On tour August 2025

We will be on tour with this production starting at the Dryden Theatre at Central Lakes College Performing Arts in Brainerd, MN, Aug. 1, 2025, 7:00 pm. Free will donation, no reserved seating. Please come early. We will have a post-play discussion with emphasis on talking about mental health. Aug. 3, we will be at the Empire Theatre in Grand Forks, ND, 2:00 performance. 

Fringe Tour: Please visit their sites for performance times and other great shows at these festivals
August 7-9, Omaha Fringe Fest
August 12-14, St. Louis Fringe Fest
August 16-18, Indy Fringe Fest in Indianapolis

Playwright and Director Kathleen Coulde-King and George, getting ready to Fringe!

To learn more about the show and playwright Kathleen Coudle-King, visit her website Theatre Without Walls. I’m so excited to share these impactful stories with audiences around the Midwest, and I am so honored to be part of such a talented troupe of actors and theater makers along the way.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: What new adventures are on your horizon?