WHO WE ARE
Fortune's Fool Theatre was founded in 2005 by playwright Daniel Pinkerton and director/playwright Leah Cooper (no longer a member of Fortune's Fool). From the very first production, Dan's daughter and artistic collaborator, Ariel Leaf—actor, lighting designer, director, playwright—was indispensable to the company. In 2011, she became co-artistic director of Fortune's Fool.
DANIEL PINKERTON is a California-born and Minneapolis-based playwright and producer who can't imagine producing theatre without his colleague and daughter to share the load. As a producer, Daniel has been awarded six MRAC grants and a Rimon Foundation grant for Fortune's Fool projects. As a playwright, he has received a Jerome Fellowship, two MSAB Fellowships, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. He has written Do You Want to Know a Secret?, YARRRH! The Lusty, Busty Pirate Musical (music by Chris Gennaula), and The Lady with a Lap Dog (music by Robert Elhai) for Fortune's Fool. Other projects have included lyrics for Beaverdance! A Marxist Fur Trade Holiday Musical (Bedlam, 2009, 2014), book and lyrics for Hard Times (music by Gary Rue), book and additional lyrics for Chopin's Heart (music and lyrics by Gary Rue). Daniel holds an MA in European Social History and an MFA in Playwriting, both from the University of Minnesota. He was the last person to earn the latter degree before the program was discontinued.
ARIEL LEAF is a native of Minneapolis who is in demand as an actress, lighting designer, director, and storyteller. For our first production, she designed the lights, ran the sound and lighting board, called the show, and house managed. She is not only the co-artistic director of Fortune's Fool but also a member of two other Twin Cities theatre companies, Wonderlust and Freshwater Theatre. She played Callie in our 2014 production of Stop Kiss and played Captain LaFemme, Cecily Toadmoor, Bones Hacker, and others in our 2011 production of YARRRH! the Lusty, Busty Pirate Musical. Other recent credits include writing and performing in Have You Seen This Girl? for the 2018 MN Fringe Festival; collecting stories for and acting in the 2018 Wonderlust show, The Capitol Play Project; lighting design for The Drowning Girls at Freshwater Theatre (2019), and performing as Xena in Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy! at the 2019 MN Fringe Festival. Ariel earned a BA in Theatre from the University of Minnesota. That degree program is still alive and well.
But that's not all . . .
JANE JOHNSTON serves as accountant for Fortune's Fool Theatre. She is a retired pharmacist, and she has over fifteen years of experience as an accountant and computer programmer with various businesses, including the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospitals. We are grateful for the fact that she can actually make sense out of the numbers we give her.
THE FORTUNE'S FOOL ADVISORY BOARD
Since our inception, we have had a marvelous advisory board to, well, advise us on matters large and small concerning producing plays. Each member has a particular expertise. They volunteer their services and answer questions with amazing speed and insight. The current board:
Chris Carlson (lawyer, Actors' Equity member): intellectual property and Actors Equity matters
Roy Close (playwright, grant writer and fundraiser emeritus for Artspace): fundraising and development
Wendy Knox (artistic director, Frank Theatre, director): the perils of running a small theatre
Jane Johnston (ex officio): finance
Erin McGonagle (editor and grant writer at the University of Minnesota): fundraising and development
Ruth Virkus (co-artistic director, Freshwater Theatre, playwright): the perils of running a smaller theatre
In Memoriam
Mr. Jake (2003-2016, founding theatre cat): grooming consultant, inspiration for Captain Jake in YARRRH!, good boy
Since our inception, we have had a marvelous advisory board to, well, advise us on matters large and small concerning producing plays. Each member has a particular expertise. They volunteer their services and answer questions with amazing speed and insight. The current board:
Chris Carlson (lawyer, Actors' Equity member): intellectual property and Actors Equity matters
Roy Close (playwright, grant writer and fundraiser emeritus for Artspace): fundraising and development
Wendy Knox (artistic director, Frank Theatre, director): the perils of running a small theatre
Jane Johnston (ex officio): finance
Erin McGonagle (editor and grant writer at the University of Minnesota): fundraising and development
Ruth Virkus (co-artistic director, Freshwater Theatre, playwright): the perils of running a smaller theatre
In Memoriam
Mr. Jake (2003-2016, founding theatre cat): grooming consultant, inspiration for Captain Jake in YARRRH!, good boy
Daniel and Ariel just can't seem to stop working. Check out a list of Semi-Foolish projects they are pursuing with other artists and theatres.
