Comedy

Hennepin Arts announces Hold On To Your Butts

The acclaimed live comedy parody of a blockbuster dinosaur adventure makes its Minneapolis debut at the Dudley Riggs Theatre Oct. 31-Nov. 1

65 million years in the making. One hilarious night at the theater

TICKETS GO ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON FRIDAY, JUNE 12 AT 10 A.M.

MINNEAPOLIS (June 9, 2026) — Hennepin Arts has announced that the wildly inventive comedy Hold On To Your Butts will take the stage Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Dudley Riggs Theatre (824 Hennepin Ave.). Sixty-five million years ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth. Thirty years ago, a movie about dinosaurs ruled the box office. This year, audiences are invited to experience a hilarious, shot-for-shot parody of the greatest dinosaur film of all time.

Following its critically acclaimed UK tour and West End debut, the Fringe 2024 smash hit comes to Minneapolis with two actors and a Foley artist delivering an unforgettable blend of comedy, physical theater and live sound effects.

Tickets go on sale Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. to the general public at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis) and online at HenenpinArts.org.

After a decade of sold-out performances in NYC, Hold On To Your Butts had its UK premiere at the Fringe in 2024, garnering rave reviews. The show transferred to London’s Arcola Theatre for a five-week holiday run.

It then toured the UK to venues including Leicester Curve, Bolton Octagon, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, and the Arts Theatre on the West End. Everywhere Butts goes, audiences rave about the joyfulness of the production, the extraordinary skill of the performers, the delight of seeing a live Foley artist on stage and the show’s broad appeal to audiences of all ages. Recent Cutbacks is a creative ensemble founded in 2014. Their critically acclaimed work sits at the intersection of comedy and theater. They’re best known for their live movie parodies that fuse humor, nostalgia and lo-fi spectacle.

Their projects invite audiences to see the world with a new found exuberance and remind us why we fell in love with movies, theater and storytelling in the first place.

NICK ABEEL (Co-Creator, Performer) is a NY-based Dad and artist who performs, writes, directs, edits video, designs sound, and occasionally works as a foley artist. You can hear Nick in the Recent Cutbacks Audible Original: History of the 3rd Robot War, a six-part parody lecture series he co-wrote and starred in as the T-Rex Professor. Nick is also a veteran company member of Broken Box Mime Theater, collaboratively creating and performing contemporary stories entirely through movement. Check out Nick's green-screen work at his website: nickabeel.com

KRISTIN MCCARTHY PARKER (Co-Creator, Director) is a New York-based director of stage and film whose work has been produced across the US, in the UK and Australia. They are the Co-Founder and Producing Director of Recent Cutbacks, as well as the director of the Off-Broadway hit Puffs and its live capture (Amazon, iTunes, BroadwayHD). See more of their work at kristinmccarthyparker.com and @kristinmcparker.

KRISTIN PARKER (Foley Artist) is a queer fiber artist, plant lover, teacher, writer and organizer currently living on Lenape/Canarsee territory in now-called Brooklyn. Her work centers around interdependence, repair, connection, and collective liberation. She also really loves making silly noises and is thrilled to

be back with RCB and Butts.

LAURENCE PEARS (Performer) Training: LAMDA.Theatre includes: The Things We Do For Love (Old Laundry, Bowness-on-Windermere); Jam First Theatre’s Cornish, Hellish and Elfish (UK Tour); The Mousetrap (70th Anniversary UK Tour); Magic Goes Wrong (Vaudeville); Dinner Is Coming (The Vaults); Joking Apart, Better Off Dead (also 59E59, New York), Taking Steps, and A Brief History of Women (Stephen Joseph Theatre); The Comedy About A Bank Robbery (Criterion); The Importance of Being Earnest, Wuthering Heights and The Comedy of Errors (Red Rose Chain); Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Apollo and UK Tour); The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess); and Brudermord (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse). Television includes: “Days That Shook The World” and “Wild West.” Film includes: Nuremburg and Ladies in Lavender.

KYLE SCHAEFER (Co-Creator, Performer) is a lifelong tinkerer/collaborator/maker, classically-trained actor and seeker of beautiful noise, powerful stories and collective liberation. His work has been seen and heard on the big/small screens, stages near/far, and all around the World Wide Web. He's based out of Brooklyn, NY, and is a proud co-founder of RecentCutbacks. www.kyleschaefer.com. Socials: @kvschaefer.

Hennepin Arts drives cultural and economic vitality in Minnesota through leadership of the dynamic Hennepin Theatre District in downtown Minneapolis and educational programming that reaches every area of the state. Its historic theatres — Orpheum, State and Pantages — and the Dudley Riggs Theatre light up Hennepin Avenue with top-tier entertainment, including the best of Broadway and a wide variety of arts programming. Hennepin Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at HennepinArts.org.

This activity is made possible by voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.