What's a Joking Envelope?
The company takes its name from Sigmund Freud's essay on comic theory, Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. In its original sense, joking envelope refers to the idea that comedy is a form of packaging for ideas and emotions. In a larger sense, the term has come to express the social space in which we agree any idea has the potential for comedy—because sometimes a joke is just a joke. We invite you to step into the Joking Envelope with us. It's a business-sized envelope so there's room for everyone.
Donate
Even though Joking Envelope is a for-profit company, we share the following in common with non-profit companies: we're small, artsy, and just adore asking strangers for money. So if you enjoy our work and believe in intelligent thought-provoking comedy, please consider making an extremely non-tax deductible donation to Joking Envelope. Many different contribution levels are available! Thank you for your support!
$1000 or More: Comedy Gold
Two season passes, a haiku written in your honor and other special deals
$500 - $999: Hilarious Quip
Two free tickets per season and other special deals
$100-$499: Witty Bon Mot
One free ticket per season and other special deals
$1 - $99: Funny One-Liner
Discount tickets and other special deals
THE PEOPLE
Sara Stevenson Scrimshaw, Business Manager
Sara has worked with a variety of local arts and cultural organizations over the past ten years. Sara currently works as the Program Supervisor at the James J. Hill House, part of the Minnesota Historical Society. She has worked as the Business Manager, School Coordinator, and Managing Director for Zenon Dance Company and School. She holds a Master's Degree in Arts & Cultural Management from City University, London, UK. While in London she had the opportunity to participate in a project at the National Portrait Gallery working with visitors with visual impairments. Sara's master's thesis was on the collection and use of audience data in local theater and dance organizations, and her findings have since been presented in online journals and to interested parties. She has also worked with the Southern Theater and other arts organizations on their audience data collection and analysis. Sara performs around the Twin Cities as a modern dancer, frequently with DRP Dance or John Munger's Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble. In collaboration with her husband, she has created multiple dance/theater shows, including Dance of the Whisky Faerie and Mind The Culture Gap. In her spare time, Sara knits.
Joseph Scrimshaw, Creative Director
Joseph Scrimshaw is a critically acclaimed writer, comedian, and actor.
As a comedian, he's performed at CONvergence, San Francisco SketchFest, H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, Chicago Improv Festival, Minnesota Public Radio's WITS, Jonathan Coulton's >JoCoCruiseCrazy, and more.
As a writer, he's working with John Kovalic's Dork Storm Press developing Dr. Blink for movies and television. Joseph has written for RiffTrax, the national sketch comedy TV show M@dAbout, and crafted several commentaries for Minnesota Public Radio on topics such as personal sharing on facebook and swearing at smartphones.
Joseph's plays, ADVENTURES IN MATING, AN INCONVENIENT SQUIRREL, THE WORST SHOW IN THE FRINGE, MY MONSTER (written with Bill Corbett) have played in New York, Seattle, Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, the UK, Bulgaria, Peru, the middle of the Caribbean Sea, as well as bars and theaters across the entire expanse of South Minneapolis.
Joseph is well known in the Twin Cities for multiple top ten bestselling shows at The Minnesota Fringe Festival and as a member of storytelling collective Rockstar Storytellers. As a for-hire actor, Joseph has performed with a wide variety of organizations ranging from a touring Shakespeare company to a long run as a performer of children's theater at Old Gem Theater in New Richmond, Wisconsin to multiple improv and audience interactive shows.
Joseph has also created new works for the Minnesota Historical Society, General Mills, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Book Awards as well as presenting lectures on the theory and practice of comedy for the University of Minnesota and the Walker Art Museum.
In his spare time, Joseph plays the drums and watches his wife knit.
Frequent collaborators and people we like
- Rockstar Storytellers
- Tim Uren
- Bryant-Lake Bowl
- Table Salt Productions
- Talent Poole Talent Agency
- The Minnesota Fringe Festival
- Craig VanDerSchaegen
- Minnesota Playlist
- Theater Schmeater
Photo credits
Thanks to the talented photographers whose work can be seen throughout the site: Tony Webster, Craig VanDerSchaegen, Jeff Larson, Scott Pakudaitus