MICHAEL VENSKE is the host and producer of Your Funeral Music on Frogtown Community Radio in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a celebrant at Humans Love Stories.

As a creator/performer, Michael entered the solo theatre world in 2012 with Thumbs Up, a coming of age story about a father, son, and bonsai tree. The show premiered in Washington, D.C., as part of the Capital Fringe Festival where the DC Theatre Scene said…

“…the improv-trained Venske is at his best, unafraid to bust a move or pull out a silly dialect. His intensity is impressive, and each short scene ends on a poignant or fun note.”–DC Theatre Scene

Venske’s most recent full-length solo work, Home, is based on the three years he taught English to primary and middle school students in Zibo, Shandong, China. The show examines the juxtaposition of what home looks like, feels like, and means from Minnesota to China and back again. It premiered in the summer of 2018 at the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Pieces of Mr. Venske’s experience living abroad are also published in a coffee table book, A Different Perspective: Expat Life, which explores the unique viewpoints expats have and how their adventures shape their perceptions of home.

Recurring themes include family and place, environment and public health matters sprinkled with cheeky pops of comedic energy.

Michael Venske was trained at, and is a former company member of, America’s oldest satirical comedy theater, Brave New Workshop.

Michael makes his home in Saint Paul with a handful of plants. In his spare time he’s co-co-host of the Growing Up With Ehyrn podcast and enjoys harvesting firewood for sharing with friends around campfires.

He loves mail.