MANKATO — Some people have to go to all the home Twins games, some have to go to every Springsteen concert in the Midwest, and I am among some who have to go to skits.

I am one of the obsessed who attends Minnesota Fringe Festival, which kicks off Thursday in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

One time my husband and I hit six plays in one day. Another time we went up to Minneapolis two days in a row because one evening of plays — we caught four shows — wasn’t quite enough for our fix.

And once again, we are looking forward to the short trip to the Cities for our escape to mostly good theater.

Now, the disclaimer. (Read the next paragraph in a quiet, quick monotone, throwing in terms such as “possibly leading to diarrhea, dehydration and death” like you hear on drug ads. None of that is usually true, but it does add dramatic effect, and isn’t that what theater is all about?)

Some shows are risky. Let me rephrase. Some shows will unfairly suck away 45 to 60 minutes of life you wish you had put to better use waiting in a doctor’s office reading vintage issues of Sports Afield. (Stinky shows used to be easier to deal with when tickets were $3-$5 — not so easy when they are $12.)

Here’s what I mean. We knew the quality of an improv show is always a gamble because the shows get in by lottery. But we really blew it when we picked a performance because we liked the work of one of the two actors. We forgot that improv takes at least two actors.

And if they don’t play off each other well, you don’t laugh. Vagina jokes just aren’t that funny seven minutes in a row, especially when you’re hoping it’s all just sailing over your 10-year-old’s head. A good mother would have whisked her child out of the theater, but I kept hoping for an aardvark joke or at least a butt joke for a change of pace. (OK, the German DNA of my ancestry just wanted my $12 worth.)

Most times at Fringe, getting your money’s worth isn’t a problem. One of my most unforgettable Fringe experiences was the show about a wanna-be professional dancer running a children’s dance studio. She enthusiastically teaches about the origin of tap dance, which she says happened when monks milking cows stepped into buckets and shuffled around the barn. She reenacted the entire discovery. You really have to see tap-dancing in milk buckets to appreciate the wacky glory of it.

We would have gone to “The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus” another time last year had we been able to get in. The top-selling show of 2009’s Fringe Festival was a wonderful combination of well-written “Leave it to Beaver/Hardy Boys” parody, top-notch acting and just the right number of butt jokes to keep my son happy.

The nice thing about hitting the Fringe is that you can pick and choose among 169 productions done at 19 sites spread throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul during a two-week period. There are one-man and ensemble dramas, music and dance performances, comedies, kids’ shows and stand-up comedians.

One of our favorite finds in the last few years is comedian Ben Sandell’s shows. All right, a bit of disclosure here. He was once a Free Press reporter, and I’m pretty sure the newspaper’s fine editors helped him hone his writing skills so he can create high-quality shows. Or it’s possible (and more likely) he just used the company computer to do lots and lots of his personal writing when he should have been churning out news stories.

Either way, the guy is clever and funny and worth catching at the Fringe. His show this year is “A Nice Guy’s Guide to Awkward Sex.”

There are others with local connections in this year’s Fringe, including college alumni, professors and high school grads from this area. To look for familiar names, visit www.fringefestival.org.

And if you can get into any of the Scrimshaw brothers’ shows, that’s always a solid bet. Past performances we caught included parodies of “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.” Another was about the challenges of becoming parents.

But you really don’t have to take my word on any of this. Festival-goers love to share their opinions, and plenty of them will be posting their reviews of the shows, along with Twin Cities newspapers. That’s why waiting for the second week of shows usually is a good move for new Fringers. You can get some sage advice to make your trip worthwhile.

And remember, improv is for risk-takers.

If You Go

What

2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival

When

Thursday through Aug. 15

Where

Nineteen stages in Minneapolis and St. Paul

Admission

Tickets: $12 plus $4 admission button; kids’ tickets (12 and younger) are $5 and don’t require a button. Discounts and multi-show passes available. Tickets on sale from OvationTix at 866-811-4111 or at fringefestival.org and at the box office 30 minutes before performance.

More information

For more information, including a list of all the shows, visit the Fringe Festival online:wwwfringefestival.org.

Minnesota Fringe Festival Tips

The 2010 Fringe Festival includes 169 productions and 876 performances. All shows are no more than 60 minutes.

If you’re trying to hit a lot of shows in a small amount of time, you may want to consider the shows at the University of Minnesota’s Rarig Center. There are four theaters in one building, making show-hopping a lot easier.

Hold on to your Fringe button after the festival is over. A variety of Twin Cities venues offer discounts throughout the year if you show your button.