From a movement sculpture performer who takes apart his own head to a company whose puppet-cabaret version of Hamlet features the introspective Dane as a dog, the Philly Fringe has invited 114 artists and ensembles to perform in a dozen or so indoor and outdoor venues.
All Old City's a stage, and much of it a gallery, as Philadelphia's historic hub and art district undergoes its annual transformation.
An empty warehouse is stocked with experimental dance. Churches become temples of art. Actors perform "on the boards" of a park bench. Mysteriously attired figures roam the sidewalks.
The Visual Fringe provides a fine arts corollary to the performance festival with an abundance of alfresco installations.
Twice voted "best arts festival" by Philadelphia City Paper readers, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival is establishing itself as a national pacesetter in the presentation of experimental performance work.
Philadelphia Inquirer theater critic Clifford A. Ridley hailed the Festival as "a welcome addition that can bestow instant legitimacy on theater artists with something to say and the talent to say it arrestingly."
Any number of performers are welcome to join the party and B.Y.O.V. (Bring Your Own Venue). In the spirit of openness and adventure, the Fringe imposes no restrictions on these independent endeavors, which are limited only by their producers' energy and ingenuity.
A variety of approaches and a diversity of creative visions are all part of the point. Do not ask what is it (to steal from T. S. Eliot), let us go and make our visit.
For further information, call the Festival office at 215-413-1318 or browse its Web site, www.pafringe.com.
The Philadelphia Fringe Festival is funded in part by grants from The William Penn Foundation and Independence Foundation. Dance Advance, a grant program funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the Philadelphia Dance Alliance, supports dance at the Fringe.