Fringe Fest Returns to Hollywood

In June, the neighborhoods surrounding Hollywood Center Studios will burst to life with artistic activity. The second annual Hollywood Fringe Festival is an amalgam of film, theater, music and performance arts events produced by local, national and international arts organizations and individual performers. Venues include theatres, bars, clubs, street corners and "places unexpected." Last year's inaugural event included more than 170 shows and a staggering 800 performances in just 11 days.

The Fringe Festival is designed to be a home for the experimental and unorthodox. The organizers promise an "immersive" experience with clowns, mimes, magicians, fire eaters, and performance artists popping up at every turn.

The more than two dozen venues for formal performances are within walking distance of one another. The boundaries for the festival are roughly marked by Franklin Avenue on the north, Melrose Boulevard on the south, Gower Street on the East and La Brea Avenue on the West. Festival organizers say the neighborhood was selected for its history as "a source of unapologetic opinion, underground mentality, and a deep passion for the cutting-edge."

You may indulge your "deep passion for the cutting-edge" June 16-26. Tickets go on sale May 1. For more information, visit www.hollywoodfringe.org