10 New Shows to Premiere at FringeNYC this Week

The 17th annual The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America continues through August 25, 2013. The festival offers programming from 185 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies in 20 venues in downtown Manhattan. With attendance topping 75,000 people, FringeNYC is New York City's fifth largest annual public event (just behind NY International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Fest, NYC Marathon, and Comic Con). Shows represent 13 countries and 17 U.S. states, plus an array of genres including drama, comedy, classical theater, dance, performance art, puppetry, clowning, and children's theater. A complete schedule of performances is available at www.FringeNYC.org.

While many productions have already completed their runs, 10 new productions will have their openings this week:

Marshall's Law
Midnight Drive Productions (Los Angeles, CA).
Writer: Shadley Grei / Director: David Avcollie
Marshall's Law explores what happens when Abby's son locks her in the basement with Zach and forces them to deal with each other for the first time since Abby's ex (Zach's current) husband was killed in a car accident. 1 hour. Teatro SEA - TUE 20 @ 7:00 WED 21 @ 7:00 THU 22 @ 5:00 SAT 24 @ 9:30 SUN 25 @ 2:00.

Mercedes Benz Awkwardly
Writer: Hannah Williams/ Director: Hayley Butcher (Melbourne, Australia).
2011 People's Choice Award Winner at The Melbourne Fringe Festival. Smouldering pole queen Mercedes Benz takes a moment between lap dances and stage shows to tell all, a stripper with a sassy mouth spilling all the juiciest secrets. 1 hour. Teatro Circulo - TUE 20 @ 8:00 WED 21 @ 3:00 THU 22 @ 9:45 SAT 24 @ NOON SAT 24 @ 10:00.

Slut
The Arts Effect (New York NY).
Writer: Katie Cappiello / Director: Katie Cappiello & Meg McInerney
Joey Del Marco. 16. Pre-gaming. Empty Aabsolut bottle. Luke, George, Tim. Back of a cabB. Ripped underwear. Hands everywhere. No! Through the eyes of NYC teen girls, Face the choices and experience the fallout from 1 life-altering Friday night. 1h 30m. Lynn Redgrave Theater - MON 19 @ 2:00 WED 21 @ 7:30 THU 22 @ 5:30* FRI 23 @ 9:30 SUN 25 @ 4:45.

The Famous Play
Writer/Director: Anthony Natoli (New York, NY).
An experiment in self-promotion by self-immolation, THE FAMOUS PLAY is a queasily circular fun-house of sado-masochism and off color jokes from Anthony Natoli's sick merry-go-round of a mind. In the words of Young Jean Lee, "It's excruciating to watch." 55m. Kraine Theater - MON 19 @ 5:00 WED 21 @ 7:00 THU 22 @ 5:00 FRI 23 @ 8:15 SAT 24 @ 1:30.

The Magic Mirror
Juventas New Music Ensemble (Boston, MA).
Based on Pushkin's version of the Snow White story, The Magic Mirror, a new opera, presents a contemporary twist on this timeless tale. Something for people of all ages--opera novices and connoisseurs alike! 1h 20m. CSV Flamboyan - WED 21 @ 3:00 THU 22 @ 9:45 FRI 23 @ 4:15 SAT 24 @ NOON SAT 24 @ 8:45.

The TomKat Project
Det er Det (Chicago, IL).
Hailed as "Genius!" by Chicago Tribune, this critically acclaimed supercouple chronicle features over 50 celebrity characters in a mind altering juggernaut of tabloid storytelling that is seriously funny, but never a joke. 1h. Players Theatre - TUE 20 @ 4:30 WED 21 @ 7:00 THU 22 @ 3:45 FRI 23 @ 9:45 SAT 24 @ 2:15.

The Young Olympians and The Most Amazingly Awesome Adventure Ever
The Maryland Ensemble Theater (Frederick, MD).
Part Goonies, part Scooby Doo "The Young Olympians" is musical fun for all ages. Parents and kids will be singing along as young Hercules, Perseus, Jason, and Andromeda set off on a wacky adventure and learn how to be heroes. 1h. Theater at the 14th Street Y - MON 19 @ 5:30 WED 21 @ 5:30 FRI 23 @ 2:00 SAT 24 @ 3:00 SUN 25 @ NOON .

Unbidden
Captiva Arts (Ridgefield, CT).
She thought she remembered saving the world... Self-exiled on a remote Icelandic island, geneticist Dr. Julia Lamb replays acts of ambition, betrayal and love inside her brilliant but crumbling mind and asks, "What is truth if you can't remember it?" 1h 40m . The C.O.W. - WED 21 @ 9:15 THU 22 @ 5:45 FRI 23 @ 3:45 SAT 24 @ 7:00 SUN 25 @ 3:15.

Waiting for Waiting for Godot
Hansburg Productions, in association with The Collective NY (New York, NY).
Two understudies occupy their time backstage trying to understand art, life, and their absurd existence. Turns out, the only people who truly understand waiting for Godot are the two actors who are Waiting for Waiting for Godot. 1h 20m. Kraine Theater - WED 21 @ 3:00 THU 22 @ 7:00 FRI 23 @ 4:00 SAT 24 @ 8:15 SUN 25 @ 2:15.

FringeNYC is a production of The Present Company, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. In 1997, New York became the seventh U.S. city to host a fringe festival, joining Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Orlando and San Francisco. FringeNYC has presented over 3000 performing groups representing every continent, prompting Switzerland's daily, New Zurich Zeitung, to declare FringeNYC as "the premiere meeting ground for alternative artists." In 2007, FringeNYC was honored by Michael Bloomberg with the Mayor's Award for Arts & Culture for "showcasing the best and boldest theater and performance."

FringeNYC has also been the launching pad for numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway transfers, long-running downtown hits, and regional Theater Productions including Urinetown, Matt & Ben, Never Swim Alone, Debbie Does Dallas, Dog Sees God, Brandon Teena, Dixie's Tupperware Party, 21 Dog Years, Bash'd, The Irish Curse, Jurassic Parq, The Fartiste, Silence! The Musical and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche; movies including WTC View and Armless; and even a TV show ('da Kink in My Hair). FringeNYC alumni include Bradley Cooper, Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, One Direction's This Is Us, CNN's Inside Man), Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project), Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva), Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory), Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin), W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased), Dan O'Brien (NBC's Whitney), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), among countless other success stories.

FringeNYC shows run 2pm - midnight weekdays and noon - midnight on weekends through August 25. All performances start promptly and latecomers are not admitted. Tickets are $15 in advance ($18 at the door) at www.FringeNYC.org or 866-468-7619 or at FringeCentral (27 2nd Avenue at 2nd Street). Discount passes for multiple shows -- including a $70 Fiver and an unlimited $500 Lunatic Pass -- are also available. For more information visit www.FringeNYC.org.