Photo Flash: FringeNYC's 2015 Shows Ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, kicks off its 19th Annual Festival tomorrow, August 14, running through August 30, 2015. This year, festival productions including SHAKE THE EARTH, ELEPHANTS AND OTHER WORLDLY DILEMMAS and THE GAP among other rang the NASDAQ closing bell today to commemorate the festival's August 14th opening. Scroll down for photos!

SHAKE THE EARTH hinges on the tension between Armenian and gay pride. Bolstered by kufta and string cheese, Lousine yearns to be a good Armenian and defender of her ancestors who survived the Genocide. But, as a lesbian, she may be the last person her great-grandfather Georgi--and most of their countrymen--would want to give the account of his remarkable story of survival. Driven by the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which the Turkish government consistently and aggressively denies, Lousine finds the courage to speak.

In THE GAP, meet Lisa: our intrepid American. Meet Dave: he's black, beautiful, British. They travel the world, joined by Irish Hippies & sex-mad Londoners. But Lisa becomes pregnant, jeopardizing their dreams of backpacking together forever. What must you sacrifice to be happy? All proceeds from the FringeNYC production will be donated to the Hospice of St Francis, a home that cares for terminally ill children in the UK.

Sometimes it takes an elephant in the room to show you what you believe in. ELEPHANTS AND OTHER WORLDLY DILEMMAS, a new play by Dina Laura, is a comedy about faith and how it affects the decisions we make. Martha is a devout receptionist who can't make decisions without a sign. Seth is Martha's superhero-scientist-coworker who challenges her to leap, whether there's a sign or not. There's also Sal, a computer nerd in charge of other people's technology, but lost in his own life, until one night he stumbles into Crystal, a devilish bartender who's always in charge. When Fred, a mysterious temp, comes along to be there when people need him the most, we see that Fred might just need the most help of all. Join this motley crew on a mystical ride and discover that sometimes all you need is a little faith and a dead elephant.

185 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies will appear in 16 venues in downtown Manhattan. With attendance topping 75,000 people, FringeNYC is New York City's fifth largest event (just behind New York International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City Marathon, and New York Comic Con).

FringeNYC is a production of The Present Company, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Elena K. Holy. In 1997, New York City became the seventh US city to host a fringe festival, joining Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Houston, Orlando and San Francisco. FringeNYC has presented over 3000 performing groups representing every continent, prompting Switzerland's national daily, The New Zurich Zeitung, to declare FringeNYC as "the premiere meeting ground for alternative artists."

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, Jammer, 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, Melissa Rauch (Big Bang Theory), Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, CNN's Inside Man), Mindy Kaling, Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Pippin), Alex Timbers (Rocky), Leigh Silverman (Violet), W. Kamau Bell (Totally Biased), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), Chris Lowell (Enlisted), David Anders (iZombie) and Kristen Schall (Last Man on Earth), among countless other success stories.

FringeNYC shows run 2pm - midnight weekdays and noon - midnight on weekends. Tickets are $18 each available at www.FringeNYC.org. Discount passes for multiple shows (including the Fiver and the all-you-can-see Lunatic Pass) are also available. Tickets can also be purchased in person at FringeCentral (56 E 1st Street between 1st & 2nd Aves) beginning August 7.

Photos © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.