By Howard Pousner
hpousner@ajc.com

The Atlanta Fringe Festival, intended to be similar to nontraditional performing arts fests that have popped up worldwide since the original fringe fest launched in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, has announced 25 eclectic acts for its inaugural event, May 9-13.

The performing groups, including 15 from across the country and Italy and 10 from Atlanta-Athens, will be in all manner of fringe-y theatrical styles, from the physical theater of Fish and Bicycle Theatre Company of New York to the cabaret of Tennessee’s Beth Marshall Presents. Produced by Atlanta’s Twinhead Theatre, it will unfold at multiple metro venues.

Tickets, $10 per show with a one-time purchase of a $3 Fringe button, go on sale in March. www.atlantafringe.org.

Here’s the full announcement from the producer …

Atlanta Fringe announces lineup for inaugural festival

(Atlanta) January 16, 2012 – The first annual Atlanta Fringe Festival, scheduled for May 9-13, will be a five-day extravaganza featuring 25 eclectic shows from artists across the country.

What is Atlanta Fringe? It is a performing arts festival that follows the “fringe” mission to provide an accessible, unjuried, uncensored outlet for all manner of theatrical work. Joining an international circuit of such festivals, Atlanta Fringe is dedicated to showcasing original, nontraditional work that celebrates diverse and multi-cultural artistic expression and that pushes audiences to consider new perspectives.

Fringe’s inaugural festival will feature artists from the Atlanta area, nine other states and even from as far away as Italy! The genres of work range from solo performances and spoken word to modern dance and cabaret, as well as a mix of comedic and dramatic theatre productions.

Atlanta Fringe Festival inaugural lineup:

Bottled Lightning, Atlanta, Drama

NOCO/fresNO dance COllective, California, Modern Dance

The Adventures of Les Kurkendaal, California, Spoken Word, Storytelling

Princess Dragon Productions, North Carolina, Solo

Tonya Jone Miller, Oregon, Solo Drama

OnStage Atlanta, Atlanta, Dark Comedy, Satire

Twinhead Theatre, Atlanta, Comedy

Purple Crush Productions, New York, Solo

O.C.I. Entertainment LLC, Maryland, Solo

Thimblerig Circus, Atlanta, Circus, Clowning

The Circle Ensemble Theatre, Athens, Drama

Twilight Productions, Indiana, Spoken Word, Storytelling

Fish and Bicycle Theatre Co., New York, Physical Theatre

55BC, Tennessee, Cabaret, Variety

Suburban Vampire Productions, Atlanta, Solo

Beth Marshall Presents, Tennessee, Cabaret, Variety

Red Button Productions, Atlanta, Modern Dance

The W Projects, North Carolina, Modern Dance

Mixed Revues, Atlanta, Drama

Nick Shackleford Productions, Virginia, Classical Drama

Performance Gallery, Ohio, Performance Art, Poetry

Sara L. Gammaro, Italy, Opera

Hot Toddies Flaming Cabaret, Atlanta, Cabaret, Variety

Sobers & Godley, New York, Modern Dance, Musical Theatre

The Great Ben Egerman Theatre Adventure!, Minnesota, Solo Comedy

Festival venues are Beacon Dance, COREDance, Horizons School, The Mask Center, and WonderRoot. Tickets will be $10 per performance, plus a one-time purchase of a $3 Fringe button. Tickets go on sale in March.

The Atlanta Fringe Festival is produced by Twinhead Theatre, a 501(c)(3), and is sponsored by Ambient Plus Studio, AM1690 The Voice of the Arts, Cherry DelRosario Designs, Creative Loafing, East Atlanta Copy Center, MINT Gallery, Scoutmob, Tex’s Tacos and WonderRoot.

Learn more about the Atlanta Fringe Festival at www.atlantafringe.org.