The Cornelia Street Cafe Festival of Festivals, A series of festivals celebrating the artistic diversity of one tiny enterprise and one enormous city. This week: Brazilian Music, Listen to a variety of Brazilian musicians. Tues. – Sat., thru Aug. 26. Poetry and Translation, Chris Brandt and Madeline Millan curate a multi-lingual festival of poems in German, French, Portuguese, Flemish, Russian, Italian and other languages. Mon. – Wed., Aug. 28-30. Flutes, The festival will end on a high note. Tues. – Thurs., Aug. 29-31. The Cornelia Street Cafe, 29 Cornelia St., bet W. 4th & Bleecker. 212-989-9319. www.corneliastreetcafe.com.
Fringe NYC 2006, 10th Anniversary, The New York International Fringe Festival is the largest multi-arts festival in North America, with more than 200 companies from all over the world performing for 16 days in more than 20 venues. Check below for details on selected performances taking part in the festival. $15. Visit www.fringenyc.org for more information or to purchase tickets at least 24 hours in advance. Selected performances: American Absurdum, The show that launched FringeNYC returns. This black comedy weaves together a funeral parlor, senior prom, an airline crash and a mysterious wolverine. The Lucille Lortel Theatre,121 Christopher St., bet Bleecker & Hudson Sts. Wed., Aug. 23 at 8:45pm; Thurs., Aug. 24 at 11pm; Fri., Aug. 25 at 6:30pm and Sat., Aug. 26 at noon. Bloodties, Based on the life of musician Ned Massey, including his childhood in an Irish-Catholic family, an abusive father, and his entrance into the music world.
Access Theatre, 380 Broadway. Fri., Aug. 25 at 9:45pm and Sun., Aug. 27 at noon. Happy Sauce, A guy creates a sauce tasty enough to win him fame, fortune and a girlfriend. Unfortunately, the sauce also seems to be killing people. Access Theater, 380 Broadway, 4th Floor, bet Walker and White Sts. Fri., Aug. 25 at 3:45pm and Sat., Aug. 26 at 9:45pm. Never Swim Alone, Two friends compete in a series of events refereed by a girl with a secret from their past. Who’s taller? Who has the "bigger"? And who has the gun? A comedy in 13 rounds. The Actors’ Playhouse, 100 7th Ave. South, bet Bleecker & Christopher Sts. Wed., Aug. 23 at 7:15pm; Fri., Aug. 25 at 4:45pm; Sat., Aug. 26 at 7pm; Sun., Aug. 27 at noon. Pith!, In 1931, a sailor leads a widow and her housekeeper on an treacherous journey into the South American jungle, without ever leaving the living room. The Village Theatre, 158 Bleecker St., at Thompson St. Thurs., Aug. 24 at 8:15pm; Fri., Aug. 25 at 2pm; Sat., Aug. 26 at 3:45pm and Sun., Aug. 27 at 5pm. Puppet Government, A comedy featuring various household appliances as the leaders of our country. Players Loft, 115 Mac Dougal St, 3rd Floor. Wed., Aug. 23 at 7pm; Thurs., Aug. 24 at 5:15pm; Fri., Aug. 25 at 8:45pm; Sat., Aug. 26 at 6:30pm and Sun., Aug. 27 at 2pm. A Show of Force, The story of one young man’s crisis as he searches for uneasy answers.
The script is made up of found texts of various political views ranging from the war poetry of Wilfred Owen to William Shakespeare to the Bible to Mark Twain. Dance New Amsterdam, 280 Broadway, bet Broadway & Elk. Enter on Chambers. Sat., Aug. 26 at 3:30pm.
Hot, The 15th annual NYC celebration of queer culture with dance, music, theater, literature and performance art by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender artists. Thru Aug. 26. Dixon Place, 258 Bowery, bet Houston & Prince Sts. Literary events are $6, all others are $10-15. Tickets: 212-219-0736 or www.theatermania.com. More information: www.dixonplace.org.
The Sam Shepard Festival, The Michael Chekhov Theatre Company presents three sets of performances dedicated to the works of contemporary American playwright Sam Shepard. Set 1: Forensic and the Navigators set in the post-apocalyptic future when two rebellious men attempt to liberate an asylum run by a vicious opposing faction, and States of Shock, a brilliant exploration through the landscape of the tortured minds of two army veterans. Mon. – Tues., thru Aug. 29 at 8pm. Set 2: Savage/Love includes 19 monologues about the universal hope and fear inevitably involved in starting a relationship; 4-H Club, three aimless young men exist in a landscape of apocalypse and destruction. They succumb to occasional fits of violence and paranoia as they search for daily sustenance; and Rock Garden, one of Sam Shepard’s earliest plays, a family farce exploring the depths of alienation in the American home. Wed., Thurs. and Fri., thru Aug. 31 at 8pm. Set 3: Seduced, examines the mystic aspects of American Life. Thru Aug. 27, Sat. at 8pm and Sun. at 2 & 8pm.
THE BIG LITTLE THEATRE, 141 Ridge St., one block south of Houston. $18. 212-868-4444. www.SmartTix.com. www.chekhovtheatre.com/shepfest.
