Chile! India! France! Missouri! They'll all be represented at the fourth annual New York International Fringe Festival, which will take place Aug. 16-27 at the usual array of East Village and Lower East Side theatres and venues.

Fringe 2000 will offer 175 productions, tying the number seen at last years event. In addition to Chile, India and France, shows hailing from German, Mexico, Austria and six others countries will journey to Manhattan this August. U.S. acts will come from such states as Kentucky, Georgia and Texas. As in previous years, there will be FringeAlFresco (outdoor street performances), FringeU (panels and discussions) and FringeJr (kids activities) offerings.

For a while there, it seemed as though there wouldn't be a Fringe Fest in 2000. Earlier this year, the Present Company, which produces the Fringe, was presented with a Notice of Default by its landlord saying it owed over $100,000 in rent, most of it in late fees. The troupe quickly launched a fund-raising drive, and enlisted legal help to battle the landlords and keep their Stanton Street space. Eventually, the two sides agreed to a settlement of $32,000, but not before the company was given a good scare. Artistic director John Clancy told of his experiences keeping the ensemble and Fringe afloat in his autobiographical one-man show, Notice of Default and Opportunity to Cure, which ran March 31-April 22.

For more information of the Fringe, call (212) 420-8877, or consult the website at www.fringenyc.org.

--By Robert Simonson