Philadelphia is discovering the joy of fringing, with a Fringe Festival featuring more than 100 avant-garde artists in 36 venues. The Festival began Sept. 17 and runs to Sept. 21.

Among the festival offerings (most running under an hour) are Road Movie, a one-person, five character piece by Godfrey Hamilton of L.A.'s Starving Artists Company; actress Hazelle Goodman's solo, Hazelle; an evening with sculptor and body puppet expert Scott Serrano; monologuist Dael Orlandersmith; and jazz saxophonist and dancer Dan Froot.

Even odder offerings include The Brick Playhouse's The Lunch Shift, a live-action soap opera; a site-specific, walk-through piece by Janie Geiser & Co., Evidence Of Floods; and the 20-minute Louis And Dave, by Vancouver's Theatre Skam. That show is performed in the front seat of a car while audience members watch in the back seat.

The Fringe Fest kicked off Sept. 17 with The Poe Project, a collaborative piece between butoh dancer Min Tanaka and writer Susan Sontag.

For tickets (free-$9, discount passes available) and information about the Fringe Festival (215) 829-9184. The box office is located at 247 Market St. in Philadelphia. --By David Lefkowitz