When it arrives on August 24, 2007, IndyFringe will transform the Massachusetts Avenue Arts District into a colorful, open-air showcase of traditional (and not-so!) theatre, dance, music, improvisation and a wide range of other performance and visual arts, all performed and created by local, national and international artists. It will feature 54 performance groups in 228 shows, all held on six stages in downtown Indianapolis.

An important part of IndyFringe is the second annual FringeNext, which allows youth and high school groups to take part in the Fringe, performing along side professional actors. This year, FringeNext will feature an expanded program with fourteen troupes performing over two weekends at the ComedySportz in the Mass Ave Theatre District.

One of these groups is the Left of Center theatre troupe, all of the members of which attend Broad Ripple High School. Their show, an original comedy by Will Brown titled Waking the Bear, has been described as "pee your pants funny."

But this production isn't the teens' first time Fringe-ing. They performed in last year's FringeNext with their hit play The Plot to Blow Up the Amish Country Popcorn Factory and some of them have even traveled to Scotland to take part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Waking the Bear follows the story of four friends who work together manufacturing lawn gnomes. One day, a new person comes to work--an outlandish, Dr.Seuss-esqe character who only speaks in rhyme. As the four struggle to oust him, they realize the strange character has an even stranger secret. Come support these local teens as they show off their theatrical talents. It will be performed on August 25, 2007, at 3:30 p.m., and September 2, 2007, at 6 p.m.

Participating in Fringe also gives teens a chance to not only be a part of the arts, but to support and enjoy them as well. According to Will Brown of the Left of Center troupe, "Being on Mass Ave during Fringe means you can spend the whole day going from play to play and seeing crazy shows from all around the world."

More information on Left of Center and the rest of the Fringe Festival performers, including show times and venues, is available at www.indyfringe.org.