It's time for the Montreal Fringe Fest again!

Nothing offers more of an opportunity to escape the conventional theatre offerings of the Centaur and the Saidye Bronfman, than the Fringe Fest. With no artistic direction, no minimum standards and no limits (companies are accepted by lottery), anything goes at the Fringe; which can sometimes be a risky affair.

The Fringe is a crapshoot; sometimes you win and sometimes you lose big. But at $9 a show, you can afford to gamble a little.

Here are some plays that caught my eye and I will probably be attending. Feel free to pick up your own schedule, peruse the offerings and make up your own mind.

Written and performed by Michelle Todd, this is a one-woman show that promises to be a witty and poignant look at culture and race in Canada. Her monologue is a hilarious and touching coming-of-age story about a mixed-race kid born and raised in Edmonton.

Obscene But Not Heard Productions return to the Fringe with sketch comedy "Jihad Me at Hello" that has social commentary with a slightly twisted edge. Nobody comes out intact in this smart, saucy and slightly psychotic sketch comedy extravaganza. Religion, marketing machines, Journey, suicide and Hitler are all fair game.

Writer and performer Cara Yeates went to India to write a play and her first night in Bombay she was asked to be an extra in a Bollywood film. Her stories about her time in India ended up being far more interesting than what she originally planned to write about and so "Bye Bye Bombay" was born.

A one-woman show about misadventures in sex and dating. It's a known fact that personal experiences always make the best Fringe shows and dating and relationship mishaps are always funniest when they happen to others.

Primadonna is about the life of North American Italian women and deals with the poignant and often hilarious struggles of day-to-day living, relationships with people (especially Mamma), career, men, women and of course food. A cross between Mambo Italiano, Moonstruck and The Vagina Monologues, like great lasagna, it promises to leave you wanting more.

An exhilarating evening of Cuban dance and musical comedy, this showcases the Montreal debut of Caricias Cubanas, a cultural presentation with authentic dances and music from different eras and parts of Cuba. Cuban musical comedy "Azucar!" is also making its Montreal debut, depicting the everyday life of Cuban people.

Dubbed as an Odyssey of discovery through the Dark Continent, "Sahara Crossing" is a solo play written and performed by Paul Van Dyck, who travelled across the continent of Africa from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Egyptian Pyramids. Get a whiff of a Moroccan market, stumble into a voodoo ritual in Benin, plunge into the turquoise waters of the Gold Coast and discover remarkable compassion in the middle of the desert.

Last year's "Off The Tongue" by Jem Rolls was one of the three most successful shows on the tour, receiving five-star reviews from the Montreal Gazette. With "Up", Jem Rolls broaches the topic of human freedom. With a unique technical fusion of poetry, theatre, comedy, song, movement, satire, rant and storytelling Jem Rolls is world-wide renowned as a physically dynamic performer and a captivating and intelligent thinker.

"Umbra" is a unique exploration in physical theatre, puppetry and visual, cinematic storytelling. Jeff Achtem introduces us to a cast of strange marionette characters using innovative shadow screen projections. "It's so refreshing to see such simplicity converted into something beautifully magical and entertaining," stated the artistic director of the Waterloo Arts Festival.

These are just my personal suggestions, but, by no means, should you limit yourselves to these alone. To find out more, you can log on to: www.montrealfringe.ca and peruse the schedule, the activities, and the concerts and take your pick of what appeals to you. To purchase tickets, you can call 514-849-FEST.

Better yet, come on down to the Parc des Ameriques, at the corner of St-Laurent and Rachel, dubbed "the heart of the festival" and pick up a program, chat with audience members, volunteers and artists and check out the Buzz at the Beer Tent audience reviews before buying your tickets. The outdoor stage also features independent musicians, making it an ideal location to have a drink in between shows and just take in the unique, crazy, offbeat atmosphere that makes the Montreal Fringe one of the most entertaining events of the summer.