The 1999 Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival will be held March 11-21 in the Broadway/Pike/Pine area of Capitol Hill, with participation from 74 theatre companies at nine different venues.

"Brave New Fringe" is the theme of this year's 9th annual event, which will kick off with a parade, followed by a performance by jugglers, circus performers, clowns, acrobats and other non-spoken word performers at the Broadway Market on March 6. Preview performances will be held on March 7 and an opening night spotlight march will take place on opening night, March 11.

Several actors and theatre companies from North Seattle are scheduled to participate in this year's Fringe Festival, including: Greenwood's Taproot Theatre's performance of "Moreau" by Sean Gaffney; UW student Scott Davis in The Company Loon Soup's performance of "Loon Soup"; U-District resident Lia Aprile in Carpe Diem Production's performance of "Maria's Afternoon" by Meg Keith;

Fremont residents Lara Paxton and David Crellin in "Circus Contraption - a Surreal Contraption"; Fremont resident Beth Amsbury in Leap of Faith Theatre's "The Maiden and the Makita"; Fremont's Maque daVis & Ensemble's performance of "Cirque de Flambe"; Muddy Feat Theatre Group's performance of "Odes," a play written and directed by Greenwood resident Nathan Breskin-Auer;

Monkfrog Production's performance of "The Adventures of The Merry Monk & Frog Prince Freddie," a "New Vaudeville" created and performed by Greenwood resident Colin Ernst; U-District resident John Osebold's production of his one-man play "The Cropped Folio: A Comedy of Condensed Shakespaere"; Pangloss Production's performance of "Rock Opera: The Fossil Record" by U-District resident Pliny Keep; Stickfigure Production's performance of "Courtesy Call," a comedy/drama written and directed by Wallingford resident Andrew MacLean;

The Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival is based in Sand Point. For more information about this year's festival, call 322-2018 or www.seattlefringe.org.