If there’s anything to take away from F***ed Up Fairytales, it’s this: themes and lessons are everywhere, whether you’re seeing a story come to life on stage, reading it on a page or living a (hopefully) slightly less grim version of them. Here’s our review written by Amanda Montoni.

The New York City debut of The Death of the Swan in the NYC Fringe Festival is a dance piece, featuring Maddie Natoli as the iconic ballerina Anna Pavlova, which offers a delicate and haunting homage to the famed prima ballerina who once took The Dying Swan on a worldwide tour in the early 20th century. Here’s our review.

Liadin Sinclair stages Joanna Wiley’s passion project Minotauromachy with bold, unflinching clarity. The play centers not on Picasso himself, but on the women who shaped and were shaped by him and his obsession with minotaurs. Here’s our review written by Malini Singh McDonald.

Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger is a one-hour satire musical that opens up the Under St. Marks Theatre to freedom. From the moment our reviewer, Amanda Montoni, sat in the back row, she felt a part of the Texas Annie cast. The show, one of the many included in the NYC Fringe Festival, includes audience participation, so be prepared.

Need More Work's Anti-Gone in the NYC Fringe Festival reimagines Sophocles' Antigone with a bold, ensemble-driven take. Compact, innovative, and accessible, this version of Antigone could easily find a home in schools or on tour. It’s rare to find a piece that both entertains and teaches, that honors the old while playing with the new—but this one does. And it does it well.

Sharon Lesser’s solo piece, Casualty of War, part of the United Solo Festival, is a moving, beautifully crafted solo show. It doesn't offer easy answers—but it asks all the right questions. And maybe, just maybe, it helps us find our way forward. Check out our review by Malini Singh McDonald.

LIANA, both the show and the character looks back in time to find inspiration in the form of LIANA’s great grandmother Pilar in 1930’s Spain. What results is an affecting depiction of how distant heritage has the ability to echo from the past to inform present day identity. Here’s our review!

A stool and a microphone meet center stage, and that is all Gwen Coburn needs. Her songs capture your attention and you hang on every word. This show deserves a big, rawcus house ready to ride the roller coaster Gwen commands as part of the NYC Fringe Festival. Here’s our review, written by Nicole Jesson.

Take a chance on Chris Davis' show, The 40-Year-Old Ballerino. The show touches on the very human need for attention and distraction. Which leaves you trying to answer this question: What's the point of it all? Here’s our review written by Brian Connor.

Nik Narain delivered an introspective, sharply funny performance that was as thought-provoking as it was intimate. RUSK, as part of the NYC Fringe Festival, was a poignant blend of stand-up, storytelling, and social commentary, anchored by a wry sense of humor and deep personal insight. Here’s our review!

This show could blow the doors off the theater. The music rocks. The stories are entertaining. Here’s our review of EXES: THE MUSICAL — part of the NYC Fringe Festival — written by Nicole Jesson.

Paula is a beautiful, sad story about mothers and daughters. It is the shortest piece I’ve seen so far in the NYC Fringe Festival, but it doesn’t need to be longer. It’s all there. Here’s our review!

Stacey Linnartz's tour-de-force performance is a masterclass for anyone wanting to do solo work. The vignettes perfectly illustrated each point she was looking to make at the same time showing off her tremendous skill as a performer in Labor, as part of the NYC Frigid Festival. Check out our review by Nicole Jesson.

Here’s what our reviewer, Nicole has to say: I take the Humorist Project’s A Crucible: A Puritanical Celebration of Witches and Turkeys very personally. I feel seen. Actually, I feel watched. This piece has 3 more performances in NYC’s Frigid Festival. Get to them or be left out in the cold!

As you may be able to discern, Bright White Light is about walking into the light. Dylan Balsamo makes an absolutely charming Grim Reaper, who cannot for the life of himself figure out why he’s thought of as grim. Here’s our review!

Closed Doors takes place in a stuck elevator. Tim Hayes’ script has all the makings of the perfect festival piece. No set. No scene changes. High drama, and a few laughs. Here’s our review, written by Nicole Jesson.

Home Rule (as part of the NYC Fringe Festival) is another beast altogether. In a classic horror motif, this show would make for a great low-budget horror short film. Wild and over the top, the future of Ireland is in the hands of a teen girl, a worried mom and a drunk parish priest. Check out our review!

What seems to be a melancholic ending of two people who will never share a happy ending is anything but that—Stuck is a declaration that the act of self-love is the ultimate vindication. JJ Ivey's play steams up the NYC Fringe Festival. Check out our review written by Bianca Lopez.

It’s work at this level that inspires others to create. And should definitely inspire folks to get to The Flea to see these while they can! Check out our review of Maiden Mother Crone, written by Nicoel Jesson.

Each one-act in The Fire This Time Festival struck a chord, played an emotion, and provided a catharsis that left out reviewer Malini, profoundly moved.