LOS ANGELES FESTIVAL : BUSES ON THE FRINGES

Aaron Paley wants to capture people’s attention. Not for himself--for Fringe Festival/Los Angeles, a monthlong celebration designed to complement the Los Angeles Festival during September.

On Friday, Paley, the Fringe Festival’s executive director, will launch the festival with an event called “24 Hours of Art/L.A.” that he hopes will generate a “salvo” of sorts from the people of Los Angeles.

Consisting of a bus tour that will explore the cultural side of Los Angeles--a side to include Shakespeare on the Pier in Santa Monica, comedy by the Groundlings in Hollywood, literary readings in Venice and a fire show in East Los Angeles--the 24-hour extravaganza will begin at 6 a.m. Friday and conclude at dawn Saturday. It will offer patrons a selection of five bus routes (listed below) designed to reflect the diversity of the Fringe.

“All of the events represent L.A.,” Paley said. “They serve as a microcosm for the Fringe.”

Running concurrently with the Los Angeles Festival (Thursday through Sept. 27), the Fringe, modeled after Edinburgh’s 30-year-old celebration, allows performers (for a minimum $100 fee, waived for some groups) the opportunity to bring their respective art form--from theater and music to dance and performance art--to any venue that can accommodate them, from stages and parks to street corners and the beach. More than 500 groups will participate in about 450 events at more than 200 sites throughout Southern California.

To drum up attention for the Fringe, Paley has accepted the donation of Cash Oshman’s Dragon and Sphinx buses, standard school vehicles transformed by local artists into 35-foot moving images. (Oshman is a local entrepreneur whose company, Audience Associates, assembles audiences for TV game shows and uses the buses for transportation.)

The Dragon and Sphinx buses will carry “24 Hour” participants throughout Los Angeles County. Ticket cost for each route is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12. (Most events are free, though some charge an admission, ranging from $5 to $15.) A special marathon package, where those choosing to see more than four to five hours of events (about the length of each route) can select three routes, will be offered for $25. Participants also may choose to provide their own transportation.

BUS ROUTES AND 24 HOURS OF ART/L.A.

The following is the “24 Hours of Art/L.A.” schedule, with bus routes beginning at 10 a.m. from the Santa Monica Pier. Bus passes may be obtained by calling Theatix at (213) 466-1767. For further information or a copy of the Fringe catalogue, call (213) 931-1255. 6 a.m. “Rhythms of the Village”: Nigerian art forms presented at Angels Gate Cultural Center, 3601 S. Gaffey, San Pedro.

7 a.m. Larry Hyman: music and Hasidic-inspired dance. At Angels Gate Cultural Center.

9 a.m. Middle Eastern dance and paintings and portraits at Colorado Place, 2425 Colorado Ave., 1st Floor, Santa Monica.

Bus routes begin:

FAMILY BUS

10 a.m. Shakespeare on the Pier at Santa Monica Pier.

11 a.m. Bus leaves the pier.

12 p.m. Unveiling ceremony of the Fringe/West Hollywood sign, with live music and performances at EZTV, 8547 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood.

1:30 p.m. Picnic and entertainment.

2 p.m. “We Tell Stories”: fables, folk tales and literature for and with children at Hancock County Park (La Brea Tar Pits), Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

4 p.m. Return to Santa Monica Pier.

LUNCH BUS

12 p.m. Fringe/West Hollywood sign at EZTV.

12:45 p.m. Bus leaves EZTV.

1 p.m. The Groundlings perform an improvisational comedy show at Groundling Theatre, 7307 Melrose, Hollywood.

2:30 p.m. Picnic in Echo Park.

3 p.m. The Fringe audience collaborates on a balloon party for kids and for the construction of the Floating Paper People at Echo Park.

4:30 p.m. Return to EZTV.

ARTS & LETTERS BUS 8 p.m. Bus leaves from Canters Deli at 419 N. Fairfax, Los Angeles.

9 p.m. Literary readings at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice.

11 p.m. “Tarantula,” described as surrealist vaudeville, this play is based on a book by Bob Dylan. Adapted for the stage by Darrell Larson. At Powerhouse, 3116 Second St., Santa Monica.

1 a.m. “Dream Man Under the Stars,” an outdoor performance of the award-winning play by James Carroll Pickett about a phone sex-fantasy host. At Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, 1213 N. Highland, Hollywood. Benefit for Stop AIDS/L.A.

2:15 p.m. Return to Canters.

LET’S PARTY BUS 7 p.m. Bus leaves Canters.

8 p.m. “El Salvador: Images and Reality” exhibit set to Marimba music at Oranges/Sardines, 312 Omar Ave., Downtown.

10 p.m. “The Ephemeral Nature of Madame de Sade” re-creates in story, music and dance Japanese theater styles. At LACE, 1804 Industrial St., Downtown.

11:30 p.m. The Mums, an innovative theatrical ensemble whose skills range from walking on stilts and balls to eating fire and juggling, at the Stock Exchange, 618 S. Spring St., Downtown. Or . . .

Midnight Artists from various media will honor fire in a fire show at Self Help Graphics/Otra Vez Gallery, 3802 Brooklyn, E. Los Angeles.

1:45 p.m. Return to Canters.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR BUS

2:15 a.m. Bus leaves Canters.

2:45 a.m. Bus leaves Lhasa Club, 1110 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood.

3 a.m. After hours magic and comedy at Olio, 3709 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake.

4 a.m. Food stop.

5 a.m. “L.A. Book of the Dead,” presented by the Rough Theater, this tragicomedy explores the city after Angelenos are killed in a nuclear war. At Idaho and Ocean avenues on the bluff, Santa Monica.

6 a.m. “Talking to the Sun,” a participatory play that celebrates the mystery and comedy of change. At the second lifeguard station north of Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica Beach.

7:15 a.m. Return to Canters.

7:45 a.m. Return to the Lhasa Club.