The 10 Best Photos from the 2012 NYC Fringe Festival

The largest multi-arts festival in North America, New York International Fringe Festival — FringeNYC for short — takes over Manhattan’s downtown theater scene through Aug. 26 in its 16th year. Which shows should you see? Check out the sexiest, silliest, and most star-studded images from this year’s gay-themed highlights.

For more info and a performance schedule, visit FringeNYC.org.

Writer-performer and stay-at-home dad Jeff Seabaugh’s solo show explores gay marriage, foster care, and adoption as he and his partner redefine a modern family with three Dominican children. wecrazyright.com.

Photo credit: Dixie Sheridan

Food(ography)'s Mo Rocca, SNL alum Rachel Dratch, and Smash’s Sean Dugan play about 30 roles in Mario Correa’s comedy based on verbatim e-mails, texts, interviews, and tweets that surfaced during political sex scandals like those of toilet foot-tapper Larry E. Craig and inappropriate instant messenger Mark Foley. tailspinshow.com.

Photo credit: Thom Kaine

Chronicled in writer-performer Ryan Kipp’s solo show, a straight dude learns a whole lot about the gay community and himself when he works as a stripper in a gay club and engages his adoring patrons. redlightplay.com.

Photo credit: Jennifer E Koltun

Inspired by actual events that occurred in NYC’s Hell's Kitchen ’hood, a sexy backpacking hipster flirts his way into a lonely man’s apartment in this darkly comic, very adult psychological thriller by Sean Galuszka. poisonappleplay.com.

Photo credit: Susan Lambert

Inspired by persecuted gay cryptologist and father of computer science Alan Turing, Alex Young’s dance-infused drama deals with a lonely gay genius who builds robots to replace his lost love — until he meets a real boy who makes his life spiral out of control. pinkmilk2012.com.

Photo credit: Justin Barbin

The latest play from Chris Phillips explores the murder of an openly gay Hollywood power player, whose body parts are distributed around Beverly Hills. Working with the damaged young man accused of the crime, a public defender struggles to find his place in the gay community. Eating Out stud Chris Salvatore stars! piecestheplay.com.

Photo credit: Rick Simone

Inspired by a significant encounter in his life, playwright James Fluhr’s powerful solo performance, a mix of modern fairytale and theatrical fantasy, follows a suicidal teen as he rises above the hate and chooses self-acceptance. ourladytheplay.com.

Philip Mutz and Susan-Kate Heaney’s comedy follows “confused” campers Josh and Anton as they’re sent off to Camp Acceptance be cured of their unnatural urges, only to find an evil headmaster, games of gay Twister, and lots of cheeky innuendo. gaycamptheplay.com.

Photo credit: Phillip Fazio

Vincent James Arcuri wrote and stars in this coming-of-age tale of a gay boy’s journey from the mean streets of Queens to a queeny life in West Hollywood, complete with elocution lessons in an attempt to eliminate his effeminate speech patterns. becomingbutch.com.

Photo credit: Christian Scott

Brace yourself, Miss Alice. Alex DeFazio’s comedy plunges down the bunny hole to find a wonderland filled with go-go twinks, height-altering cocktails, and the mathematical mysteries of online matchmaking. Top that, Tim Burton. elixirproductions.org.

Photo credit: Robert Terrano