San Diego International Fringe Festival returns for the next two weeks with 230 shows from artists from around the world. The 48 different performances scheduled are a lower number than in the past, but producer Shaun Davis said in some ways, the festival has a bigger footprint than ever.

In addition to seven venues in San Diego from Logan Heights to Liberty Station, live performers are heading to Mexico to three venues for the binational program. Instead of just Tijuana, artists can also be found in Ensenada. Plus, performers will head to Eunime Orphanage to deliver non-perishable food donated during the festival and entertain the HIV+ children living there.

New this year, the School for Creative Careers in Old Town and The Chrysalis (Monarch School’s arts center in Barrio Logan) are hosting multiple shows. Balboa Park’s Centro Cultural de la Raza and the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater are two of the main locations again.

There will also be four days of Family Fringe, on May 17, 18, 24 and 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where kids can be entertained with high-energy performances and hands-on art making. Each date has a different location, starting with City Heights Performance Annex, then Liberty Station’s central promenade, then Lincoln Park at 4931 Logan Ave., and a final day at North Park Recreation Center.

For the first time, SDSU film students held an Emerging Filmmakers Showcase on Thursday, May 15.

As always, it is an open access event with no curation so the unusual to the risque can take part. The infrastructure can be helpful for individuals putting on solo shows where they do not need to find a venue and do all the marketing themselves. Local improv troupes and dance companies can also take advantage of the Fringe to showcase their skills for the community.

While each show has a rating so the audience will not be surprised, there are not rules on content. Irreverent and political themes emerge alongside raunchy confessionals.

I view the numerous solo performers as a litmus test on what issues in the zeitgeist are troubling artists and not being depicted enough on main stages. Stand-up comedian Clayton Smith will share stories of his AR-15 heavy Yuma childhood with “Guns for Jesus” while writer-actor Kathleen Burke ruminates on Philadelphia’s gentrification in “Queen of Fishtown.” There were many, many more shows touching on gender and Catholicism in their two minute previews during a moment when America is again embracing traditional gender roles. “Holy O” and “Holy Water & Tequila” managed to hit both hot topics.

Beyond content, the acceptance of any type of performing arts lets artists who might have trouble finding backing from a staid theater show off skills, like clowning, magic tricks, or tap dancing, that are less popular now than 100 years ago. One of this year’s genre-celebrating performances will be Australian mime actor Marcel Cole’s “Smile: The Story of Charlie Chaplin,” which won an award to have Cole’s trip to San Diego sponsored.

Its affordability is a boon as theater tickets, along with everything else, rise with inflation. After purchasing a $7 tag to support the festival, every show costs $13 with all proceeds going to the artists. Each show takes less than an hour and are scheduled back to back so multiple can be seen in an evening. For an up-to-date schedule, visit sdfringe.org.

Critic’s picks

After attending the preview show on Tuesday, May 13, where each performer got two minutes to intrigue the audience, here are some I am thinking of adding to my schedule. It is difficult to predict which minute-long preview will result in a well-constructed hour-long show, but these are the ones that most interested me, in order of first show.

‘Nighttime Julianne’ by Lani Gobaleza

Filipina American San Diegan Lani Gobaleza premiers the solo show she wrote and performs about ruminating on her life on the eve of her 35th birthday. May 15 at 6 p.m., May 17 at 2:30 pm., May 19 at 6 p.m., May 22 at 9 p.m., and May 25 at 7:30 p.m. at New Destiny (4931 Logan Ave. Suite 102). sdfringe.org/events/nighttime-julianne

‘Pretty Beast’ by Kazu Kusano

Japanese American stand-up comedian Kazu Kusano has won awards at other Fringe festivals as she uses humor to combat a traumatic childhood of being raised in Japan by a schizophrenic mom and alcoholic dad. May 15 at 6 p.m., May 17 at 2:30 p.m., May 21 at 7:30 p.m., May 23 at 9 p.m., and May 24 at 1 p.m. at Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theatre.sdfringe.org/events/pretty-beast

‘All the Boys I Blocked’ by Chanel & the Circus

Los Angeles singer and accordianist Chanel Samson delighted the audience by improvising songs about bad break ups based on their suggestions. The set felt utterly Fringe. May 15 at 7:30 p.m., May 17 at 9 p.m., May 22 at 7:30 p.m., May 24 at 9 p.m., May 25 at 4 p.m. at No Limits (4931 Logan Ave.). sdfringe.org/events/all-the-boys-i-blocked

‘Holy Water & Tequila’ by Cat Alvarado

Alvarado straddles heartbreak and hilarity in this one-woman show about questioning faith while tradwives abound. May 19 at 7:30 p.m., May 21 at 9 p.m., and May 24 at 10:30 p.m. at No Limits (4931 Logan Ave.). sdfringe.org/events/holy-water-tequila

‘I Killed Iphigenia’ by Party Favor Productions

In line with the focus on gender, multiple shows delve into the experiences of transgender people. This abstract long-form drag show from four trans-masculine artists was something I immediately started organizing a friend group to attend together before the night ended. May 20 at 6 p.m.; May 21 at 7:30 p.m.; May 24 at 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; and May 25 at 1 p.m. at Centro Cultural de la Raza. sdfringe.org/events/i-killed-iphigenia

‘Alteration’ by Circo ala Moda

This flashy acrobatics show explores self expression through fashion as characters dance and fly with fabric. May 23 at 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; May 24 at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and May 25 at 6 p.m. at Centro Cultural de la Raza. sdfringe.org/events/alteration

Photos and art courtesy San Diego International Fringe Festival