Just like we did last year, we interrupt your weekly theatre listings to present you, instead, with a preview of the Live Arts and Fringe Fests.

If you ask this Phillyist, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

The 2007 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe (yep, that's the branding!) officially kicks off Friday, but a few shows are already having preview performances.

What does that mean for you?

Hundreds of avant garde theatre companies, innovative dance troupes, groundbreaking musicians, and creatively unique artists descend upon the city for the first two weeks of September, presenting for you (often affordably) a few hundred new, experimental, and re-imagined pieces of visual and performance art in venues across the city. Awesomeness abounds. Promise.

If you want in on the action, check after the jump for just a few of the shows that Phillyist recommends and will be at.

Gatz
This is not a show for the faint of heart - or the haters of the expatriate American writers of the 1920s. Over the course of seven and a half hours (give or take), the Elevator Repair Service Theater will be presenting F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby in its entirety, with a twist. Heaven for this Phillyist, but undoubtedly hell for plenty of folks out there. Just know what you're in for if you choose this show.

An·'tis·a·lon
Greek tragedy - in a beauty parlor. Somehow, this combination just works for us.

BATCH: An American Bachelor/ette Party Spectacle
Having never actually been to a bachelorette party, but having witnessed several, this Phillyist is excited to finally get to participate in one - without the hangover or the regrets.

Isabella
Shakespeare! With... cadavers? Color us intrigued!

Hearts of Man
This Phillyist loves to curl up on the sofa... and watch To Catch a Predator. So she's hoping this is something like that. Minus the sofa and Chris Hansen.

Leap: The Actors' Improv Experiment
Improv isn't easy, even if you're a seasoned actor. But it's still fun to try.

Debbie Does Dallas - The Musical
No, really.

Unspoken
We're seeing surprisingly few dance performances at this year's festival, but based on our prior experience with Underground DanceWorks, this should be a pretty good one to catch - and it's in a space (the Community Education Center in Powelton Village) that we haven't been to yet.