The lineup for this year's New York International Fringe Festival has been announced, and the productions range from the personality-driven to the politically controversial. Now in its 14th year, FringeNYC is the largest multiarts festival in North America, according to its producers. This year's festival, running Aug. 13–29, will feature nearly 200 theater and dance companies from across the world.

Highlights include the premiere of Stephen Padilla's "Picking Palin," a new play that scrutinizes the former Alaska governor's rise to prominence. The festival will also include numerous Shakespeare-inspired productions, from "MacChin: The Lamentable Tragedie of Jay Leno" to "Getting Even With Shakespeare," in which five of his tragic heroes meet up in a bar.

The festival will feature work from 12 countries. From India comes the documentary drama "A Personal War—Stories of the Mumbai Terror Attacks," based on eyewitness accounts. And the controversial Muslim comedienne Shabana Rehman will premiere her one-person dramatic comedy "For Kingdom and Fatherland."

The productions will take place in more than 20 Lower Manhattan venues. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. For a complete list of shows, go to www.fringenyc.org.