Laurel Graeber  Little Bo Peep wanders into Wonderland. This time there's no Alice, and the Red Queen wants to have her own tea party. It doesn't sound like Lewis Carroll. But it does sound like Fringe. The Fringe Festival, New York's annual celebration of avant-garde theater, is back, and once again, it includes Fringe Jr., a selection of plays geared to children who know there is more to youthful entertainment than "Once upon a time. . . ."

"Alice's Tea Party" is a good example. It was written by Matilda Kunin, the founder of the Young Performers Theater in San Francisco, who plays several characters, including the Red Queen. When the queen is dismayed that Little Bo Peep isn't Alice, Little Bo (Natalie Susoev) tells her that she doesn't need Alice for her party -- she can invite members of the audience. Children are asked to get up on stage, and many get right into the Fringe spirit.

"I interview them and ask how old they are, and some say they're 29," Ms. Kunin said. In addition to shows, the Fringe Festival will offer children Fort Fringe Jr., its weekend clubhouse. The activities there will include theater games, mask-making, face-painting, clowning and watching previews of Fringe Jr. shows.

These five-minute excerpts will feature not only the tea party, but also "Shirts, Socks and King Pajamas," a play about everyday objects that come to life; "Kingdom of the Sun," which centers on an intrepid girl named Harold; "Clowning the Bible," which finds humor even in the holy, and "Sleepyhead and Other Works," a trio of pieces using dance, mime, circus arts and slapstick. "It's not your standard children's theater fare," said Elena K. Holy, the festival's producing director.

"Alice's Tea Party," tomorrow at 7 P.M., Sunday at noon, Aug. 24 at 5:45 P.M., Aug. 25 at 7:30 P.M. and Aug. 26 at 6 P.M. at the Henry Street Settlement, Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, Lower East Side. Tickets: $11; children, $7. Festival information: (212) 420-8877 or, outside of New York City, (888) Fringenyc. Fort Fringe Jr., Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2 P.M. through Aug. 29 at Fringe Central, 196 Stanton Street, Lower East Side. Free.