Half a decade has eclipsed since the onset of Lansing’s Renegade Theatre Festival, making the capital city’s annual Mecca of edgy, alternative theatre predate your Twitter account. Not that its age has shown through in delicate cracks and inconsistencies – quite the opposite, really. In fact, this year’s Renegade Theatre Festival has much more in common with a sleek, aged bottle of Pinot noir than some dusty, forgotten relic of cultural phenomenon past.

“This season we really wanted to put an emphasis on new plays,” said Chad Badgero, the fest’s co-founder. “Our committee really felt drawn to the idea of developing new work and giving voice to playwrights both locally, and beyond that may have a play they had wanted to see mounted. I think we were all hoping to get maybe two [to] three new plays submitted. So I was thrilled that we received 23 new plays.”

In true renegade style, eight of those 23 were eventually chosen to give the festival’s fifth year a competitive edge – adding a fresh and innovative perspective to Renegade staples like Shakespeare on the Grand (an outdoor, abbreviated interpretation of the Bard’s most iconic works). With the action unfolding Aug. 20-22, attendees are invited to rotate from performance to performance along Lansing’s Old Town strip, taking in samplings of participating theater companies, actors, and playwrights from all over.

Everything from the traditional (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) to the provocative (Dark Play, or Stories for Boys – a performance by Badgero’s own Peppermint Creek company) will be on display for audiences to soak in at will.

“Also, we're hosting a forum for audiences and everyone involved in the Lansing theatre with industry professionals about ‘How To Grow A Festival’ and the benefits of a festival on a community,” adds Badgero. “We have about five speakers from Lansing, as well as around the country that will be speaking on what makes a great festival and how that can benefit a community and city.”

Onstage renegades coupled with a full-fledged discussion of festival fun. Oh, did we mention that this whole thing is completely free? My, Renegade Theatre Festival, you’ve aged so awesomely.

For more info, visit renegadetheatrefestival.org.