LES Fest of the Arts

May 28 through 30, Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave. (betw. E. 9th & E. 10th Sts.), 212-254-1109; Free. This festival is a beautiful anachronism in a few ways. First, it harkens back to the days when the LES extended up to 14th Street. Second, it harkens back to the days when the LES was full of strange, offbeat and outsider artists whose work—maybe good, maybe bad, but always vibrant—reverberated through the walk-ups and down onto the street. This festival includes a Greek chorus of drag queens (Bleecker Street Opera); a butoh dance performance and something called Tokyo Penguin. Bottom Line: Three days of approximately 15-minutes-long pieces. Viva la LES!