Over the last four years, founder Megan Radish and a team of volunteers has been slowly building a following for the annual Squeaky Wheel Fringe Festival, which returns June 2-7 with nine new shows created by an assortment of local and national artists.

“This year seems to be a heavily theater-based year,” Radish says. “We’ve had some years that were more heavy in dance, or just a total grab bag.”

As in past years, the festival begins with a Teaser Show at 7 p.m. on June 2, in which each creative team is given five minutes “to pretty much do whatever they want to get audience members in to see their show,” Radish says. “They can do a piece from their show or something else.” The program is hosted by the performance artist Swanky Valli.

Each act is presented twice during the festival and sets its own ticket price, ranging from $3 to $15. The festival adds a roughly $5 fee to support the event, and ticketing fees are also applied. The money from the base ticket fee goes directly to the artists.

The nine shows were chosen from the largest pool of applicants the festival has seen.

Radish says the festival has been building a following since it started in 2023. “Every year, we sell more tickets," she says. "But for me, success is not in necessarily growing ticket-wise, but in making sure artists who need it have a platform, and as the applications go up, we are seeing a greater need for the artists.”

In addition to the performance venue, the festival provides each show with professional photography and videography of the production.

Here is a look at the shows offered in this year’s festival.

Squeaky Wheel Teaser

Each production gets a few minutes to showcase part of its show or something else that will entice audiences to buy a ticket. 7 p.m. June 2. Free.

Casa Havana

Created by Tania Vergara Perez of Tania Vergara Dance-Theater, this piece looks at family dynamics and thwarted romance set to music of Cuba. 7 p.m. June 3; 2:30 p.m. June 6. $15.

Confessions of a Theme Park Worker

Theresa Giannotsis, who has worked at most of the Florida theme parks, shares a story about her experiences. 10 p.m. June 5; 8:30 p.m. June 6. $15.

Grease is the Word

Kelly Haramis created this show about an adult daughter trying to give her mother a chance to star in the musical Grease years after she was passed over at an audition to play Rizzo. (Haramis is the wife of incoming Ringling College president Davis Schneiderman.) 7 p.m. June 5; 1 p.m. June 6. $7.

It’s Alive! Live

Casey Berkery, a frequent performer at Venice Theatre, is part of this improv show from Orlando featuring a late-night TV interview show  dealing with “myth’s most monstrous anomalies.” 10 p.m. June 4; 7 p.m. June 6. $15. 

My Life as an ‘Inspirational Porn’ Star

Gabrielle Leonore stars in this irreverent one-woman show about an “inspirational” porn star sharing stories of sex, drugs and other issues. 8:30 p.m. June 4; 4 p.m. June 7. $15.

The Common Ground

A play by Maddie Holdway of Sarasota and Adam Lucas about a young woman who works in her family’s coffee shop trying to figure out how to move forward in her life after a major loss. Directed by Blake Walton. 7 p.m. June 4; 4 p.m. June 6. $15. 

The One 

Sarasota-area performer Keely Henry stars in this “memoir in motion,” a one-woman show that weaves together dance, music, audio recordings, video and writing. 8:30 p.m. June 3; 10 p.m. June 6. $5.

The Pep Rally: A ‘Religious’ Variety Show

Sarasota performers Amanda Finnerty and Jason Ellis star in this production about a young man who returns to the Christian college where he’s leading an assembly for this year’s Homecoming Pep Rally and trying not to think about all the shows he didn’t get to do in school. 10 p.m. June 3; 2:30 p.m. June 7. $15

Timey Wimey Stuff: The Mid-Life Crisis of a Time-Traveling Space Archaeologist

Victoria Montalbano, who performed in the first Squeaky Wheel Festival, returns in this one-person show about a struggling actor wondering about her place in the world. 8:30 p.m. June 5; 1 p.m. June 7. $15

All performances are in the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For tickets and more information: squeakywheeltheatre.org. There are two or more shows each day, but admission for each one is separate.