THE last crumbs of the food festival had barely been swept away from the Market Place when the flyer for Salisbury Fringe came through my letterbox.

Salisbury isn't short of live performances. Alongside the award-winning productions at the Playhouse and touring acts at City Hall there are fantastic amateur shows at the Studio Theatre and a mix of the off-beat and accessible at the Salisbury Arts Centre.

The Salisbury Fringe has carved out a new space. Now in its second year, it brings the thrill of what draws throngs of people to Edinburgh for a 'Fringe' run the entire month of August. This weekend, that winning combination of budding talent, informal venues and whatever-goes spirit will hit Salisbury's pubs, clubs, cafes and even a shopping centre.

Small wonder that movie actors and musicians make a point of weaving in live performance throughout their career to keep in touch with their audiences, feel their response to particular scenes and songs, keep that edge. It's lovely to get dressed up sit in a comfortable seat and watch a polished play. Every live performance has an element of the unknown when actors and the audience spark off each other. But the level of spontaneity is naturally guided by the formality of the venue, the tightness of the script and the expectations of the ticket-holders.

Sometimes the gritty and unpredictable appeals – I love not quite knowing what to expect.

When the play is newly written, when it's lightly scripted, when some of the audience had circled it on the programme days before, some popped in for a drink and some were just distracted from their shopping, the rapport between the actors and those watching adds a rawness and energy to the experience.

The Fringe includes a script-writing workshop and a family event but 'bite-sized' plays covering the gamut of human emotion make up most of the programme. During those few minutes, the audience is suspended in the prospect that things could change dramatically - a line could deliver hope, comedy or tragedy, fall flat or soar. Throughout, the audience could be indifferent or swept up in the moment.

The writer's script as it appeared on paper is transformed by the actors and the audience and the experience can't be repeated in quite the same way.

The local writers and professional actors will be there.

You don't have to book you don't have to pay, you just have to turn up and the adventure begins.