LAKELAND — Orlando may not literally be on the fringes of civilization, but getting caught in Disney traffic can make the journey seem like the next "Mad Max" movie.

So Rogue Stage is bringing the fringe to Lakeland with “Tales from the Orlando Fringe” — two nights of shows directly from the Orlando International Fringe Festival, which runs for two weeks in Orlando starting May 14.

The Orlando festival is the longest-running “fringe” theater festival in the United States, now in its 28th year. Fringe festivals are arts events that feature alternative or experimental performances and exhibitions using drama, music and visual arts.

Rogue Stage Producing Director Thom Mesrobian — who co-founded the theater group with Mark and Tonya Hartfield — said the idea is to give Lakeland-area folks exposure to what can be experienced at the Orlando International Fringe Festival, but on a smaller scale.

“I’m a huge fan of the Orlando Fringe Festival and fringe festivals as a whole. I always try to encourage people of Lakeland to go see shows in Orlando but that can be a long drive for some people,” he said. “What we wanted to do is to let people know about the Orlando International Fringe Festival by showing them some examples locally.”

For “Tales from the Orlando Fringe,” four one-person shows will be presented May 17 and May 23 at LkldLive, Studio B, 202 N. Massachusetts Ave.

Mesrobian, 52, who has been acting since he was 4 years old, said the LkldLive shows will contain some of “heaviest hitters” from the Orlando event, all Orlando-area actors.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the May 17 show features Martin Dockery, winner of more than 20 “Best of Festival” awards around the world, and Timothy Mooney, winner of multiple critics’ choice awards.

Dockery will perform his comedy “You Belong Here,” which chronicles his trip to the inaccurately named “Forbidden City.” Mooney will perform "Breakneck Julius Caesar,” an interactive one-man event in which he somewhat recklessly takes Shakespeare's classic tale down to an hour and plays all the roles himself.

At 7:30 p.m. May 23, Mesrobian said, Paul Strickland, 10-time “Best of Fest” winner and a master storyteller, will present his "90 Lies an Hour” and Erika Kate MacDonald presents an “out-of-this-world” adventure story, “Evacuated!”

Mooney, 44, will be in his eighth Orlando International Fringe Festival as a producer, 22nd as a participant. He said he was glad to see the independent arts making their ways into Florida arts markets outside of large ones like Miami, Tampa and Orlando. He said having the “Tales from the Orlando Fringe” take place in Lakeland helps tie the Central Florida arts scene together via the Orlando International Fringe Festival and the Tampa International Fringe Festival, which runs May 2 to May 11 in venues across Tampa’s Ybor City.

“People in Lakeland are in a very unique, beneficial situation being able to enjoy both of these festivals and then having Rogue Theatre bring some of the individual performing arts groups to Lakeland,” Mooney said. “I love the idea of independent performing arts being seen by more people and tying Central Florida together with the Tampa Fringe and Orlando Fringe back to back.”

LkldLive Executive Director Shane Lawlor said the “Tales from the Orlando Fringe” shows what’s happening from the stages in the greater Central Florida area and brings outside productions to Polk County for the first time.

“One of the things we’re trying to do at LkldLive is bring to town shows and events from Tampa and Orlando. Hopefully, people will get behind (“Tales from the Orlando Fringe”) and if they like it, go on to the Orlando International Fringe Festival as well,” he said.