The lottery is over and the field for the 2009 Minnesota Fringe Festival has been filled.

Monday’s event drew a standing-room-only crowd at the Bedlam Theatre, as potential participants waited breathlessly like a room full of "American Idol" hopefuls.

Patrons will not only find new companies from the area and nation in this year’s edition, but also quite a few familiar faces. Returning companies include David Mann, Ari Hoptman, Mike Fotis, Joseph Scrimshaw, Four Humors Theater, Jimmy Hogg, Ministry of Cultural Warfare, Tim Uren, Nautilus Music-Theater, Noah Bremer, Top Hat Theatre, Theatre Unbound and Walking Shadow Theatre Company.

Though titles still might be tentative at this point, some already have the intrigue needed for a Fringe show to fly from the start, including Walking Shadow’s "Scrimshaw! The Unauthorized True Story of the Scrimshaw Brothers"; The Acting Unlimited Inc.’s "Sex, Lies and Social Security: The Joys(!?) of ‘Mature’ Romance," and Tommy Nugent’s "Burning Man and the Reverend Nuge."

Still, the festival’s national presence has increased, as applications from outside of the state were up by 25 percent this year. Participants have until March 13 to pull out of the festival and receive a full refund. That, in turn, opens a space for 161 submissions on the waiting list. If there are enough cancellations, we may get to see Partizan Theater’s "Angelina Jolie is a Zionist Whore! Or Plan 9 from Baghdad."

The complete list of lottery winners can be found here.