The BorderLight Theatre and Fringe Festival returned to Playhouse Square yesterday, Wednesday, July 8, for four days of free outdoor performances, international productions, and collaborations with local artists. BorderLight will present 49 shows and 150 performances—including 13 free shows and four shows with ASL interpreters—on 16 stages around the district with artists representing 10 states and three countries.

Kadijah Wingo, BorderLight producer.The festival—designed to be a catalyst for Cleveland’s cultural and economic growth, meant to expand the city’s reputation as a theatre destination, and created to develop the next generation of artists, producers, and theatre workers—continues through Saturday, July 11

This year also marks a new chapter for BorderLight, with veteran BorderLight performer Kadijah Wingo stepping into the role of producer.

Wingo, who appeared in BorderLight 2025's immersive traveling piece "Welcome to the Hermit Club," says one of this year's biggest priorities is making greater use of Playhouse Square's outdoor International Plaza with free performances.

"This year we are offering a lot more free programming, mainly because we want to activate the outdoor plaza square," she says. "It's the location that recently got a little stage built out on it, so we're bringing a lot more free programming from some cultural and local groups to offer dance and other kinds of interactions."

The festival opened yesterday on International Plaza with the family-friendly, Massillon-based 9^th Avenue Street Circus, a group with strong ties to the beloved Wizbang Circus Theatre, which was founded in 2013 and has been based in Cleveland Heights since 2020.

The group performs on the plaza again tonight, Thursday, July 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. along with the Akron area Elek: Trik Dance Crew, which performing high-energy K-pop, J-pop, queer artists, and musical theater favorites from 7:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and 9^th Avenue Street Circus Performs again Friday, July 10 from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Shojoji Japanese Dancers will perform traditional Japanese dances in kimonos at International Plaza in Playhouse Square.Wingo says the festival focuses on local artists and introduces audiences to new works.

"This year we really wanted to partner with a lot of local groups, to make sure Cleveland artists were being featured in a proper way," she says. "The whole point of inviting local groups is to merge audiences—make sure people learn that this is the art that's happening in your own back yard. You don't need to wait until this festival to experience new work—the new work is constantly, always happening."

Among other outdoor highlights is the popular group Line Dance is My Therapy, which will get everyone moving with an upbeat community line dance experience on Friday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

"They're going to be there Friday night, kind of giving us a little bit of a kickoff for that evening," Wingo says, adding that the group's teach-as-you-go format makes it easy for anyone to join in.

"It really is a lot of fun because they teach you how to do it, and then everybody joins in and does it together as a group,” she explains. “So if you don't know a particular line dance, it's the perfect time to be able to get to learn for free."

The outdoor programming also features Egan Irish Dance School with Irish dancers, Shojoji Japanese Dancers performing traditional Japanese dances in kimonos, and Cleveland Phoenix Art & Culture Academy performing traditional and contemporary Chinese music and dance that celebrates Chinese cultural heritage.

'Los Regalos'/'The Gifts' runs Juy 10 and 11 at Idea Center at Playhouse SquareMoving inside
Inside the theaters, audiences will find a mix of one-person and small-cast productions from Cleveland and around the world.

One featured international production is "Los Regalos" ("The Gifts"), a physical theater piece exploring the love between a father and son through mask work and acrobatic staging.

"Los Regalos is a very interesting piece that’s a part of our international works," Wingo says. "It's fully a physical theater show, but it's about the story of a father and a son's love and they use some mask work.

“And, when I say physical, I mean, like, we had to make sure we got the furniture reinforced,” she continues. “It's going to be pretty big—I'm excited for it.”

Several Cleveland organizations are also bringing new work to the festival.

The Cleveland State University theatre and dance program will present two productions, "Journey West: The Epic Devised" and “Sawdust.” Both performances will be performed Thursday through Saturday in the CSU Theatre & Arts Building Helen Rehearsal Hall (Room 504), 1901 East 13^th St. Both stagings explore themes of resilience and community across different identities. Free tickets are required for both performances.

10K Movement, the dance company led by Samuel McIntosh, returns for the BorderLight Brawl—1 vs. 1 Open Styles Dance Battle on International Plaza.

"They're bringing their dance battle,” explains Wingo. “It's going to be a mixture of performances by the students of 10K Movement, and then they're going to open it up for a dance battle where you can win a cash prize.”

The Con Tú Variety Show, a locally produced blend of comedy, poetry, and music that typically performs at Dunlap's Corner Bar in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, makes its BorderLight debut when hosts TJ Maclin and Stephanie Ginese bring together their favorite comedians, writers, and musicians for a variety show on Hermit Club’s patio tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday, July 11. Tickets for all showtimes are $16, $15 for Fringe seniors, veterans, and students.

For mature audiences, Tremont’s Convergence Continuum is creating a new work exclusively for BorderLight, says Wingo.

"It's usually hard to get other theater companies involved [with BorderLight], because they have their own seasons and just a whole lot going on,” she explains. “So we're really appreciative that they were able to put something together for us. It's going to be an evening of smutty monologues. After dark, if anybody is into some more-adult entertainment kinds of things, then this will be an offering for them."

The festival wraps up on Saturday, July 11 with Fringe Finale: Closing Night Wrap and Awards Party from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Hermit Club. Close out the festival with artists, awards, and a final celebration. The event is free, but reservations are required.

The free Fringe Finale closes out the BorderLight Theatre Festival on Saturday night.Find out more
To help festivalgoers navigate the busy schedule, BorderLight has revamped its website with expanded show descriptions, genre spotlights, and planning tools.

"Our website this year is very comprehensive,” says Wingo. “You can not only see every show that will be a part of our fringe and get more details on what exactly the show is, but we've included more spotlights — basically genres or ways to clarify and define a show.

"With those spotlights you can go straight from there to build your own kind of list of which performances you want to see,” she continues. “We’re trying to offer more ways to get people connected so it's not as chaotic when you actually are there during the festival."

Additionally, the BorderLight Visitors Guide is available for download for easy access all weekend.

The BorderLight International Theatre and Fringe Festival runs through Saturday, July 11 at Playhouse Square. Tickets and the full festival schedule are available on the site.