BorderLight Cleveland

Please give a warm welcome to our new Festival Producer, Kadijah Wingo 👏

Kadijah, AKA Kwingo, is a Cleveland native with a background in comedy, theatre, writing, & producing. We are excited to have her on our team and we can’t wait for you to meet her at our festival in July!! 

#BorderLightCLE

When you have great sponsors like Cuyahoga Community College, it feels like anything is possible, even walking on air... or bottles. 🌬️🍾

Thank you @tric_edu for sponsoring #BorderLight2025 

#DowntownCleveland #SupportTheArts #TheatreFestival #Sponsorship #TriC

Some wrap party pics as we wrap up 2025 📸 

Masks and music filled the Hermit Club as we celebrated the artists, staff, and volunteers who made #BorderLight2025 possible. We can't wait to see what our fringe future holds in 2026!

✨ Deadline to apply for the 2026 festival is January 16th ✨

CSU Theatre & Dance is an essential #sponsor for BorderLight. Every year, they donate their time and space to our festival, allowing us to host a number of shows in their theatres, including the ones pictured. 

Thank you for helping us make fringe possible in Cleveland!

BorderLight Artist takes the stage at the World's Largest Fringe Fest!

Molly McFadden's show "Living on the Moon" made its debut at BorderLight 2024 & this past august, she performed at Edinburgh's fringe fest! Edinburgh is birthplace of fringe and hosts the largest fringe festival in the world 🌍

"I Wear My Dead Sister's Clothes" premiered at BorderLight 2024 and is now getting a full mainstage season at Cleveland Public Theatre! 👗👚🧦🧤🧣🩳

The show will run December 4-20 and you can purchase tickets here: https://www.cptonline.org/performances/seasons/2025-2026/i-wear-my-dead-sisters-clothes/

We would like to thank Margaret W. Wong & Associates for supporting #BorderLight2025 

Margaret Wong & her law firm have been longtime supporters, not just of BorderLight, but of arts & diversity in Cleveland. Visit imwong.com to learn more about how they service our community. 

#DowntownCleveland

Design the 2026 Festival Branding! - BorderLight Festival Design the official 2026 festival branding! Are you a passionate and creative local artist or designer? BorderLight Theatre Festival invites you to be part of our festival history by developing the official branding and visual identity for the 2026 festival. Why You Should Apply: BorderLight is a nonprofit theatre festival with a mission to present…

🗣️ Calling all graphic designers, digital artists, or creative marketers in Ohio!

Would you like the chance to design our brand for an entire year? If so, submit your portfolio! 

Apply Here: https://www.borderlightcle.org/2026branding/

#SupportTheArts #BorderLight2026

🔺🔻 WE ARE HIRING 🔺🔻
We are seeking someone fun & outgoing, with a dynamite personality to join our team as a festival producer 🧨

Job Description: https://www.borderlightcle.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Producer-Job-Description-2026-Festival.pdf

Share with someone you think is the perfect fit!

Uh Oh! Some BorderLight got all over Cleveland State University's College of Law. Guess we got too carried away showing our gratitude to this #sponsor

Thank you to Carole Heyward, Senior Clinical Professor @csulawschool for your in-kind support of #BorderLight2025 🕺

#SupportTheArts #Sponsorship

If you were to write a letter to art, what would you say?

We asked you to do just that at our opening night party, "Fringe Unleashed," and here's what a few of you wrote. 

#DearArt #LetterWriting #SupportTheArts #BorderLight2025
💛🩵🩷💙❤️

We would like to thank @neorsd.org for Sponsoring #BorderLight2025 and for setting up a super cool sewer tunnel display for us to play with as we learned about the importance of clean water! 😎💧

Thanks for helping our festival be more fun and educational!

#Sponsorship #SupportTheArts #NEORSD

News & Events: Applications Open for 2025 Jonathan Larson Grants The Jonathan Larson Grants are the Wing’s annual investment in emerging musical theatre artists, offering support through unrestricted cash grants, as well as additional support in the form of residen...

📣 Calling theatre composers, librettists, lyricists and musical theatre writing teams 📣

The Jonathan Larson Grant application is open until September 26!

The award amount is tbd, but in 2024 it was $16k+

#SupportTheArts

americantheatrewing.org/news-events/...

Matt Gittins is the composer, lyricist, & orchestrator behind You Go On, a moving musical about loss, resilience, and connection when coping with surviving a school shooting. 

Full story in our newsletter. Not subscribed? Sign up: https://mailchi.mp/borderlightcle.org/newsletter

#BorderLight2025

We owe a huge thank you to @4imprint for keeping us clothed this year! This wonderful company is responsible for all our t-shirts, including: staff shirts, volunteer shirts, and our commemorative festival shirts.

#BorderLight2025 #TheatreFestival #CLEevents #DowntownCleveland #Sponsorship

More stellar photos from #BorderLight2025

We are incredibly proud of all the performers that joined us this year! Wondering how you can get involved?
Visit https://www.borderlightcle.org/ for information on donations, volunteering, and submitting to next year's festival!

A few of our favorite performance photos from #BorderLight2025 📸

This year, we had over 40 shows and over 100 artists performing. In order to keep growing, we kindly ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation in any amount. Thank you!

Donate here: https://www.borderlightcle.org/donate/

Tomorrow, 7/19 is the last day you can get your fringe freak on at #BorderLight2025 

Meet us in @PSQdistrict for a day full of creativity as we wrap up Cleveland’s one and only fringe festival.

Public Square was lit up last night with #BorderLight2025 colors 💛🩵❤️💜💙

This display is part of #IlluminateCLE, dazzling our city with lights by @downtowncle.bsky.social 

Thank you, Cleveland and happy first day of BorderLight!!

#CLE #DowntownCleveland #Theatre #Lights #Festival

🎪 #BorderLight2025 begins tomorrow, July 16th! Party with us at FRINGE UNLEASHED, the opening night kick-off celebration for previews, pop-ups, and live performances! 

Tickets are just $11.25 and still available
https://borderlightcle.vbotickets.com/events

#CLEevents #BorderLightCLE

We are offering performances with American Sign Language interpreters on July 19th! Thanks to our friends at The HeArd, four shows that day will have ASL interpreters. 

#BorderLight2025 #ASL #ASLinterpreter #CLEevents #DowntownCleveland

We are inviting local buskers to informally perform at Playhouse Square Plaza during the following times:

Thursday, July 17
5:00–6:00 PM
6:30–7:45 PM

Friday, July 18
5:00–5:30 PM
6:25–7:45 PM
8:15–8:45 PM

Saturday, July 19
5:15–6:15 PM

You are welcome to perform for tips
#BorderLight2025 #Busker

‼️ VOLUNTEER APPLICATION CLOSES ON 06/30 ‼️

I repeat 🗣️ the volunteer application closes on 06/30! To sign up, visit https://www.borderlightcle.org/volunteer/ 

#BorderLight2025 #CLEevents #DowntownCleveland #Volunteers #TheatreFestival #SummerFun

Experience bold, live performances at BorderLight 2025—Cleveland’s most innovative theatre festival! 
Taking place July 16-19 in the @psqdistrict across 16 stages @playhousesquare 

Special thanks to @fusionfilmworkscle for creating this trailer! 

#BorderLight2025

Saturday, July 19th is all about fringe family fun!! Look for the yellow Fringe Jr. banner on our website to know which shows are recommended for families.

⚠️ Please see our specific age guidance for details. Some shows are 14+ and others are 14 and under. ⚠️ 

#BorderLight2025 #CLEevents

Events | DANCECleveland | Modern and Contemporary Dance in Cleveland, OH Based in Cleveland, OH, DANCECleveland is the country's oldest modern dance presentation organization

✨ Did someone say free classes? Join our friends at @DANCECleveland July 26th for their Free Community Dance Day at @playhousesquare featuring 13+ different classes for all ages & abilities.

Registration opens TODAY—no prior dance experience needed! Learn more:

🪄Some of our magicians might make money appear out of thin air, but we can't! Donations are still open 🎩

Proceeds go towards housing artists, accessibility accommodations, providing free public performances, & more. 

For more info: https://www.borderlightcle.org/donate/ 💫

#BorderLight2025

Hey, students! Looking to do something fun with your summer? How about volunteering for a theatre festival? 

Submit an application today: https://www.borderlightcle.org/volunteer/

‼️ Deadline to apply is June 30th ‼️

*Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult

#BorderLight2025

Happy Pride Month 🌈 Check out our LGBTQ+ shows! 
 
-Arachne
-Mental Illness and Friends
-rustbelt. 
-Get With The Times, Jane!
-Jacquesalope 
-Five And A Half Feet of Fearsome
-Sharif
-She Was A Conquistawh*re
-D.O.C. Studios
-A Burlesque Play on Modern Dating
-In The Shadows
-Mary Kay Vampires

Shows are already selling out and ticket sales have only been live for 2 weeks! Be sure to purchase yours soon 🎟️

TikTok saw it first 🫣 be sure to follow us @borderlightcle on there 💃

#BorderLight2025 #CLEevents #TheatreFestival #SummerFestival #PerformingArts #DowntownCleveland