BorderLight Theatre Festival returns with 12 LGBTQ+ shows.

A play exploring the challenges of queer life in the West Bank and a deeply personal exploration of gender identity are on the bill at the BorderLight Theatre Festival in downtown Cleveland July 16-19. These are just two of a dozen shows in the festival lineup that include LGBTQ+ themes.

Returning to Cleveland’s Playhouse Square district for a sixth time, this year’s festival will feature over 150 local, national, and international performances across 16 stages. Now occurring annually, BorderLight Theatre Festival serves as a unique addition to Cleveland’s vibrant theater scene.

Placing special emphasis on fringe performance, the festival allows space for experimental and, at times, unconventional work that inspires connectedness and greater cross-cultural understanding in the Cleveland community.

BorderLight’s 2025 Festival Guide highlights important details regarding event sponsors, the geographically diverse performers, specific venues, nearby dining locations and much more.

The guide also organizes the shows into spotlight lineups, categorizing performances by specific interest and subject matter. One spotlight is the Pride in Full Color lineup, made up of 12 shows with LGBTQ+ themes.

This lineup’s offerings include:

SHARIF, an international show focusing on complexities and harsh realities of being queer in the West Bank.
Mental Illness and Friends, a live comedy talk-show combining stand-up, improv, and open, honest dialogue with other artists dealing with mental health issues.
She Was A Conquistawhore, an absurd, radical, and deeply personal exploration of gender identity, intergenerational trauma, and healing.
Unhinged: A Burlesque Play on Modern Dating Highs and Lows, an impactful production highlighting the complexities of modern dating, while focusing on issues like narcissism, gaslighting and trauma. This show is recommended for adults only.

“We really encourage people to come, park, and spend a few hours downtown going from show to show to really get the festival vibe and the full experience” says the festival’s founder and executive director Dale Heinen.

Tickets for all performances are available to be purchased online individually or as “binge-on-fringe” packs, allowing festival-goers to attend four, six or 12 shows at a discounted rate throughout the long weekend.

Tickets will also be available for in-person purchase at Borderlight’s box office, located at 1317 Euclid Avenue, 44115 (The City Club of Cleveland) during limited hours from July 16-19, and one hour prior to performance showtimes at Cleveland State University’s Theatre & Arts Building, the Hermit Club and Wizbang Tent at Playhouse Square Plaza.

To make innovative theater accessible to everyone, all outdoor performances are free.

Also committed to catalyzing cultural and economic growth in Cleveland, Dale Heinen and her team are hoping to build off of the festival’s $600,000 impact in 2024.

Dale Heinen states, “We really think it’s important – for the survival of theatre and for theatre to thrive – to bring more audiences to it. We need to make it possible for people to see it.” 🔥