There are festivals that entertain you for a day, and then there are festivals that stay with you long after the production trucks roll away.

BorderLight International Theatre + Fringe Festival is new biennial festival of contemporary and international theatre that launched in Cleveland in 2019. Over 4 spectacular days, the festival hosted:

• 40 productions from across the globe (and homegrown in Cleveland, Ohio), staged in
• 11 indoor and outdoor venues in downtown Cleveland, from Public Square to Playhouse Square.

In 2019, shows included: international touring productions from around the globe, a fringe festival of fresh, alternative, and original performances from companies across the US, along with special collaborations produced by BorderLight, created in a partnership between visiting international artists and some of the city’s most celebrated local theatres: Cleveland Public Theatre, Karamu House, Dobama Theatre and Cleveland Play House.

Whether you’re an avid theater goer or new to live performance, or perhaps an adventure-seeker looking to discover hidden gems of downtown Cleveland, there’s something for everyone.

Click the link below for a recap of the inaugural festival.