Western Reserve Playhouse’s BY THE PEOPLE Festival Presents Nine American Plays Across Three Weekends

Western Reserve Playhouse is hosting a three-weekend festival celebrating American theatre and the country's 250-year history. From September 11–27, you'll find nine contemporary plays on stage: three full-length MainStage productions and six shorter plays called ShortCuts. The festival explores themes like community, race, forgiveness, family, and identity through stories that feel relevant today. Each MainStage show pairs with a different ShortCut before it begins (like a short film before a movie), giving you a complete experience in one evening. The three MainStage productions are *The Amish Project* (a drama about forgiveness following a real tragedy), *American Moor* (examining race and power through a Shakespeare audition), and *Italian American Reconciliation* (a romantic comedy). All six ShortCuts also return together on Sunday, September 27, as a standalone program. You can build your own festival experience by attending individual performances across the three weekends or catching the ShortCuts finale on its own. Performances run Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM, with Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. This is a great option for families who enjoy theatre that tackles meaningful questions while keeping audiences engaged. Visit the Western Reserve Playhouse website for tickets and full performance details.