Summer Shorts Festival

Discover a fast-paced mix of satire, storytelling and theatrical experimentation as 20 original short plays take the stage over four nights. Performed script-in-hand with a rotating cast, live music and a sharp-tongued fictional host, this year’s Summer Shorts Festival offers a bold and irreverent take on current events, cultural tensions and the power of live performance.

Presented by City Theatre in collaboration with Villain Theater, the festival runs June 26–29 at the Sandrell Rivers Theater. Each evening features a lineup of five ten-minute plays, meaning no two shows are the same. Audiences can attend a single night or purchase a festival pass to experience the full range of new work. Among this year’s highlights are I. You. by Cristina Marie Pla-Guzman, Burn Book by JC Gutierrez, Tabú/Taboo by Bianca Utset and How Did We Get Here? by Nick Valdes—four pieces developed by local playwrights through the festival’s HOMEGROWN initiative.

Hosting the festival is Rhonda Sanchez, a fictional character created for this year’s edition and brought to life by Villain Theater. Part variety show emcee, part political parody, Rhonda brings biting commentary and comedic flair to the stage between each performance.

General admission is $25, with full festival passes available for $80. A limited number of $40 VIP tickets include front-row cabaret seating and Rhonda’s signature cocktail, “Red, White, and Boozy.” Proceeds support City Theatre’s Defunded Not Defeated fund, which sustains short-form theater amid shifting cultural and financial pressures. Free parking is available at the venue.