Cleveland Public Theatre To Present I WEAR MY DEAD SISTER’S CLOTHES By Amy Schwabauer

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) will present I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes, written and performed by Amy Schwabauer, running December 4–20, 2025. Directed by Ray Caspio, the 60-minute production marks the full-stage debut of Schwabauer’s award-winning solo play following its sold-out run at the 2024 BorderLight Festival, where it received the Char and Chuck Fowler Audience Choice Award.

A poignant, funny, and deeply relatable piece, I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes is an autobiographical dark comedy about what it means to love and grieve a complicated person. While sorting through her late sister’s belongings, Schwabauer navigates loss and memory with humor and heart — finding laughter among tears and meaning in the mundane.

“This play has been an incredible, arduous, heartbreaking, and joyous journey for me,” said Schwabauer. “It came from grief and grew into a script, readings, and then a one-weekend-only DIY solo show. Having that audience made me realize the impact of this work — and with CPT’s full production, I can finally give it the life it deserves.”

Caspio, a multidisciplinary artist and current Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellow at CPT, previously co-directed the piece during its BorderLight Festival run.

I Wear My Dead Sister’s Clothes follows Schwabauer as she clears out her deceased sister’s home, sifting through both physical and emotional clutter — from four identical dish drainers to old family wounds. Through dark humor and raw honesty, she confronts what it means to remember, to let go, and to live on.

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