When life becomes unmanageable and pressures mount, how do we respond? Do challenges or circumstances make us victims, make us stronger, or do our choices define us as villains and heroes?

'The Origin of a Villain' is a collaborative production between the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and Cleveland Public Theatre, as part of the Y-Haven Theatre Project.These are the philosophical questions at the heart of "The Origin of a Villain," the latest collaboration between the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) as part of the production Y-Haven Theatre Project. The free production opens Thursday, March 26 at CPT and runs through Sunday, March 29.

The play’s synopsis reads: “When one man’s life begins to unravel under the weight of mounting pressures, fractured relationships, and the choices he makes in response, the consequences build with relentless force. As each decision compounds the last, destruction feels inevitable, and the line between victim and villain blurs. With humor, grit, and unflinching honesty, this play explores how easily a life can become unmanageable—and how, even in the aftermath of wreckage, there remains a steadfast hope for redemption.”

Now in its 27th year, the YMCA of Greater Cleveland and CPT team up each Spring to share the powerful stories of recovery and redemption. “ This year’s performance explores the thin line between victim and villain and is based on the lives of the 14-member ensemble who are all residents off addiction treatment center and transitional housing provider Y-Haven Treatment and Recovery Center.

"This year, we talked a lot about the idea of things being unmanageable and what happens when things just start piling on,” explains Melissa (Missy) Crum, CPT's director of education and co-director of the production.

“We talked about the idea that sometimes you make choices you wouldn't ordinarily make in life when you're under that amount of stress," Crum adds.

“The Origin of a Villain” centers around Tommy, played by ensemble member James Alexander. "So the story is a guy, he's experiencing different setbacks in his life,” Alexander explains. “He's trying to right the ship. But things keep piling on—it's just [about] overcoming that adversity."

“It goes up and down in the middle, but it comes to an end of hopefulness,” says Deborah Smith, who plays one of the neighborhood residents, Deanna, in the play. Alexander adds, “It has good unity, with everyone coming together for a greater cause, everybody working together to achieve one goal.”

The remaining Y-Haven ensemble members are Paul Robinson, Ian Palmer, Mike Porter, Antonio Lash, Nolan Jones, Stacy Smith, Beth Holland, Monica Michalak, Anthony McKinny, Rita Adams, Sherry McCall, and Terrelle Johnson.

Putting together a collage
Since January, Crum and co-director Ashley Aquilla have worked with ensemble members to weave their individual stories into one unified narrative.

'The Origin of a Villain' is based on the collective stories of the 14 ensemble members."We do a series of exercises throughout our time together in rehearsal,” explains Crum of the process. “I really consider myself and Ashley collage artists where we're taking a lot of different material and we're trying to find the vehicle that best fits telling that story.”

The result is a story that explores a variety of universal themes while incorporating personal experiences from each cast member.

"Missy and Ashley were able to incorporate all of our stories inside the play, so it's a part of each of us in the storyline,” says Alexander. “I really admire the way they did that.”

Exploring complex themes
"The Origin of a Villain" doesn't offer simple answers to complex questions. Instead, Crum says it examines the interplay between circumstances and personal responsibility.

"How many of the things that we do in our life are circumstantial, how many of the things that we do in our life are choices we make because of the given circumstances, and where does accountability live inside of that," Crum says.

“How do we acknowledge that we still play a role inside of the choices that we're making and hold at the same time that there are things that happen to us sometimes that are outside of our control,” Crum continues, “and there's a kind of grief that comes along with the pairing of those things.”

The production also tackles themes that emerge consistently among the Y-Haven residents: family dynamics, loss, and the recovery process.

"A lot of folks talked about the recovery process because, there are often many, many attempts at recovery before you really get on the path,” explains Crum.

Growth through performance
Many of the cast members have no previous acting experience, yet Alexander says the process has been transformative as he has found unexpected abilities within himself.

"I've learned things about myself that I didn't know before,” he says. "It's helped me tremendously as far as building my confidence up, speaking in front of the audience, because I always get nervous with doing that... and working with others, being patient, being accepting, and understanding that everybody is on different levels in their lives."

Smith echoes the personal growth sentiment. “It's like getting over something—a fear of doing something and doing something that I've never done before, trying something new,” she says. “It’s doing something different than what I used to do before, when I was down and out. But it's opening up new ways for me, and I feel good about it.”

The therapeutic aspect of the work isn't lost on the participants. As Smith puts it, "It gets you out of your mind for a minute,” she says.

'The Origin of a Villain' ensemble in rehearsals.A message of hope
Despite exploring dark themes around how people can become "villains," the production ultimately offers hope.

Smith says he hopes the audience will walk away with a sense of universal connection. "Everybody goes through obstacles in life,” she says, “and they can be overcome with unity and love, caring for each other."

Alexander offers a more personal perspective, pointing out that as Y-Haven residents, all of the ensemble members have experienced a range of personal issues.

“We've been through a lot of things, but we haven't allowed that to dictate our futures—our past doesn't define who we are today,” Alexander says. “I used to look at the things that I experienced in the past as losses, but now I understand, from a different perspective, that they're all lessons I've been able to learn from my setbacks.

“I've been able to learn from the trials and tribulations of my life,” Alexander continues, “and I can honestly say, they have made me a better man today.”

Performance Details
"The Origin of a Villain" runs for one weekend, Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, March 29, in James Levin Theatre at Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 44102.

The performances are free on Thursday, March 26, on Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, March 29 at 3 p.m.

A special benefit performance supporting Y-Haven is on Saturday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m., with tickets available for $100. The benefit performance includes a pre-show reception with heavy appetizers and a post-show chat with the ensemble.