Theater events: Gift Theatre premieres 'Bethany'

• Libertyville native Marti Lyons reunites with playwright Laura Marks for The Gift Theatre's Chicago premiere of Marks' "Bethany." A contemporary drama set during the recent recession, "Bethany" centers on a single mom recently unemployed who squats in a foreclosed house, with a paranoid stranger, in an attempt to convince social services to release her daughter from foster care into her custody. Gift ensemble members Hilary Clemens and Paul D'Addario star. Previews begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens Oct. 2. $20-$30. (773) 283-7071 or thegifttheatre.org.

• In the wake of actor Bernie Yvon's death on Sept. 6, The Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Ind., has postponed the opening of the musical "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." George Andrew Wolff will take over Yvon's role as the taxi driver, and the production will open at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• Performances continue for Route 66 Theatre Company's world premiere of "The Downpour," Caitlin Parrish's drama about two sisters whose relationship suffers when one of them announces she is pregnant. Performances continue through Oct. 12 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org or route66theatre.org.

• Previews began Friday, Sept. 19, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, for Filament Theatre's Midwest premiere of "The Monster in the Hall." David Grieg's comedy is about a teenage girl named after her late mother's favorite motorcycle, who cares for her ailing father while navigating various adolescent traumas. Artistic director Julie Ritchey directs the show, which opens Sept. 21 and features original music by Robert Deason. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.

• Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre celebrates German composer Kurt Weill ("The Threepenny Opera," "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny") with its new revue "A Kurt Weill Cabaret" beginning previews Friday, Sept. 19, at No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Fred Anzevino, includes "Threepenny Opera" and "Mahagonny Songspiel" selections as well as Broadway and Hollywood tunes. It opens Monday, Sept. 22. (800) 595-4849 or theo-u.org.

• Artemisia Theatre presents a mini festival of staged readings at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, and at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sept. 26 and 27 at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, 925 W. Diversey St., Chicago. Admission is free. From the readings, audiences will select their favorite work, which Artemisa will produce in 2016. Featured plays include: "Outriders" by Kate Douglas; "Girl Against the Wall" by Lisa Lee; "Two Degrees" by Tira Palmquist; "The Unlikely Ascent of Sybil Stevens" by Kari Bentley-Quinn; "Atalanta K.O." by D.L. Siegel; and "Still Life" by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich. See artemisatheatre.org.

• Pride Films and Plays presents staged readings of the finalists of its Women's Words contest Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The finalists include Pat Montley's "Kali Dances"; Laura Jones' "Creative Nonfiction"; Jan O'Connor's "The Girl Who Would Be King"; and Heidi FitzGerald's "Jack and the Box Store." There will also be a staged reading of Patricia Kane's "Pulp" on Friday, Sept. 19. For tickets, see brownpapertickets.com. For more information, see pridefilmsandplays.com.

• Zoe Schwartz, Joseph Schupbach and Laura McKenzie team up for the sketch comedy show "Totally Cute!" running Friday, Sept. 19, through Sunday, Sept. 21, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, remounts its 2013 world premiere of Noah Haidle's "Smokefall," this time in the larger Albert Theatre. The original cast, including Mike Nussbaum, Katherine Keberlein, Guy Massey, Catherine Combs, Anne Fogarty and Eric Slater return. And Anne Kauffman once again helms this meditation on family and mortality partly inspired by Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." Previews begin Saturday, Sept. 20. The show opens Sept. 28. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Idle Muse Theatre Company's version of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel by Jeffrey Hatcher, opens Saturday, Sept. 20, at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. (773) 340-9438 or idlemuse.org.

• "Bingo's Birthday," Emerald City Theatre's second production for children 5 and younger, opens Saturday, Sept. 20, at 2933 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Written and created by artistic director Ernie Nolan, the play is about a party for a special dog who is nowhere to be found. (773) 529-2690 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.

• Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, presents its adults-only "Star Wars" parody "Boobs on Endor: A Return of the Jedi Burlesque" beginning at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• The 2014 Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller, and fellow Broadway veterans Abby Mueller ("Kinky Boots") and Karen Mason ("Mamma Mia"), perform Monday, Sept. 22, at City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph St., Chicago, as part of Launching FWD! the inaugural event for the newly created FWD Theatre Project. FWD stands for Festival of Works in Development. Led by artistic director Amber Mak, the grass-roots organization is dedicated to developing original musical theater works in Chicago. Monday's concert will showcase five in-development musicals, including Lawrence Rush's musical adaptation of Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice" along with John McMahon and Jay Jeffries' "Love and Other Fables" inspired by the early life of Aesop. Doors open at 6 p.m. for food and cocktails. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20-$35. (312) 733-9463 or citywinery.com or fwdtheatre.org.

• The true story of a freelance reporter investigating corruption in the Reagan White House involving the Iranian hostage crisis and the Iran-Contra scandal, and who authorities say committed suicide in a Virginia hotel room in 1991, inspired Dominic Orlando's "Danny Casolaro Died for You." TimeLine Theatre presents the Chicago premiere of the political thriller, which begins previews Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Associate artistic director Nick Bowling directs the production, which stars Kyle Hatley as Danny. The show opens Oct. 1. (773) 281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com.

• With the return of AMC's "The Walking Dead" still a few weeks away, Zombiephiles can satisfy their craving with the horror film sendup "Evil Dead: The Musical." Inspired by the film series, this show by George Reinblatt, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and Christopher Bond debuted in Toronto in 2003 and opened off-Broadway in 2006. Performances begin Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Director Sean Graney, who combined all 32 surviving Greek tragedies into one epic production titled "All Our Tragic," discusses how he adapted the plays to create a contemporary Festival of Dionysus. The event is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario St., Chicago. Admission is free, but registration is required. See prairie.org.

• Pat Murphy, director of Citadel Theatre Company's revival of Ira Levin's "Deathtrap," and members of the cast will meet with audiences after select performances of the thriller. These talkbacks will take place Sept. 25, Sept. 28 and Oct. 2 at West Campus, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest. (847) 735-8554 or citadeltheatre.org.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater welcomes South Africa's Isango Ensemble to perform "The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo)" in Chicago as part of CST's world's stage series. Thirty actors and musicians re-imagine Wolfgang Mozart's opera using African music and storytelling. This performance at the Skyline Stage on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, marks the company's Chicago debut. It runs Thursday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 28. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• New Millennium Theatre Company's production of Anton Chekhov's "The Proposal" continues Fridays through Oct. 3 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The play about a young man's attempts to propose to his beloved is part of Stage 773's Chekhov mini festival. Also participating in the festival is Red Theater performing an updated version of Chekhov's "The Wedding," about the characters participating in one couple's nuptials. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• The Waltzing Mechanics dramatize stories for visitors and new residents of Chicago in its latest edition of "El Stories," running at 11 p.m. Saturdays at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org.

• A single, anonymous donor has donated $100,000 to the Raven Theatre, a respected storefront company at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. "In my judgment," the donor wrote, "Raven Theatre has been taking the kind of steps that will move it forward to the next level in providing superb theatrical productions and education." Executive director Kelli Strickland said the donation will help fund facility improvements and for general operations for the ensemble, founded in 1983 by Michael Menendian and JoAnn Montemurro. Currently onstage at Raven is the company's revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• The deadline is Oct. 31 for submissions to Red Theater's third annual playwriting competition. The company seeks experimental plays that push extremes in movement and voice, and explore difficult subjects. The winning entry will receive staged readings in Chicago, Nebraska and New York. See redtheater.org.

• Tickets are now available for Commedia Beauregard's last production of "A Klingon Christmas Carol," running Dec. 4 to 21 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Order by Oct. 3 and receive a 20 percent discount. (773) 935-6875 or cbtheatre.org.

- Barbara Vitello