'Dr. Seward's Dracula,' 'Captain Blood' on tap at First Folio

First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook will open its 21st season with the world premiere of “Dr. Seward's Dracula,” by Joseph Zettelmaier (“The Gravedigger,” “Salvage”).

Artistic director Alison C. Vesely directs the tale, which picks up after Dracula's death as Dr. Seward struggles to explain the trail of dead bodies the vampire left in his wake. It runs Oct. 5 through Nov. 6.

A second world premiere follows when Joseph Jefferson Award-winner and First Folio executive director David Rice adapts Rafael Sabatini's novel “Captain Blood,” which runs from Jan. 25, 2017, to Feb. 26, 2017. Set during the English Revolution of 1688, the swashbuckler centers on a physician falsely imprisoned on a Caribbean island who escapes and becomes a privateer.

The Chicago area premiere of Lauren Gunderson's “Silent Sky” begins previews March 29, 2017, and runs through April 30, 2017. The dramedy chronicles the true story of Henriette Leavitt Swan, a Harvard University “computer lady” who — despite being denied the opportunity to use a telescope — made seminal discoveries in astronomy that foreshadowed the work of Dr. Edwin Hubble among others.

The season concludes with First Folio's summer production of William Shakespeare's “As You Like It,” about a noble woman banished from her uncle's court who seeks shelter in the woods disguised as a man. It runs July 12, 2017, to Aug. 20, 2017.

Performances take place at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook. Three- and four-show subscriptions start at $58. Subscribers who purchase by July 1 receive $5 off. Subscriptions are available by phone (630) 986-8067 or online at firstfolio.org.