Theater events: Metcalf, Stewart help inaugurate new Steppenwolf space

On stage at 1700

Steppenwolf Theatre's ongoing inauguration of its new black-box performance space continues with a production of "Voice Lessons," Justin Tanner's short comedy about the relationship between an enthusiastic community theater actress and the professional voice coach she hires to make her a star. Ensemble member Laurie Metcalf returns to Chicago to co-star alongside French Stewart (CBS' "Mom"; "Third Rock From the Sun"). Rounding out the cast is Maile Flanagan. Previews begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The show opens June 2. $65-$75. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

Curtain raiser

For the first time since Fox Valley Repertory disbanded abruptly last October, live theater returns to Pheasant Run Resort courtesy of Vero Voce Theater. The company announced last month it will raise the curtain with a revival of "Next to Normal." the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical by composer Tom Kitt and writer/lyricist Brian Yorkey about a woman battling depression and the impact her struggle has on her family. Opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. $18, $20. (630) 584-0139 or verovoce.com.

Sideshow's 'Caught'

Sideshow Theatre Company, named 2016's emerging theater by Broadway in Chicago, concludes its season with "Caught," a play by Christopher Chen that combines theater and visual arts. Produced in association with Xiong Art Gallery and director Seth Bockley ("2666"), "Caught" examines the line between truth and fiction in recounting the story of a Chinese dissident artist whose claims of imprisonment are questioned by an American publisher. Previews begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 29, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 2. $20-$30. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

Other theater events

• Lifeline Theatre premieres its musical adaptation of "Northanger Abbey," Jane Austen's novel about gothic romance-obsessed Catherine Morland, who leaves her small English town for the cosmopolitan Bath where she encounters upper-crust society and the scheming that underpins it. Adapted by ensemble member Robert Kauzlaric and directed by Elise Kauzlaric, the show features music and lyrics by George Howe and stars Stephanie Stockstill as Catherine. Previews begin Friday, May 27, at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 5. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.

• Previews begin Friday, May 27, for the Interrobang Theatre Project's Midwest premiere of "The North Pool," a psychological drama about the effects of racial and cultural profiling by Rajiv Joseph. Co-artistic director James Yost directs the play, which centers on a high school student named Khadim and a vice principal who are connected through a recently deceased student. Steel Beam and Metropolis Performing Arts Centre veteran Rob Frankel co-stars with Salar Ardebili in the production, which opens Sunday, May 29, at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6875 or interrobangtheatre.org.

• American Theater Company revisits the musical comedy "Xanadu," based on the 1980 film (starring Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly) about a struggling artist who wants to transform an abandoned warehouse into a roller disco. Lili-Anne Brown directs the show by composer/lyricists Jeff Lynne, John Farrar and writer Douglas Carter Beane. Previews begin Friday, May 27, at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. The show opens June 8. (773) 409-4125 or atcweb.org.

• Erasing the Distance, an ensemble that uses theater to promote understanding of mental health issues, presents "The Forgiveness Project." This documentary theater piece is based on the real stories of four people - including a man wrongly convicted of a crime and incarcerated for 18 years - and their experiences related to forgiving themselves or others. Performances take place at 8 p.m. Friday, May 27, and at 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. See erasingthedistance.org.

• Firebrand Theatre celebrates the music of Pink at 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 30, at the Underground Lounge, 952 W. Newport Ave., Chicago. "P!nk: Sung by Her!" features performances by Firebrand co-artistic directors Danni Smith and Harmony France, Lara Filip, Karla L. Beard, Amanda Horvath, Donica Lynn and Angela Alise among others. The suggested donation is $20. Proceeds support the theater, which is dedicated to employing and expanding opportunities for women theater artists. See firebrandtheatre.org.

• The Elgin Fringe Festival holds a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 31, at the Martini Room, 161 E. Chicago St., Elgin. Festival organizers will debut the 2016 poster and admission buttons. Those attending can purchase a poster signed by artist Zelda Vidal as well as admission buttons. Proceeds will benefit the festival, which takes place Sept. 15-18 in downtown Elgin. See elginfringefestival.com.

• Headlining Chicago's Majestic Theatre in 1908, Thaddeus and Slocum are poised to ascend the pinnacle of the vaudeville circuit. The only thing stopping them is that one is African-American and the other is Caucasian. Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the world premiere of the song-and-dance, slapstick comedy "Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure," ensemble member Kevin Douglas' examination of race and friendship during the burlesque era. Previews begin Wednesday, June 1, at the Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The show, which stars ensemble members Lawrence E. DiStasi and Raymond Fox, opens June 11. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

• "The Cure," a new work created by the Walkabout Theater Company ensemble in association with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, begins performances Wednesday, June 1, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. Doctors, patients and mythological figures are drawn to a decaying greenhouse for the same purpose: They seek a cure for their condition, a way to alter their fates and hold off death. Kendra Miller directs this show, which examines hope in the face of an uncertain future. Performances are free. See cityofchicago.org/dcase or walkabouttheater.org.

• Chicago's Edgewater and Uptown neighborhoods co-host the fourth annual Pivot Arts Festival, a 10-day showcase of music, theater, dance, children's performances, workshops and other events beginning Thursday, June 2. Performers include: Chicago Folklore Ensemble, The Hypocrites, The Neo-Futurists, The Ruffians, puppeteers Liz Breit and Dan Kerr-Hobert among others. Event locations include The Preston Bradley Center, Uncommon Group, Loyola University's Mundelein Center for the Arts, Uptown Underground and other venues. Admission ranges from free to $25. For tickets, a schedule and venues, see pivotarts.org/festival.

• The Second City and NBC Universal host the second Break Out Comedy Festival hosted by "Saturday Night Live" veteran Tim Meadows and showcasing diverse voices in comedy. The fest takes place Wednesday and Thursday, June 1-2, at the Up Comedy Club, Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 662-4562 or upcomedyclub.com.

• Actor/writer Tim Crouch brings his one-man show "I, Malvolio" to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of the yearlong Shakespeare 400 Chicago. Crouch humanizes the pompous steward from "Twelfth Night," who pines for his mistress Olivia and is humiliated because of it. Performances begin Thursday, May 2, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Victory Gardens Theater's Backstage at the Biograph series continues Thursday, June 2, with a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Midwest premiere of "The House That Will Not Stand," Marcus Gardley's drama set in 1836 New Orleans when free African-American women were permitted to enter into common-law marriage with wealthy white men. The open-rehearsal and reception begins at 7 p.m. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Strawdog Theatre Company has extended its revival of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's period comedy "Once in a Lifetime" about a vaudeville couple who move West to try to make it big in moving pictures. The production, Strawdog's final in its original home, runs through June 11 at 3829 N. Broadway St., Chicago.(866) 811-4111 or strawdog.org.

• The Saints, the Chicago-area organization whose members volunteer at area theaters, recently announced its annual awards to local arts organizations. The awards - ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 and totaling $125,000 - go toward new commissions, technical improvements and enhancement of performance spaces. Among the companies receiving awards this year are BrightSide Theatre in Naperville; Big Noise Theatre, a community theater group in Des Plaines; Citadel Theatre Company in Lake Forest; and many Chicago theaters.

• American Theatre Company announced its 32nd season, its first under recently appointed artistic director Will Davis, will include two world premieres, a regional premiere and a re-imagined American classic. The season opens Sept. 23 with the world premiere of "T," Dan Aibel's darkly comic play inspired by the attack on 1994 Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan by men working on behalf of her rival Tonya Harding. Next up is ATC's "genderfluid" regional premiere of Jaclyn Backhaus' "Men On Boats" (Jan. 6-Feb. 12, 2017) about explorers mapping the Green and Colorado rivers on the government's 1869 expedition of the American West. The world premiere of "We're Gonna Be Okay," developed in collaboration with the Araca Group, runs March 17 to April 23, 2017. ATC's former interim artistic director Bonnie Metzgar directs Basil Kreimendahl's drama about two families set during the Cuban missile crisis. The season concludes with a revival of William Inge's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Picnic" (May 19-June 25, 2017), about a charismatic drifter and the impact his brief stay in a small town has on some of its female residents. Performances take place at 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago. The theater will offer general admission seating during its 32nd season, but will offer a reserved seat season subscription for $150. Under-35 season subscriptions range from $60 to $80. Early bird three- and four-ticket subscriptions, ranging from $90 to $120, are available through July 31. Regular subscriptions ranging from $105 to $135 are available from Aug. 1 through Oct. 31. See atcweb.org or call (773) 409-4125. Additionally, ATC announced a season-long partnership with the Chicago Inclusion Project, a group that strives to include theater audiences and audiences separated by physical ability, gender identity and ethnic background. The goal is to extend to diverse theater artists roles they may not traditionally be offered.

• Emerald City Theatre, under new artistic director Jacqueline Stone, announced its 20th anniversary season will begin in October with the Chicago premiere of "Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly," adapted from Doreen Cronin's children's stories about the life cycles of insects that mirror the growth of children. Also opening in October is a revival of "Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells." Adapted from the children's series by Barbara Park, the holiday show examines the importance of giving. ECT in February 2017 premieres "The Snowy Day and Other Stories," adapted from the books by children's author Ezra Jack Keats and incorporating puppetry and physical theater. The season concludes in March 2017 with a re-imagined production of L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," with book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and additional material by Tina Tippit. Most of the productions are suitable for ages 3 to 9. They take place at the Apollo Theatre, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Season subscription renewal discounts are available through June 30 at emeraldcitytheatre.com or (773) 529-2690.

• Promethean Theatre Ensemble announced its 11th season will expand to three plays that will "view characters and stories of the past through the eyes of modern playwrights." The season begins Dec. 9 with a gender-blind production of Moises Kaufman's bio-drama "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde," which chronicles Wilde's journey from celebrated playwright to pariah following a public trial that illuminated very private matters. "Eurydice," Sarah Ruhl's retelling of the myth of Orpheus who descends into the underworld to retrieve his doomed bride Eurydice, runs Jan. 6 to Feb. 11, 2017. The season concludes with David Ives' adaptation of Pierre Corneille's "The Liar" (April 21-May 27, 2017), about a young man who becomes entangled in the tall tales he tells in his pursuit of love. Tickets will be announced at a later date. See prometheantheatre.org.