Theater events: Jonathan Pryce stars in Chicago Shakespeare's 'Merchant of Venice'

Walkabout in Elgin

Janus Theatre presents a William Shakespeare-inspired lineup for its eighth annual Walkabout: Theater on Your Feet mini-festival weekend. Tour guides will lead audiences to various downtown Elgin locations - among them Al's Cafe and Blue Box Cafe - where they will see scenes from "The Taming of the Shrew," "The Merchant of Venice" and "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Tours begin at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6-7, at the Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St., Elgin. $16. See janusplays.com.

Hot ticket

The Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration continues with the Shakespeare's Globe's acclaimed touring production of "The Merchant of Venice." Jonathan Pryce ("Game of Thrones") stars as Shylock, opposite his daughter Phoebe Pryce, who plays Shylock's daughter Jessica, in one of the summer's hottest tickets. Performances are sold out, but Chicago Shakespeare Theater has established a waitlist online. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

'Odyssey' hike

Theatre-Hikes brings "The Iliad and the Odyssey and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less" to the Morton Arboretum. Jay Hopkins and John Hunter wrote the family-friendly show, which includes moderate walking through the arboretum grounds. Opens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at 4100 Route 53, Lisle. $20 adults, $10 kids. (630) 725-2066 or mortonarb.org/events.

What's new

• Performances of "Unelectable You," a political comedy revue produced by The Second City and Slate, continue through Aug. 28 at Up Comedy Club, Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. Following the run here, the show - consisting of scripted and improvised material - will tour the U.S. through Nov. 3. (312) 662-4562 or secondcity.com.

• Reutan Collective presents William Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," a comedy about friendship, class and love in which two buddies compete for the same woman. Performances run through Aug. 14 at The Side Project, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. See reutancollective.com.

• First Folio Theatre artistic associate Melanie Keller directs the world premiere production of Elizabeth Archer's "Troll," about internet "trolls" and the damage they inflict, for newcomer Fraud & Phone Theatricals. The dark family drama follows a woman about to give birth who's thrust into the national spotlight after someone makes allegations about her husband. Performances run through Aug. 13 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St., Chicago. See fraudandphony.com.

• Victory Gardens Theater's 2016 Ignition Festival of New Plays runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5-7, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The lineup includes Greg Kotis' "The Wayward Bunny," about a mystery writer searching for his missing son, and Antoinette Dwandu's "Breach: a manifesto on race in America through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate," about an African-American woman confronting motherhood and race. The fest also includes Laura Jacqmin's "EOM (end of message)," about video game developers on a deadline; James Ljames' "Kill Move Paradise," an examination "of the contemporary myth that all lives matter"; Karen Hartman's "Gaza Rehearsal," about a university production of a play created to "spark dialogue" between Israelis and Palestinians; and Tegan McLeod's "Girls in Cars Underwater," about a woman who takes a job at a tough bar and develops a bond with the women who work there. Admission to the staged readings is free, but reservations are required. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org/ignition.

• Performances begin Friday, Aug. 5, for Moving Dock Theatre Company's second installation of "The Anton Chekhov Book Club Returns" at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Adapted from Chekhov's short stories and performed by the ensemble, the play follows book club members who transform themselves into the author's characters. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com or movingdock.org.

• Underscore Theatre Company's third Chicago Musical Theatre Festival begins Monday, Aug. 8, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Of the 14 new shows selected for the showcase, 12 will receive full productions, and two will have workshop productions. Shows receiving full productions include: Kokandy Productions' "Flight," Michael Potsic's musical inspired by the Icarus myth; "Planted," a song cycle chronicling the relationships of five gay men; New American Folk Theatre's "My Life is a Country Song," Andrew Whitaker's tale of a woman leaving a long-term abusive relationship; "Will the Circle," by L.C. Bernadine and Kevin Welch about renters at a block party comprised of homeowners; and "Stalker: The Musical," David Russell, Alex Giles and Andy Peterson's dystopian musical about a future where love is outlawed until a stranger upends the world order. These and other productions receive four performances over the course of the festival. See cmtf.org for the schedule.

• The Chicago Inclusion Project's next free reading is "In the Next Room, or the vibrator play" by Sarah Ruhl at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Founded by Emjoy Gavino, The Chicago Inclusion Project creates promotes nontraditional casting as a way to create inclusive theater experiences, bringing together artists "normally separated by ethnic background, economic status, gender identity, physical ability and other barriers." See thechicagoinclusionproject.org.

• Previews begin Wednesday, Aug. 10, for "Bloodshot," Douglas Post's one-man murder mystery about a man hired to follow a mysterious showgirl whose murder he witnesses, prompting him to begin his own investigation. The production is the latest production in Greenhouse Theater Center's Solo Celebration. The show opens Aug. 16 at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 404- 7335 or greenhousetheater.org.

• "Strike 3," a love letter to baseball by Benjamin Vigeant and Stephen Winchell, is an absurdist comedy about a chimney sweep who becomes the greatest baseball player of all time. Previews begin Wednesday, Aug. 10, at The Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. It opens Aug. 16. (800) 650-6449 or publichousetheatre.com.

• Cor Theatre continues its season with a production of Tony Kushner's translation of Bertolt Brecht's hip-hop inspired "The Good Person of Szechwan," in which a kindly prostitute offers incognito gods shelter and is rewarded with money that ultimately adds a new level of misery to her life. Previews begin Thursday, Aug. 11, for director Ernie Nolan's production. The adults-only show opens Aug. 14 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or cortheatre.org.

• Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, hosts the fourth annual Chicago Nerd Comedy Festival taking place Thursday, Aug. 11, through Aug. 14 and consisting of performances, panel discussions, workshops and other events. Video creator Jackson Bird, online comedy group Team StarKid, Chicago improv group Clown Car to Sicily and Steve Gadlin's Star Makers featuring performers with obscure talents are among the artists performing during this adults-only mini festival. Tickets are available at (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• Susan Messing, a longtime member of Chicago's improv scene and a founding member of The Annoyance Theater, celebrates the 10th anniversary of her show, "Messing With a Friend." TJ Jagodowski will join her for the improv show at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11. Continuing at the Annoyance is "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beeholder," a post-apocalyptic comedy about an America where honey has replaced fossil fuel, by Kristen Tallon, Nate Dicken and Zach Dimond. It runs Tuesdays through Sept. 6. The ensemble Huggable Riot presents the last of its summer sketch comedy shows, "The Wind Beneath My Things," about the importance of moving on in life, Wednesdays through Aug. 24. Performances take place at 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago, has extended Abby McEnany's solo show, "Work in Progress," through Sept. 2. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

• Chicago Dramatists announced its new resident playwrights will include: Ricardo Gamboa, Isaac Gomez, Georgette Kelly, Susan H. Park and Jay Torrence. As part of the three-year residency, writers will participate in developmental programs, workshops, collaborative projects and one-on-one dramaturgy. "This is an incredibly dynamic group of writers with succinct and resonant voices," said artistic director Meghan Beals in a prepared statement. "We are lucky to have them with us."

• Silk Road Rising announced its 2016-2017 season will begin Sept. 6 with the world premiere of Azhar Usman's one-man show "Ultra American: A Patriot Act" examining life for an American Muslim living in an increasingly polarized world. That's followed Dec. 1 by a new holiday musical, "Christmas at Christine's," featuring Christine Bunaun singing her way through the holiday songbook and sharing holiday memories. Next up is "Semitic Commonwealth" (Feb. 10-26, 2017), a staged reading series featuring works that examine identity, occupation and exile." The season concludes with the U.S. premiere of Tanika Gupta's adaptations of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" (May 11-July 2, 2017), about an orphan boy who receives an unexpected inheritance and must choose between life as a gentleman or as a laborer. Performances take place at the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. See silkroadrising.org.

• Shattered Globe Theatre opens its 2016-2017 season with a revival of Sam Shepard's domestic dramedy "True West" (Sept. 8-Oct. 22) about a screenwriter whose pursuit of the American dream is threatened by his estranged brother, a dangerous drifter. James Yost directs ensemble members Joseph Wiens and Kevin Viol. That's followed by Meg Miroshnik's "The Tall Girls" (Jan. 12-Feb. 25, 2017), a drama set during The Depression about a young woman sent to the Dust Bowl to look after an ailing cousin who meets a young man and budding basketball pioneer who may hold the key to a better life. Performances take place at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Tickets available at (773) 975-8150 or shatteredglobe.org.