July 17 openings and closings
What's new
Azusa Productions' "Onto Infinity," David Alex's May-December romance about a young mathematician who falls in love with his former English teacher, opens today at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.
Short musical and dramatic vignettes make up "The People's History of the United States," a combination history survey and theater piece by Quest Theatre Ensemble. The show opens today at The Blue Theatre, 1609 W. Gregory St., Chicago. (312) 458-0895 or questensemble.org.
Genuflect Theatre Company makes its Chicago debut with "American Machine and Other Works," a collection of 10-minute plays concerning celebrity and relationships written and directed by the ensemble members. The show opens today at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.
The fictional diaries of a 19th-century boy named Josiah and his pet bear inspire "Voices of the Land," a Morton Arboretum production integrating music and drama to educate children and their families about life on the Illinois prairie. The show runs at 1 p.m. Sunday at the arboretum's Thornhill Education Center, 4100 Route 53, Lisle. (630) 968-0074 or mortonarb.org.
The House Theatre of Chicago remounts "The Attempters," about an aspiring young rocker who tries to replace the emotional void in his life with fame, as part of the Chicago Park District's Theater on the Lake at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Performances begin Wednesday and continue until July 27. (312) 742-7994 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.
"Stacked," an evening of two one-woman shows including Hanna LoPatin's "The Sound of One Hanna Clapping" chronicling her life, and Nancy Friedrich's "Dingbat," about grief and friendship, gets encore performances Tuesday and July 29 before heading to New York City's Fringe Festival. Performances are at the Apollo Theatre Studio, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6100.
Previews begin Thursday for the world premiere of Laura Jacqmin's "Pluto Was a Planet," about a couple of college students and the lengths to which they'll go to belong to a secret society at an Ivy League university. Performances are at the Around the Coyote Gallery at 1935 W. North Ave., Chicago. (773) 342-6777 or aroundthecoyote.org.
Last chance
Noble Fool Theatre's "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," a celebration of romance, dating and marriage, closes Saturday at the Pheasant Run Resort & Spa, 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles. (630) 584-6342 or noblefool.org.
Stephen Adly Guirgis' provocative meditation on forgiveness, "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot," in a brisk passionate production courtesy of Gift Theatre, closes Sunday at the Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or thegifttheatre.com.
Oak Park Festival Theatre's "Much Ado About Nothing" closes Saturday at Austin Gardens, Ontario and Forest avenues in Oak Park. (708) 445-4440 or oakparkfestival.com.
"Woody Guthrie's American Song," by Blindfaith Theatre, closes Sunday at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or blindfaiththeatre.org.