On Stage: Oak Park Festival Theatre stages classic 'Of Mice and Men'

Steinbeck under stars Oak Park Festival Theatre celebrates its 35th anniversary with the classic "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck's wrenching examination of friendship, loneliness and the elusiveness of the American dream as experienced by George and Lennie, itinerant ranch hands struggling to survive the Depression. Opens Friday, June 11, at Austin Gardens Park, 150 N. Forest Ave., Oak Park. (708) 445-4440 or oakparkfestival.com.T.J. Miller at ZaniesAfter a foray into film, comedian T.J. Miller, Tuffnut in the animated hit "How to Train Your Dragon," returns to the Chicago area, where he began his comedy career. Miller takes a break from skewering celebrities on "Chelsea Lately" to do standup at Zanies Vernon Hills.8 p.m. Friday, June 11, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at 230 Hawthorn Village Commons, Vernon Hills. (847) 549-6030.'Monologues' encoreMetropolis Performing Arts Centre remounts its winter production of "The Vagina Monologues," Eve Ensler's adults-only examination of female sexuality. Resident director Lauren Rawitz directs a cast featuring Lise "Kat" Evans, Robin Hughes and Tanya Jarvis.Opens Wednesday, June 16, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.bull; Complications ensue when a senator tries to prevent his porn star mistress from revealing their affair in "Sex Marks the Spot," a farce by Charles Grippo in a remount at Stage 733, formerly known as the Theatre Building, at 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Previews begin Friday, June 11. The show opens Monday, June 14. (773) 327-5252 or theatrebuildingchicago.org.bull; The Second City 50th Anniversary Tour, featuring classic sketches from the company's last five decades, comes to the Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Ind. The performances are at 8 p.m. Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 11. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.bull; Collaboraction's 10th annual Sketchbook Festival opens Saturday, June 12, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. The festival features the world premieres of 10 short plays. Contributors include Brett C. Leonard, Sean Graney, Derrick Sanders, Emily Schwartz and the Strange Tree Group, Seth Bockley and Andrew Hopgood and the New Colony. The $25 X-pass includes access to every performance. A $100 X-pass includes access to performances and the opening and closing night parties, admission to a private lounge and a T-shirt. Performances are at 8 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The festival runs through June 27. (312) 226-9633 or collaboraction.org.bull; Silk Road Theatre Project presents a staged reading of "100 Days," Weiko Lin's play about a comedian who has 100 days after his Buddhist mother's death to help her spirit transition to the afterlife, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 12, at the Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. (312) 857-1234 or srtp.org.bull; Chicago Dramatists celebrates its 31-year history with its annual gala, The Blue Moon Ball, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13, at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie St., Chicago. The event includes dinner, cocktails, dancing, live and silent auctions and a viewing of the 2010 Tony Award telecast. Tickets begin at $150 and are available by phone (312) 633-0630 or online at chicagodramatists.org.bull; Improv artist Kristen Studard performs her solo show, "Small Victories: An Unflattering Vanity Project," at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, June 13, at the Annoyance Theatre Bar, 4820 N. Broadway, Chicago, and at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 18 and 19, at The Playground Theater, 3209 N. Halsted St., Chicago. For more information, see theannoyance.com or justforlaughschicago.com.bull; LeapFest 7, Stage Left Theatre's annual new play festival, begins Tuesday, June 15, at 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. The festival is comprised of five plays, developed through the company's new play development program, in workshop productions running in repertory through July 3. Featured works are Scott Woldman's "Beaten" about a woman attempting to survive her dysfunctional family; Mia McCullough's "The Face of a Ruined Woman" about body image; Dan Aibel's "The Meaning of Lunch" about a family business confronting the global market; Jayme McGhan's "Mother Bear" about a union representative trying to organize truckers and Steve Spencer's "Our Kind of Violence" about troubled people whose last recourse is to kill. (773) 883-8830 or stagelefttheatre.com.bull; Lookingglass Theatre Company remounts for the fourth time its signature 2005 production, "Lookingglass Alice," adapted and created by ensemble member David Catlin and produced in association with The Actors Gymnasium. Previews begin Wednesday, June 16, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. The show opens June 23. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.bull; The Chicago Park District's 58th annual Theater on the Lake season showcasing Chicago productions from the last year begins Wednesday, June 16, with a remount of the Second City's 50th Anniversary Revue, featuring some of its most memorable sketches as well as new material. The show runs through June 20 at the theater located at Fullerton Avenue and Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. The season itself runs through Aug. 8. (312) 742-7994 or chicagoparkdistrict.com.bull; Previews begin Wednesday, June 16, for "Shakespeare's King Phycus," a world premiere from Strange Tree Group that combines six Shakespeare tragedies and some of his most memorable characters (Hamlet, Brutus, Juliet) into one comic sendup. The show opens Friday, June 18, at the Building Stage, 412 N. Carpenter St., Chicago. (773) 598-8240 or strangetree.org.bull; Lifeline Theatre has extended its hit "Neverwhere," a world premiere adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel about an upwardly mobile young Brit who falls through the cracks into an alternate reality located below London. Performances continue through July 18 at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. (773) 761-4477 or lifelinetheatre.com.bull; Writers' Theatre has extended David Cromer's revival of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire." The show runs through July 18 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.bull; Evanston's Next Theatre Company recently issued an apology to Israeli playwright Boaz Gaon related to the company's recent production of "Return to Haifa," which closed in March and included unattributed passages from a Gaon play. In the wake of the incident, the company severed ties with its former artistic director Jason Southerland, appointed to the position about 18 months ago. bull; Sneak previews continue through Saturday, June 12, for Mayne Stage, a new, 229-seat, Rogers Park venue located at 1328 W. Morse Ave., Chicago, and designed for music and cabaret performances, comedy and theater. (773) 381-4554 or maynestage.com.bull; Actors Theatre Company opened its production of the musical "Baby," about three couples dealing with pregnancy in vastly different ways, this week at Stage 733, formerly known as the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The production runs through June 27. (773) 327-5252 or actorstheatrecompany.com.bull; "Good Little Winnetka Boy," a solo show written and performed by Alex Moffat, continues Thursdays through June 24 at the Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N. Broadway, Chicago. (773) 561-4665 or theannoyance.com.bull; Lookingglass Theatre has extended its revival of "Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale" through June 20 at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or lookingglasstheatre.org.bull; About Face Theatre named Jason Held as its new executive director. An attorney and fundraiser, Held served as grants manager for Writers' Theatre and on the volunteer board of directors of the Human Rights Campaign.