Theater events: Court Theatre offers a sneak peek of “Frankenstein” Oct. 31

The Factory Theater opens its 26th season Friday, Oct. 26, with “The Darkness After Dawn,” co-artistic director Manny Tamayo's noir-style detective tale about a home invasion turned murder. Performances run though Dec. 1 at 1623 W. Howard St., Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or thefactorytheater.com.

The interactive murder-mystery “A Star is Dead,” which unfolds during a dinner party hosted by a 1930s Hollywood director, takes place Friday, Oct. 26, at the Metropolis Ballroom in the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111. W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

Saint Sebastian Players opens its 38th season with a revival of the musical “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” by Rupert Holmes. Based on Charles Dickens' unfinished novel about the murder of a charming young man in a small English burg, “Drood” is a participatory whodunit, meaning audience members determine the culprit's identity. Performances begin Friday, Oct. 26, at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey, Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

The Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N. Clark St., Chicago, presents a family-friendly Halloween show at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. Also at the Magic Lounge, “The Halloween Show” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31. Ed Furman hosts the event, which features performances by Sean Masterson and David Parr. Premium ticketholders are invited to a Victorian-style seance following the show. (312) 366-4500 or chicagomagiclounge.com.

Previews begin Sunday, Oct. 28, for BoHo Theater's revival of “110 in the Shade” by composer Harvey Schmidt, lyricist Tom Jones (“The Fantasticks”) and writer N. Richard Nash who based the musical on his play “The Rainmaker,” about a Depression-era drifter named Bill Starbuck who promises a drought-stricken farming community that he can make it rain. This marks the final show under artistic director Peter Marston Sullivan, who's stepping away from that role with the company. The show opens Nov. 3 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or bohotheatre.com.

Pride Films and Plays hosts a screening of “Every Act of Life,” a documentary about playwright Terrence McNally at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, following PFP's 3:30 p.m. matinee of McNally's “It's Only a Play.” (866) 811-4111 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company hosts Halloween Hambingo, a bingo-themed fundraiser beginning at 7:35 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, at 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 784-6969 or hamburgermarys.com/chicago.

Chopin Theatre - a mainstay in Chicago's Wicker Park that transitioned from movie house to theater, to bank and back to a theater - celebrates its centennial this year. The celebration begins Monday, Oct. 29, with an “art and environment get together” involving a panel discussion with leaders of the neighborhood's other arts organizations and venues. Chopin owners Lela Headd Dyrkacz and Zygmunt Dyrkacz will release a book titled “Around Chopin Theatre: A Century in Pictures and Stories” on Nov. 24. See chopintheatre.com.

Court Theatre offers audiences a sneak peek at its world-premiere collaboration with the multimedia ensemble Manual Cinema of “Frankenstein,” an adaptation that combines Mary Shelley's tale with her own biography, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. Previews of the production begin Thursday, Nov. 1. The show opens Nov. 10. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

Previews begin Thursday, Nov. 1, for Red Theater's production of “An Oak Tree,” a two-hander by British theater artist Tim Crouch involving a hypnotist and the parent of a little girl he killed. What's unique about the production directed by Jeremy Aluma is that one of the actors has rehearsed the play and the other has not. He/she discovers the story and his/her role at the same time as the audience. The production opens Nov. 3 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

An African-American playwright is confronted by his Caucasian boyfriend, a Black Lives Matter activist, on his apparent political apathy in “This Bitter Earth,” an examination of love and politics by Harrison David Rivers. About Face Theatre's Chicago-area premiere begins previews Thursday, Nov. 1, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The show opens Nov. 8. (773) 975-8150 or aboutfacetheatre.com.

Theatre Y presents the English-language premiere of “Malaga (or the Inner Ear)” by Swiss playwright Lukas Barfuss beginning Thursday, Nov. 1, at The Ready, 4546 N. Western Ave., Chicago. The story centers on a recently broken up couple with child-care issues. She wants to go away for the weekend with her new boyfriend. He wants to attend a conference. A hastily arranged baby-sitter seems like the best solution until it isn't. Artistic director Melissa Lorraine and ensemble member Hector Alvarez direct the free admission production. Donations are accepted. See theatre-y.com.

New to the Chicago scene, The Passage Theatre begins its inaugural season with Mickle Maher's “Spirits to Enforce.” Set 400 years after William Shakespeare's “The Tempest,” former slave Caliban has become the island's supervillain who is opposed by the island's spirits who are fundraising to produce their production of “The Tempest.” Performances run Thursday, Nov. 1, through Nov. 17 at Berry United Methodist Church, 4754 N. Leavitt St., Chicago. See thepassagetheatre.com.

The League of Chicago Theatre's Theatre Thursday series continues Thursday, Nov. 1, with a performance of Court Theatre and Manual Cinema's “Frankenstein” at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. The event begins with a preshow appetizer reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance and a post-show conversation with Manual Cinema artists. Tickets are $25, with the code THTH. (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.

Comedian/actor Jonathan Euseppi brings his adults-only solo show “Grief is Horny” to iO Chicago, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago, beginning Nov. 2. (312) 929-2401 or ioimprov.com.

Firebrand Theatre has extended its revival of “Caroline, or Change” - a musical coproduction with TimeLine Theatre Company. The tuner by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner tells the 1963-set story of an African-American maid working for a Southern Jewish family and the relationship that develops between her and the family's young son. Performances run through Nov. 11 at The Den Theater, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See firebrandtheatre.org.

Mercury Theater Chicago has extended its popular revival of “Avenue Q” through the end of the year. The puppet-centered, adults-only musical is about twentysomethings experiencing life and love in New York City. Performances run through Dec. 30 at 3745 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 325-1700 or mercurytheaterchicago.com.

The Chicago-area premiere of the comedy revue “WaistWatchers The Musical!” has been extended through Dec. 31 at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 988-9000 or waistwatchersthemusical.com.

“Downstate,” the provoking new play by Bruce Norris about four sexual predators sharing a group home in southern Illinois, has been extended at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Performances run through Nov. 18 in the upstairs theater. Also, Steppenwolf is accepting applications for its Professional Leadership Programs which offers internships and fellowships for students and early career theater professionals. Applications are available at steppenwolf.org/education. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

ShawChicago Theatre Company announced this week the passing of actor/director/teacher Robert Scogin. Scogin, 80, served as ShawChicago's artistic director for 23 years during which he directed more than 60 productions. A founding member of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Alabama native performed locally at Goodman and Writers theaters, at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, among other theaters.

Actress/writer Sandra Delgado, a Niles West High School graduate and Teatro Vista ensemble member, is among 10 Chicago artists to receive a 2018 3Arts Awards recognizing the contributions of artists of color, female artists and artists with disabilities. Delgado, who will star in Steppenwolf Theatre's upcoming “La Ruta,” received the Community Award for “creating spaces in local and national theater for Latinx artists and stories.”

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble's season begins in February with the first of two Midwest premieres. Morgan Gould's “I Wanna (expletive) Tear You Apart” (Feb. 14-March 23, 2019, at 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago) is about best friends and roommates Samantha and Leo whose relationship is upended by a newcomer. That's followed by a coproduction with Sideshow Theatre of Selina Fillinger's “Something Clean” (June 16-July 21, 2019, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago) about the struggles of a woman whose son is incarcerated for sexual assault. A third production will be announced later. Subscriptions are $59 for preview performances and $80 for the regular run. (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.org.

Evanston's Music Theater works announced its 2019 season will begin June 8 with a revival of the satirical workplace musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” That's followed by “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (Aug. 17-25, 2019) adapted from the Victor Hugo novel and the Disney film by composer Alan Menken, lyricist Stephen Schwartz and writer Peter Parnell. Next up is a revue titled “Lerner and Loewe's Greatest Hits” (Oct. 4-13, 2019, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave., Evanston) featuring tunes from “My Fair Lady,” “Brigadoon,” “Camelot” and others. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bible-tale inspired musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” concludes the season Dec. 21-31, 2019. Except where noted, performances take place at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., Evanston. Season subscriptions are available. Additionally, Music Theater Works announced artistic director Rudy Hogeniller and general manager/co-founder Bridget McDonough will retire in January 2020. Also, Kyle Dougan has been appointed producing artistic director. A graduate of the University of London, Dougan began working with Light Opera Works (as Music Theater Works was then known) as an intern in 2009. (847) 920-5360 or musictheaterworks.com.