Theater events: Raue welcomes The Lovettes, Pegasus celebrates young playwrights

• The Lovettes, an ensemble that celebrates seminal female pop artists from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, rings in 2019 at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. The group performs songs made famous by The Andrews Sisters, The Supremes, Patsy Cline, Tina Turner & The Ikettes, Nancy Sinatra and other midcentury stars. Show times are 2 and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31. Tickets start at $40. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

• Pegasus Theatre hosts its 32nd annual Young Playwright's Festival beginning Thursday, Jan. 3, at Chicago Dramatists, 773 N. Aberdeen St., Chicago. Judges selected three one-act plays from entries submitted by Chicago high school students who are encouraged in their works to "explore their histories, research their communities and mine their personal journeys." The winning entries are: "A Green Light," by Alexis Gaw, about a young man who comes out to his best friend who he discovers is homophobic; "Fragile Limbs," by Anonda Tyler, about teenagers struggling to survive in a violent city; and "Good Strong Coffee," by Luna MacWilliams, about siblings trying to keep their family's Pilsen coffee shop afloat. (773) 878-8864 or pegasustheatrechicago.org.

• City Lit Theater revives the 17th century drama "Fuente Ovejuna" by Spanish writer Lope de Vega. Inspired by an incident that occurred in 1476, the play centers on a young woman who leads the residents of her village in a rebellion against the military governor who sexually exploits and assaults females. The production is directed by Terry McCabe, who also adapted the play from Stanley Appelbaum's translation. Carolyn Plurad stars as Laurencia, a woman who refuses to be a victim and rallies the town around her cause. Previews begin Friday, Jan. 4, at the Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. The show opens Jan. 13. (773) 293-3682 or citylit.org.

• In other theater news, Silk Road Rising artistic director Jamil Khoury announced the theater received a grant from the Building Bridges Program of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art to "cultivate stronger relationships among Muslims and their non-Muslim neighbors through revelatory experiences." The grant will support the development of new plays by American Muslim playwrights, Khoury said. "From Silk Road Rising's very inception, we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our American Muslim brothers and sisters in fighting Islamophobia and defending civil rights ... and we strive to build coalitions between Muslims and non-Muslims," he said in a prepared statement.

• Playwright and dramaturge Tanuja Jagernauth was named Victory Gardens Theater's 2019 Marcelle McVay Management Fellow. The fellowship assists artists of color with training and mentors to prepare them to helm arts institutions locally and nationally. Jagernauth's play "How to Pick a Lock" will be part of Prop Thtr's RhinoFest in January. She recently served as dramaturge for Prop Thtr's "Neverland" and Pegasus Theatre's "Eclipsed."

• In keeping with its mission to make theater "exhilarating, inspirational and accessible to all," Lookingglass Theatre Company has combined its departments of education and community engagement under the Department of Curiosity. Integrating the two departments will enable Lookingglass to expand programs and access to Chicago students and communities and pursue partnerships with cultural, arts and non-arts organizations, according to company members.