Theater events: Victory Gardens Theater stages Chicago-area premiere of “Pipeline”

• Previews begin Friday, Feb. 1, for Victory Gardens Theater's Chicago area premiere of "Pipeline" by Dominique Morisseau ("Detroit '67," "Skeleton Crew"). Cheryl Lynn Bruce directs the play, whose title references the school-to-prison pipeline that artistic director Chay Yew, in a prepared statement, says "claims so many youths of color." It's about high school teacher Nya, whose son Omari attends a private school that wants to expel him after a controversial incident. The production opens Friday, Feb. 8, at 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• A desperate mother meets with a deprogrammer she hopes can rescue her runaway daughter from a cult in "On Clover Road," a thriller by Steven Dietz in its Chicago area premiere at American Blues Theater. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 1, for director Halena Kays' production, which opens Thursday, Feb. 7, at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.

• Improv Playhouse Theater's next production in its Theater for Young Audiences series is an adaptation of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe," about four siblings who discover the magical world of Narnia and attempt to save it from the White Witch. Improv Playhouse presents the show at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville as part of its Smilin' Saturdays program. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

• "Arms and the Man," George Bernard Shaw's comedy about pointless war and human hypocrisy, gets a revival courtesy of ShawChicago Theater Company. Mary Michell directs the play about a Swiss mercenary fighting in the Serbo-Bulgarian War who takes refuge in the bedroom of a Bulgarian woman who helps him escape. She later discovers she likes him better than her fiance. Performances run Saturday, Feb. 2 through Monday, Feb. 25, at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. See shawchicago.org.

• The Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St., Chicago, offers discounted $39 tickets to theatergoers who wear their favorite NFL team's jersey to the matinee of "The Woman in Black" at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3. The theater will also hold a best scream contest. The winner will get a signed photograph of the cast and a complimentary dinner at Quartino. Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill's ghost story, "The Woman in Black" is a two-hander about a lawyer who enlists help from an actor to tell his story about his experiences at a remote English manor said to be haunted by a mysterious woman. (312) 988-9000 or theroyalgeorgetheatre.com.

• A pair of journalists perform the roles of longtime friends whose lives are chronicled in their letters to each other as part of a 30th anniversary celebration of A.R. Gurney's two-hander "Love Letters." The Theater at the Center performance starring Phil Potempa, columnist for the Post Tribune, and Crista Zivanovic, features editor of The Times of Northwest Indiana, takes place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. (219) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• The Second City celebrates Black History Month with a revue consisting of iconic sketches created by African American alumni along with classic scenes "re-imagined with a new comedic spin." "The Second City's Black History Month Show" features Rich Alfonso, Jillian Ebanks, Jack Brian, Jordan Stafford, Shadee Vossoughi and Kaye Winks. Performances take place Tuesday and Wednesdays, Tuesday, Feb. 5 through Feb. 25, at the UP Comedy Club, at the 3rd floor of Piper's Alley, 230 W. North Ave., Chicago. (312) 337-3992 or secondcity.com.

• Ron OJ Parson returns to Writers Theatre to helm its revival of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," August Wilson's 1920s set drama in his 10-play American Century Cycle chronicling the experience of African Americans in the U.S. during the 20th century. Felicia P. Fields stars as the titular character, a blues diva whose recording session is marked by tension between her African American band members and the Caucasian studio owners. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 6, at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The revival opens Wednesday, Feb. 13. (847) 242-6000 or writerstheatre.org.

• Drury Lane Theatre concludes its 2018/2019 season with a revival of the ABBA jukebox tuner "Mamma Mia!!" about the daughter of a single mom who wants her biological father to walk her down the aisle. That unnerves her mother, who isn't sure which of her three former boyfriends fathered her daughter. Artistic director William Osetek helms the musical, which stars Susie McMonagle as Donna Sheridan and Rebecca Hurd as her daughter, Sophie. Previews begin Thursday, Feb, 7, at 100 Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace. The show opens Thursday, Feb. 21. (630) 530-0111 or drurylanetheatre.com.

• Joseph Jefferson Award nominee Eliza Stoughton stars as Li'l Bit in Raven Theatre's revival of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, "How I Learned to Drive," about a woman confronting the uncle who sexually abused her years earlier. Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 7, at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago. The production, directed by artistic director Cody Estle, opens Monday, Feb. 11. (773) 338-2177 or raventheatre.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, Feb. 7, for the Midwest premiere of the musical "The Total Bent," in a collaboration between Haven and About Face theaters. The musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald is about an African American musical prodigy who spent his young life writing songs for his gospel singer father, until a British record producer arrives at their Montgomery, Alabama home with an offer. Gilbert Domally stars as Marty Roy in the production which opens Feb. 12, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See haventheatrechicago.com.

• "Dead Man's cellphone," Wilmette native Sarah Ruhl's dramedy about a woman who becomes involved in the life (and afterlife) of the dead man whose cellphone she impulsively answered. The Comrades' revival begins previews Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The shop opens Saturday, Feb. 9. (773) 404-7336 or the-comrades.com.

• The Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, celebrates the upcoming Chicago Theatre Week (which begins Thursday, Feb. 7) with its Breaking Ground Fest, a showcase of live music, plays, improv, stage readings, comedy and burlesque. The lineup includes drag performers Kat Sass and Lucky Stiff; a semi-staged reading of "Auntie Mame;" solo performer Jack Schultz; improv duo Cooper Bohn and Steven Dionne and a staged reading of "Oedipus in Jerusalem" among others. Tickets are $10. (773) 404-7336 or greenhousetheater.org. • TUTA Theatre Chicago has extended its hit, U.S. premiere of "Radio Culture," Maxim Dosko's play about a day in the life of a young Belorussian. Performances run through Sunday, March 3, at 4670 N. Manor Ave., Chicago. See tutatheatre.org.

• Black Ensemble Theater announced its 43rd season - Legends and Lessons - will begin Saturday, March 2, with "Mahalia Jackson: Moving Through the Light," a bio-musical about the gospel legend. That's followed first by "Lena: In Tribute to Lena Horne" (May 11-June 30) and then by the musical revue "You Can't Fake the Funk (from James Brown to Parliament)" (July 20-Sept. 8). A Stevie Wonder tribute "Songs in the Key of Stevie" runs Oct. 5 to Nov. 17 and the season concludes Dec. 14 with a revival of "The Other Cinderella," BET's original, well-loved adaptation of the fairy tale. Performances take place at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. A season subscription is $210. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.