Northlight Theatre announces season dominated by female playwrights and performers

Onstage and off, women dominate Northlight Theatre's 45th season, announced Thursday by artistic director BJ Jones and executive director Timothy J. Evans.

Jones, in a prepared statement, welcomed back Northlight favorite Kate Fry, who stars in the season-opening "Mother of the Maid." Jones also heralded singer/actress Bethany Thomas, who stars in the season-ending "Songs for Nobodies," celebrating such luminaries as Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas.

The season, which Jones described as "fresh and familiar, bold and brash," begins Sept. 12 with Jane Anderson's "Mother of the Maid," in which Joan of Arc's mother Isabelle struggles with raising her exceptional child. That's followed by the premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's "The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley" (Nov. 7-Dec. 15), in which the servants at the Darcy estate find themselves in the middle of a scandal involving Lydia Bennet's good-for-nothing husband. Next up is the premiere of Steven Dietz's psychological thriller "How a Boy Falls" (Jan. 21-March 1, 2020). It's about a young boy's mysterious death, which casts suspicion on his wealthy parents and the recently hired au pair.

A revival of Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" runs March 12 to April 19, 2020. The play focuses on an in-demand African-American seamstress in 1905 New York whose yearning for romance and marriage prompts her to accept a proposal from a Caribbean man who is not what he seems. The season concludes with "Songs for Nobodies" (May 7-June 14, 2020), in which Thomas shares tales of "unexpected encounters between legendary divas and the ordinary women" featuring such classics as "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Crazy."

Performances take place at 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Subscriptions range from $99 to $250. Subscribers can renew now by phone at (847) 673-6300 or online at northlight.org. New subscribers can purchase subscriptions beginning in May.