Theater events: Abby Theatre raises 'Two Pints' at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

• Previews continue at The Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago, for the company's season opener "Mahalia Jackson: Moving Through the Light." Written and directed by artistic director Jackie Taylor, the musical is about the seminal gospel singer who popularized such songs as "Precious Lord" and "How Great Though Art." Robin DaSilva stars in the show, which opens Sunday, March 10. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• Emerald City Theatre presents the Chicago-area premiere of "Corduroy," a family-friendly show based on Don Freeman's books "Corduroy" and "A Pocket for Corduroy." The play is about a bear who lives in a major retailer's toy department who searches for a missing button to hold up his overalls. Previews begin Friday, March 1, at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by Jamal Howard, opens Sunday, March 3. (773) 935-6875 or emeraldcitytheatre.com.

• Trap Door Theatre presents as part of its workshop series Trap Open a play by Suz Evans titled "Childhood Beauty." The interactive production incorporates theater, performance art and dance to tell a story of the dancers in a Jane Fonda aerobics video. Performances run Sunday, March 3, to Monday, March 25, at 1655 W. Cortland Ave., Chicago. (773) 384-0494 or trapdoortheatre.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre breaks ground on its new, expanded campus at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 5, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. The event includes architects' reveal of design plans.

• Dublin, Ireland's Abbey Theatre brings its site-specific production of "Two Pints" to The Pub at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of its WorldStage series in a limited run beginning Wednesday, March 6. Roddy Doyle's two-hander stars Liam Carney and Philip Judge as a couple of guys whose banter over of pints of beer while ruminating on life, loss and vegetarianism. The production runs through March 31 at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Broken Nose Theatre has extended its Midwest premiere of "The Girl in the Red Corner," Stephen Spotswood's drama about an unemployed, recently divorced woman who takes up mixed martial arts fighting. Performances run through March 9 at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See brokennosetheatre.com.

• Paramount Theatre recently announced its school of the arts will open June 1 in the new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center at 5 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. The celebration includes an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which will include tours of the rehearsal and performance spaces, meet-and-greets with staff members and an opportunity to sample classes. See paramountschoolofthearts.com.

• Williams Street Repertory is accepting submissions for its 2019-2020 play reading series formerly known as the LAB series. For consideration, the theater requires two copies of the script in PDF format, the playwright's letter of introduction and a brief biography among other requirements by March 18. Readings will take place at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. "The main focus of this series has always been audience development," said program manager Michelle Vazquez in a prepared statement. "We want to share a more immediate and intimate look at how actors and directors approach work on the page with our patrons. No sets. No lights. Nothing to distract from the script. It's also an opportunity for playwrights to hear their work so they can prepare for the next step of their process." See wsrep.org.

• The Second City announced upcoming open-captioned and audio-described performances made possible through its partnership with the Theater Development Fund. "With the help and support of the Theater Development Fund, we were able to offer our first open-captioned performances and have expanded our programming to offer audio-described performances as well. As the first sketch and improv theater to attempt open captioning, we had the opportunity to discover some creative solutions to the challenges presented by improvisation, an art form fueled by spontaneity," said Second City associate producer Jesse Swanson in a prepared statement. For more information on accessible performances, see secondcity.com/chicago/accessibility-services.

• The Sarah Siddons Society honors Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning writer/actor and Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tracy Letts as actor of the year on April 7 in New York City. Letts returns to Broadway April 4, opposite Annette Bening, in Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons." The society assists the next generation of theater artists by providing them with scholarships to Northwestern, DePaul and Roosevelt universities and Columbia College Chicago.

• Underscore Theatre Company announced the appointment of producer, director, writer and arts administrator Whitney Rhodes as its new artistic director. Rhodes replaces co-founder Laura Stratford. "For the majority of my career as a creative artist and administrator, my heartbeat has been new work and specifically new musical theater," said Rhodes in a prepared statement. "I am incredibly impressed by the space Underscore has created for itself in this community. For such a young company, the quality of their work is outstanding and their dedication to writers and artists is truly powerful. This company is something really special and I am honored to be a part of it."

• ShawChicago announced recently it will cease operations on June 30, which marks the conclusion of its 25th season. Founded in 1994, ShawChicago presented more than 100 productions of works by George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. According to a prepared statement, the death of artistic director Robert Scogin in October 2018 coupled with a downturn in ticket sales, subscriptions and individual contributions over the last few years contributed to the board of directors' decision to shutter the company. ShawChicago's final production, "The Doctor's Dilemma," which was also the first show the company produced, runs March 23 to April 15. See shawchicago.org.

• Court Theatre announced its 65th season will begin Sept. 12 with August Wilson's "King Hedley II," about a paroled convict trying to restart his life after seven years in prison. The ninth play in Wilson's Century Cycle chronicling African-Americans in 20th-century America, it marks Court's eighth production of Wilson's 10-play cycle. Resident artist Ron OJ Parson directs. Nicholas Rudall's translation of Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" (Nov. 7-Dec. 8) follows. Artistic director Charles Newell directs the tragedy, which details Oedipus' attempts to save his city from a plague by uncovering the former king's murderer. Next up is director Sean Graney's revival of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit "The Mousetrap" (Jan. 16-Feb. 16, 2020), about guests snowed in at a manor house in rural England where a murderer is on the loose. A revival of Henrik Ibsen's "The Lady From the Sea," translated by Rolf Felde, runs March 12-April 12, 2020. Shana Cooper directs the drama about a woman who must choose between her husband and the sailor she loved years earlier who unexpectedly returns to their small Norway town. The season concludes with "The Gospel at Colonus" (May 7-June 7, 2020), a soulful re-imagining of the story of Oedipus that unfolds during an African-American Pentecostal church service. Newell and associate director Taron Patton helm the play with music, which was conceived and adapted by Lee Breuer with music by Bob Telson. Performances take place at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. Subscriptions range from $96 to $300 and are available at (773) 753-4472 or online at courttheatre.org.