Theater events: Siblings uncover unlikely garden in family-friendly 'Fast Food Chain'

• Performances begin Friday, April 26, for Provision Theater Company's production of "Last Train to Nibroc," a romantic comedy by Arlene Hutton involving a chance encounter between a soldier and a schoolteacher who are traveling cross-country on a train on Christmas 1940. Performances run through May 26 at Trinity Christian College, 6601 W. College Drive, Palos Heights. See provisiontheater.org.

• Saint Sebastian Players concludes its season with a revival of Nora and Delia Ephron's "Love, Loss and What I Wore," a series of vignettes chronicling various stages in the lives of women and the fashion and accessories they wore at the time. Performances begin Friday, April 26, at St. Bonaventure, 1625 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago. (773) 404-7922 or saintsebastianplayers.org.

• Adventure Stage Chicago premieres "Fast Food Chain," Andrew Marikis' re-imagined version of African folk tales set in contemporary Chicago and centered on a brother and sister who discover a garden in a neighborhood that is essentially a food desert. The preview is Friday, April 26, at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. The production, directed by Black Ensemble Theater associate Daryl Brooks, opens Saturday, April 27. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Audience members are invited to eavesdrop on phone conversations overheard on public transportation as part of "Reverse Gossip," a play by Barrie Cole, who was inspired by her experiences riding public transportation. The play marks the inaugural production at Walnut Spaceship Studio in the Bridgeport Arts Center, 1200 W. 35th St., Chicago. It opens Friday, March 26. See reversegossip.brownpapertickets.com.

• rePercussion, an interactive performance that combines drumming and comedy, comes to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. The performance, part of the Metropolis live music series, takes place at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27. It's followed by the Metropolis annual fundraiser at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Arlington International Racecourse, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights. Metropolis Gala - Night of Stars includes performances by members of the cast of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story," along with a silent auction, hors d'oeuvres, an open bar and dinner. Tickets start at $130 per person. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, April 27, for Promethean Ensemble Theatre's production of Steven Dietz's "Mad Beat Hip & Gone." Set during the 1950s, the play is about a pair of young men from Nebraska who encounter Jack Kerouac in a bar, and end up following the Beat poets to California. The production opens May 4 at The Edge Theater, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave., Chicago. See prometheantheatre.org.

• "I AM ... FEST: A Celebration of Women of Color in Arts, Activism and Leadership" runs Saturday through Monday, April 27-29, at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, in partnership with Artistic Directors of the Future. The international festival showcasing female voices includes films, workshops, panel discussions, readings, a 10-minute play showcase and the premiere of Moisola Adebayo's "The Interrogation of Sandra Bland." In the play, 100 women of color speak Bland's words in a combination theater event/memorial about the Naperville woman who was arrested in Texas for a minor traffic infraction and subsequently died while in custody. Tickets range from free to $25. See goodmantheatre.org/iamfest.

• Kokandy Productions launches its upcoming season with We Got the Beat: A Totally Kokandy Cabaret at 8 p.m. Monday, April 29, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. The entertainment includes a preview of the company's upcoming, Go-Gos-inspired musical "Head Over Heels" and numbers from some of the company's hits including "Bonnie & Clyde," "Heathers" and others. Tickets are $20 to $35. See kokandyproductions.com.

• Broadway in Chicago teams up with Mills Entertainment for "American Girl Live," a new 90-minute musical inspired by the line of dolls representing different eras in American history. The musical centers around five young girls at an overnight camp, each of whom has brought her favorite American Girl doll on the trip. The show runs from Tuesday, April 30, through May 12 at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• The long-form improv show "Trigger Happy" returns to the Annoyance Theatre & Bar, 851 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, on Wednesday, May 1. In creator Mick Napier's version, however, the improvisers share a secret language that will trigger certain events. The show runs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. (773) 697-9693 or theannoyance.com.

• A Red Orchid Theatre ensemble members Lance Baker and Doug Vickers star in the company's revival of "Killing Game," Eugene Ionesco's dark comedy about a plague that decimates a town, whose residents search for a way to stop the "ceaseless barrage of death." Previews begin Thursday, May 2, at 1531 N. Wells Ave., Chicago. The show, directed by ensemble member Dado, opens May 11. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• An actor downs more than five shots of liquor then attempts to lead his castmates in a production of a Shakespeare play as part of a New York City import titled "Drunk Shakespeare." Performances begin Thursday, May 2, behind the Chicago Theatre at The Lion Theatre, 182 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago. See drunkshakespeare.com.

• Midsommer Flight performs free staged readings of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Coriolanus" at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, and 8 p.m. Friday, May 3, at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. The play centers on a fearless soldier whose mother pushes the reluctant hero into politics. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. See midsommerflight.com.

• Short Story Theatre presents an evening of stories about a hitchhiker, a cantor, a candle and teenage misadventures at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, at Miramar Bistro, 301 Waukegan Ave., Highwood. Featured storytellers include former restaurateur Bruce Bertucci, Anthony Bilotti, Julie Isaacson of Highland Park and Judy Yacker of Highland Park. Preshow dinner reservations are available. (847) 433-1078 or shortstorytheatre.com.

• This year marks the 10th anniversary of the International Voices Project, a five-week celebration of international plays taking place at the Instituto Cervantes, 31 W. Ohio St., Chicago, in cooperation with consulates and other Chicago cultural institutions. Performances run at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. The schedule is as follows: Thursday, May 2: "Cups of Wrath and Legua's Gynecologist" by Chilean writer Romon Griffero; May 7: "Goliath," by Norwegian writer Maria Tryti Vennerod in cooperation with Akvavit Theatre; May 9: "The Stranger and the Peephole" by Egyptian writer Alfred Farag. See ivpchicago.org.

• The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, presents "This," a one-woman show conceived, directed and starring Adrienne Truscott. The stream-of-conscious, part biographical show incorporates the current news cycle to examine the challenge of making art in the current political landscape. It runs Thursday, May 2, through May 5. (312) 397-4010 or mcachicago.org.

• The League of Chicago Theatre's Theatre Thursdays series continues Thursday, May 2, at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago, with Adventure Stage Chicago's family-friendly production of "Fast Food Chain." The play is about a pair of siblings living in a food desert who discover a garden in an unlikely place. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with appetizers followed by the performance and a discussion with the cast. Tickets are $15 with the code ThTh. (773) 342-4141 or chicagoplays.com/theatre-thursdays.

• Ruby, a fresh-faced Broadway ingénue and aspiring star, and a sailor named Dick, who longs to be a songwriter, transfer their new show to a battleship after they learn their theater is to be demolished in the 1960s tuner "Dames at Sea." Theatre at the Center revives the musical under artistic director Linda Fortunato. The stars include Kelly Felthous as Ruby and Todd Aulwurm as Dick. Previews begin Thursday, May 2, at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. The show opens May 5. (217) 836-3255 or theatreatthecenter.com.

• Chicago Children's Theatre has extended its family-friendly Civil Rights-era drama "The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963," about an African-American Michigan family who set out on a cross-country journey to bring oldest son Byron to his grandma in Birmingham, Alabama. Performances run through May 19 at 100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago. In other Chicago Children's Theatre news, the company was awarded the 2019 National TYA Artistic Innovation Award from the Theatre of Young Audiences/USAA service organization that supports and advocates for young audiences theater. The award recognizes CCT's longtime commitment to access via its Red Kite Project, which provides theater and summer camp opportunities for children with autism. (312) 374-8835 or chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

• Theatre Y has extended its production of "Self-Accusation," avant-garde, Austrian playwright Peter Handke's work in which actors confess all manor of transgressions from the trivial to the monstrous. Performances run through May 12 at 4546 N. Western Ave., Chicago. (708) 209-0183 or theatre-y.com.

• Pride Films and Plays has extended its Chicago-area premiere of "Afterglow," S. Asher Gelman's play about a gay male couple in an open relationship who invite another man to share their bed. Performances run through June 2 at 4147 N. Broadway, Chicago. (866) 811-4111 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• The League of Chicago Theatres recently announced Interrobang Theatre Project as the recipient of the 2019 Broadway in Chicago Emerging Theatre Award in recognition of its "artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility." The award is accompanied by $5,000 and marketing support. The award will be presented at a May 20 gala honoring Interrobang, actor Mike Nussbaum, Free Street Theater, Aguijon Theater and the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

• Raven Theatre led all non-equity houses with 12 non-equity Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, including six for its production of "Yen." BoHo Theatre received 11 nominations, six for its revival of the musical "Bright Star." The Artistic Home's revival of "Requiem for a Heavyweight" received seven nominations, including nods for best play, direction, principal performer, supporting performer, fight choreography, sound design and makeup design. Sideshow Theatre Company's "Tilikum" also received seven nominations, including best play, direction, new play, original music, projection design, lighting and sound. The award ceremony takes place June 3 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at the door. See athenaeumtheatre.org or jeffawards.org.