On stage: New civil rights-inspired musical revue 'Legends the Musical' opens this week

• Previews continue for Black Ensemble Theater's season-opening production of "Legends the Musical: A Civil Rights Movement Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" at 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago. Written and directed by founder and artistic director Jackie Taylor, the show examines the effects of racism in America and pays tribute to those who fought and continue to fight against it. The show opens Thursday, March 5. (773) 769-4451 or blackensemble.org.

• Akvavit Theatre's Nordic Spirit Festival continues through March 1 at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago. Produced in partnership with the museum, the mini-fest consists of staged readings of plays from nordic countries. Performances continue at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, with "Helgi Comes Apart" by Icelandic writer Tyrfungur Tyrfingsson; at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, with Swedish writer Jonas Khemiri's "Apathy for Beginners"; at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 1, with Danish writer July Maj Jakobsen's "Sky Without Birds"; and at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1, with Norwegian playwright M H Hallum's "The Tenant." Admission is free. Reserve seats at info@chicagonordic.org. In other Akvavit news, the company added new company member Tyler Skafgaard and associate members Victor Bayona, Aliza Feder, Kelsey Jaffer, Michael Joseph, Harrison Ornelas, Samuel Pate, Lee Peters and Hannah Harper Smith.

• Previews begin Friday, Feb. 28, for Interrobang Theatre Project's "Here Lies Henry," a one-man drama by Daniel Malvor in which the titular character grapples with love, death, truth and lies but doesn't guarantee what he says is true. Scott Sawa stars in the production, which opens Sunday, March 1, at Rivendell Theatre, 5779 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago. (312) 219-4140 or interrobangtheatreproject.org.

• Promethean Theatre Ensemble presents a fresh take on George Bernard Shaw's "Mrs. Warren's Profession," streamlined and adapted by Melanie Spewok to focus on the relationship between independent, intelligent young Vivie Warren and her mother, who escaped poverty through prostitution. Previews begin Friday, Feb. 28, at Otherworld Theatre, 3914 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show, directed by Michael D. Graham, opens Monday, March 2. See prometheantheatre.org.

• Writers Theatre presents a performance of "The MLK Project: The Fight for Civil Rights," a one-woman show by Yolanda Androzzo in which a Chicago student is transformed after studying the civil rights movement. Sophiyaa Nayar stars. The performance takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago. Admission is free. (773) 947-0600 or dusablemuseum.org/events.

• Babes With Blades Theatre Company hosts its third Fighting Words Festival showcasing three in-development scripts that support the company's mission to elevate the underrepresented, dismantle the patriarchy and promote the use of stage combat. "Nina the Hellhound," Sander Gusinow's play about a 17th-century fencing champion who fights duels on behalf of mistreated women, takes place at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29. That's followed at 7:30 p.m. by Kat McKay's "Plaid as Hell," about a contentious camping trip taking place where a serial killer is hunting. The mini-fest concludes Sunday, March 1, with "SCUM," Mia Vera's play inspired by Valerie Solanas' 1967 SCUM Manifesto, which argued that men have ruined the world. Performances take place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended. See babeswithblades.org.

• Dhrishti productions presents "Humsafar," a play about relationships, love, family and alienation by Javed Siddiqui. The performance is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 29, at Center Stage Theater, 1665 Quincy Ave., Naperville. See facebook.com/pg/dhrishtiarts/events.

• The Curious Theatre Branch presents Beau O'Reilly Saves a Body Part: The Cabaret, a benefit to assist co-founder O'Reilly with medical expenses. It begins at 7 p.m. Monday, March 2, at Link's Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave. Chicago. Artists scheduled to perform include puppeteer Blair Thomas, Theater Oobleck's David Isaacson, storyteller Chris O'Reilly, bands 80 Foots and The Crooked Mouth, playwright Barrie Cole, poets Calvin Forbes and Chris Dyer and Paper Machete's Christopher Piatt. Tickets are $20 or pay-what-you-can. (773) 508-0666 or curioustheatrebranch.com.

• Silent Theatre Company remounts its site-specific, immersive "Incomplete Conversations," writer/director Nell Voss' play about the effect an unexpected death has on a family and on a church community. The preview is Tuesday, March 4, and takes place in various rooms at the Tapestry Fellowship Church, 3824 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago. The show opens Wednesday, March 5. See silenttheatre.com.

• TV veteran and Tony Award-nominee Maria Dizzia ("Emergence," "13 Reasons Why," "Orange is the New Black") stars in the national tour of "What the Constitution Means to Me" by Pulitzer Prize finalist Heidi Schreck. Performances begin Tuesday, March 4, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. Schreck's experiences as a teenage debater who earned college tuition by winning debate competitions around the country inspired the story. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• A Red Orchid Theatre hosts its 2020 gala Root Ball: Revisiting 1967 Old Town from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie St., Chicago. The evening consists of dinner, live and silent auctions and reflections by ensemble members. The evening will honor Sharon Perazzoli and Giulia Sindler, owners of Kamehachi, an Old Town mainstay since 1967. (312) 943-8722 or aredorchidtheatre.org.

• Performances continue for Red Theater's "The Isle of Sugar," a combination theater production and role-playing game created by Alejandro Tey that examines the human cost of the Cuban Revolution as recalled by its refugees. Audience members do not have to perform, but the choices they make dictate the scenes performed and thus the course of the play. Performances continue through March 27 at The Martin, 2515 W. North Ave., Chicago. See redtheater.org.

• The House Theatre of Chicago has extended its production of "Verboten" by Brett Neveu, with music and lyrics by Jason Narducy. Set during the 1980s, the musical is about a teenage punk band gearing up for a big show at Chicago's Cubby Bear. Performances continue through March 29 at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago. (773) 769-3832 or thehousetheatre.com.

• In other theater news, the League of Chicago Theatres and ComEd are accepting applications for the 2020 Powering the Arts grant program offering grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofit arts and cultural institutions in northern Illinois. Citadel Theatre, Faubourg Theatre in Hanover Park, the Elmhurst Choral Union and Elgin's Side Street Studio Arts were among 2019's recipients. Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 13. See leagueofchicagotheatres.org/comedpoweringthearts.