World premiere, streamlined Shakespeare on tap for Writers' 25th season

Writers Theatre on Wednesday announced that its 25th anniversary season, the first in its new Glencoe home, will consist of six productions including a new, streamlined adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and a world premiere of a PigPen Theatre Company piece titled "The Hunter and the Bear."

The season begins Sept. 7 with artistic director Michael Halberstam and Scott Parkinson's adaptation of "Julius Caesar," an examination of power, friendship and betrayal helmed by Halberstam.

Resident director Ron OJ Parson directs "East Texas Hot Links" (Oct. 19-Jan. 22, 2017), Eugene Lee's drama about how residents of a small Texas town respond to increasingly oppressive Jim Crow laws. That's followed by PigPen's "The Hunger and the Bear" (Dec. 7-Jan. 22, 2017). Produced in collaboration with Ars Nova and the Manhattan Theatre Club, the play with music uses puppetry to tell the story of a lost young boy and his pragmatic hunter father who goes looking for him.

Resident director Kimberly Senior returns in 2017 to direct Theresa Rebeck's "The Scene" (Feb. 22-April 2, 2017), a dramedy that examines the fragility of longtime relationships and the challenge of balancing authenticity with ambition. Libertyville native Marti Lyons directs Bathsheba Doran's "The Mystery of Love and Sex" (April 5-July 9, 2017). It's an examination of race, identity and family.

The season concludes with the Jason Robert Brown-Alfred Uhry musical "Parade" (May 24-July 9, 2017). Directed by Gary Griffin, it tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory supervisor falsely charged with murder in 1913 Atlanta.

Performances take place at 325 Tudor Court. Six-play subscription packages range from $269 to $399. They're available now at writerstheatre.org.