Theater events: Morton Arboretum debuts walking play 'Nature'

'Nature' walk

The Morton Arboretum presents the outdoor walking play "Nature" by TigerLion Arts. Created by Tyson Forbes, this 90-minute show examines the friendship between fellow 19th-century naturalists and thinkers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Performances begin at 6 p.m. Friday, July 8, at 4100 Route 53, Lisle, and run on select days through July 31. $25-$35. (630) 725-2066 or mortonarb.org/natureplay.

Becoming real

Dara Cameron stars as the titular character in Marriott Theatre's musical adaptation of Margery Williams' 1922 tale "The Velveteen Rabbit," about a stuffed bunny who wants desperately to become real. Joseph Jefferson Award winner Mark David Kaplan plays the wise Rocking Horse in the family-friendly show by composer Jimmy Roberts and writer/lyricist James Still. Amanda Tanguay directs. Previews begin at 10 a.m. Friday, July 8, at 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. The show opens July 16. $17.23. (847) 634-0200 or marriotttheatre.com.

Williams Street Rep hosts summer theater fest

Williams Street Repertory hosts its inaugural summer theater festival consisting of three comedies including Yasmina Reza's "Art," about how the longtime friendship between three men is disrupted when one of them purchases a piece of modern art that another man despises. The fest also includes the musical "[title of show]," a one-act by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell about friends struggling to write a show in three weeks, and Jeffrey Sweet's solo show about Chicago improv titled "You Only Shoot the Ones You Love." Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday, July 8, at the Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake. Individual tickets $32.50-$38.40. All three shows cost $14.63-$17.33 for WSR members and $24-$28.87 for nonmembers. (815) 356-9212 or rauecenter.org.

Other theater events

• Performances begin Friday, July 8, for Main Street Opera's production of Gian Carlo Menotti's first full-length opera "The Consul," about a woman's desperate attempts to flee a police state. Performances run through July 22 at venues in Palatine, Bartlett, Addison and Chicago. (224) 764-1615 or mainstreetopera.org.

• Emerald City Theatre and Broadway in Chicago team up for "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" beginning Friday, July 8, at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago. Inspired by the educational animated series from the 1970s, the family-friendly musical is about a teacher who devises clever ways to inspire his students. (800) 775-2000 or broadwayinchicago.com.

• Her family's plan for their new lives in Chicago force Lucy to choose between them and her true self, a dragon named Kreeka and a community called Otherkin, whose members identify as magical creatures in "Kin Folk." Previews begin Friday, July 8, for The New Colony's world premiere of William Glick's fantastical drama, which is directed by co-artistic director Evan Linder. The show opens Tuesday, July 12, at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. See thenewcolony.org.

• Alex Grelle stars as actress Shelley Duvall in "Shelley Duval's Women Under the Influence Theatre," a one-woman show created by Grelle that examines significant moments in cinema. Performances begin Friday, July 8, at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Pride Films and Plays previews its latest show "Bite: A Pucking Queer Cabaret," inspired by William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," beginning previews Friday, July 8, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. The show opens Monday, July 11. (800) 737-0984 or pridefilmsandplays.com.

• The Unlikely Comedy, an improv ensemble founded in 2013, marks its residency at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, with a new show. Directed by Brian Posen, the adults-only show runs at 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, through July 29. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• Previews begin Saturday, July 9, for Kokandy Productions' "Tomorrow Morning," a musical by writer/composer/lyricist Laurence Mark Wythe about a twentysomething couple about to be married and a middle-aged couple about to divorce. John D. Glover directs the show, which opens Monday, July 11, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. (773) 975-8150 or kokandyproductions.com.

• Azusa Productions and Redtwist Theatre collaborate on the world premiere of "Eroica," a family drama set during the Vietnam War by David Alex, former Hoffman Estates math teacher turned playwright. The drama examines the residents of a small town struggling with patriotism, faith and commitment during a divisive time in American history. The show, directed by Maggie Speer, opens Saturday, July 9, at redtwist theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. (773) 728-7529 or redtwist.org or azusaprod.weebly.com.

• William Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It" - about a young woman banished from her home who makes a new life disguised as a boy in the Forest of Arden with other ousted individuals - marks Midsommer Flight's fifth season presenting the Bard's works outdoors in Chicago parks. Performances begin Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10, (also July 27-28) in Lincoln Park, behind the Lincoln Park Cultural center, 2045 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago. Performances take place July 16-17 and 23-25, at Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina St.; July 30-31 and Aug. 6-7 at Schreiber Par, 1552 W. Schreiber Ave.; and Aug. 13-14 and 20-21 at Gross Park, 2708 W. Lawrence Ave. Performances are free, but donations are accepted. See midsommerflight.com.

• Silk Road Rising hosts readings of "Then Came the Fall" by Nahal Navidar at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10, at the Historic Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St., Chicago. The play is about an Iranian-American student and an elevator repairman whose future together is threatened after the attacks of Sept. 11. (312) 857-1234 or silkroadrising.org.

• Aloft Circus Arts hosts its El Circo Cheapo, a circus arts showcase, at 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday, July 9, at 2041 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago. aloftcircusarts.com.

• Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, parodies the upcoming "Ghostbusters" all female reboot with an adults-only burlesque show titled "Ghostbustier: The Story of the Real Ghostbusty." (773) 598-4549 or gorillatango.com.

• "Neutrino Project: The Instant Movie," an improvised film, returns to Chicago after an eight-year hiatus. FuzzyCo Productions and Jinks, A Productions Concern produce the show, which runs Sunday, July 10, through Aug. 14 at Laugh Out Loud Theater, 3851 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. (773) 857-6000 or laughtoutloudtheater.com/chicago.

• The solo performance series LIVINGroom returns to Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, on Sunday, July 10, with a block party preceding the 8 p.m. performance. The showcase consists of individual, autobiographical, spoken word and musical performances on select Sundays through Dec. 11. (773) 327-5252 or stage773.com.

• The Chicago Kids Company brings its production of "The Tortoise and the Hare" to the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, for a brief run beginning Monday, July 11. This adaptation of Aesop's popular fable about an industrious tortoise and an reckless hare is part of Metropolis' family-friendly Stories in Action! series. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.

• Circle Theatre announces the return of its Full Circle Series, a one-night showcase where 100 percent of the proceeds go to a charitable organization. The controversy over transgender people's access to public restrooms inspired this latest installation "It's a Privilege to Pee: Owning Your Identity and Other Basic Human Rights." The performance on Monday July 11, features trans performer Honey West, along with theater artists Lili-Anne Brown, Erin Daly, Ron King, Michelle Lauto and James Nedrud among others. It takes place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. Proceeds benefit Chicago House, an organization serving the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV/AIDS. See circletheatrechicago.org.

• The Chicago Inclusion Project, founded by theater artists to advocate for nontraditional casting and diversity, hosts a free staged reading of George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 11, at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. Artistic director Michael Halberstam directs the reading of the play, which features actors Joseph Anthony Foronda, Anish Jethmalani, Dan Lin, James Vincent Meredith, Phillip Van Lear and Avi Roque as Joan. See chicagoinclusionproject.com.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration continues with "David Carl's Celebrity One-Man Hamlet," a solo show starring David Carl. Created by Carl and director Michole Biancosino, the award-winning show depicts the Danish prince as the eccentric, cult film star, a man "unhinged and full of detours to his movies and personal grievance." Performances begin Tuesday, July 12, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Previews begin Thursday, July 14, for Eclipse Theatre Company's revival of Stephen Adly Guirgis' "Our Lady of 121st Street" about the reaction of neighborhood residents after the body of beloved community activist Sister Rose is stolen from the funeral home where her wake is to take place. Sarah Moeller directs the production, which opens July 17 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. (773) 935-6875 or eclipsetheatre.com.

• Broadway veteran and multi-Joseph Jefferson Award winner Andre de Shields ("The Jungle Book," "Gotta Dance," "The Wiz") stars in "WOZ: A Rock Cabaret," inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" film. "WOZ" runs July 14-17 at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Creator Kimberly Lawson co-stars as Dorothy. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents its fifth annual Shakespeare in the Parks series in cooperation with the Chicago Park District. The series consists of 25 performances of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" in 19 Chicago parks. Performances begin Thursday, July 14, and continue through Aug. 14. For a schedule, see chicagoshakes.com/parks.

• Performances begin Thursday, July 14, for Theatre at the Center's revival of Neil Simon's comedy "The Odd Couple," about two divorced men living in a New York City apartment during the 1960s. George Keating and Norm Boucher star as Felix and Oscar in director Larry Wyatt's production, which runs through Aug. 14 at 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana. (800) 511-1552 or theateratthecenter.com.

• Goodman Theatre announced a second extension for its world premiere musical "War Paint," about pioneering cosmetics moguls Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole). Performances run through Aug. 21 at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• Broadway in Chicago offers $17.76 tickets to select performances of "The SpongeBob Musical," "The Book of Mormon," "Disney's Newsies" and "Schoolhouse Rock Live!" through the League of Chicago Theatre's Hot Tix program. Tickets are available at Chicago Hot Tix locations at 72 E. Randolph St., 108 N. State St., and 163 E. Pearson St., or at hottix.org through Sunday, July 10.