Theater spotlight: Fantastical 'Nightmares' takes over The Athenaeum
BBE 'Nightmares'
British author John Collier's acerbic, fantastical tales inspired Black Button Eyes Productions' premiere of "Nightmares and Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier." Written and directed by producing artistic director Ed Rutherford, the story incorporates Collier's tales of love and loss narrated by a sinister host played by Kevin Webb. Preview at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18. $15, $30. (773) 935-6875, blackbuttoneyes.com or athenaeumtheatre.org.
'Collected Stories' in limited run
This season has been a busy one for Steel Beam Theatre, which added several limited-run productions to its already full main stage schedule. The latest is "Collected Stories," Donald Margulies' two-hander about a young writer who writes a novel based on her mentor's affair with a famous poet. Artistic director Marge Uhlarik-Boller and Crystal Skipworth star in the production, which is directed by Larry Boller. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17-18, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at 111 W. Main St., St. Charles. Performances run through Sept. 1. $20. (630) 587-8521 or steelbeamtheatre.com.
Like old times
Janus Theatre launches the Elgin Shakespeare Project, in which actors re-create Elizabethan stage techniques with an all-female, unrehearsed performance of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest." The play is about a deposed duke stranded with his daughter on an island, who conjures a storm to deposit his enemies on his shores so he can exact revenge. In Janus' production, actors who have neither read nor rehearsed the scenes will perform with scrolls in hand. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 17-18, and 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 19, at the Elgin Artspace Lofts, 51 S. Spring St., Elgin. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. See janusplays.com.
Something wonderful
Joseph Jefferson Award-winner Heidi Kettenring, a leading lady in Chicago-area theater, closes the 2017-2018 Artists Lounge Live Series at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre with a concert featuring tunes made famous by Irving Berlin, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand and others. Produced and curated by Michael Ingersoll and Metropolis, the series showcases theater artists in a concert/cabaret setting. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. $45. (847) 577-2121 or metropolisarts.com.