Oak Brook's First Folio announces 25th anniversary season, no summer Shakespeare

First Folio Theatre fans expecting to enjoy Shakespeare under the stars this summer have a longer wait, says executive director David Rice, who co-founded the company with his late wife, Alison C. Vesely.

In an email announcing the company's 2020-21 season at the Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, Rice said First Folio's summer stage hiatus will continue indefinitely.

"By focusing on our indoor mission of presenting the finest in theater, with an emphasis on literature-based works and a commitment to at least one world premiere production each season, we can strengthen First Folio and keep it strong and viable both artistically and economically," Rice wrote.

To that end, First Folio will stage two premieres during its 25th anniversary season, which begins Sept. 30 with "The Jigsaw Bride: A Frankenstein Story," by artistic associate Joseph Zettelmaier ("The Gravedigger," "Dr. Seward's Dracula"). Inspired by Mary Shelley, Zettelmaier's new play centers on scientist Maria von Moos, who - 100 years after Victor Frankenstein's death - uncovers the madman's secrets.

Rice's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "The Secret Council," featuring married detectives Thomas and Prudence Beresford, premieres on Jan. 27, 2021. The spouses, known as Tommy and Tuppence, attempt to unravel the mystery surrounding a secret council made up of Great Britain's enemies, who are plotting to undermine the nation.

The season concludes with "Emma," adapted by Phil Timberlake from Jane Austen's novel about a young matchmaker who inserts herself into her friends' love lives only to leave "a muddle of passions and a tangle of heartbreak in her wake."

Performances take place at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St., Oak Brook. Preview subscriptions range from $42 to $63. Regular run subscriptions range from $50 to $98. There's a $5 discount for anyone subscribing before June 1. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.