Chicago-area theaters announce upcoming seasons
Northlight's 46th season
Northlight Theatre's 2020-2021 season includes a pair of world premieres, an Oscar Wilde favorite and a 2018 drama about the wife of a Civil Rights leader among other offerings.
The season begins Sept. 24 with "The Lifespan of a Fact," a comedy by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell in which an eccentric writer, a practical editor and a fact-checker try to negotiate the line between accuracy and embellishment.
That's followed by the premiere of "Mr. Dickens Hat" (Nov. 19-Dec. 27), a play with music by Michael Hollinger about a young girl who sets out to thwart thieves' attempts to steal Charles Dickens' hat.
Next up is Donja R. Love's "Fireflies" (Jan. 21-Feb. 27, 2021). Set in the American South during the Civil Rights movement, the play centers on Olivia, the wife of a popular preacher and author of his spellbinding speeches, who grows weary of the supporting role she's assigned.
That's followed by a revival of Oscar Wilde's 1893 satire "A Woman of No Importance" (March 11-April 18, 2021). Jessica Thebus adapted the play and directs the tale about an ordinary woman, shunned for having a child out of wedlock, who defies an illustrious aristocrat.
The season concludes with the premiere of "Unlikeable Heroine," Melissa Ross' play set at a small, liberal arts college where a popular but controversial course forces the college's new president to balance a progressive student body against a more traditional faculty.
Performances take place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Subscriptions range from $109 to $260. They're available at (847) 673-6300 or northlight.org.
Court Theatre season
Court Theatre opens its 66th season with a revival of August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" (Sept. 3-Oct 4). It marks the penultimate production in Court's ongoing efforts to stage each play in Wilson's American Century Cycle consisting of 10 plays chronicling the African-American experience in America during each decade of the 20th century. Set in the 1960s, "Two Trains Running" is about the regulars at a Pittsburgh diner, which may be forced to close thanks to neighborhood gentrification.
Next up is "Violet," a musical by composer Jeanine Tesori ("Caroline, or Change") and writer/lyricist Brian Crawley about a young woman in 1964 who travels to Oklahoma hoping a televangelist will heal her scars. It runs from Nov. 5 to Dec. 6.
The theater concludes its Oedipus Trilogy with Sophocles' tragedy "Antigone," about the young woman who defies King Creon's order that her rebellious brother Polynices be left unburied. It runs Jan. 21 to Feb. 21, 2021.
That's followed by Caryl Churchill's "Fen" (March 18-April 18, 2021) about an English woman haunted by her past who tries to escape by pursuing a new relationship, which has unforeseen repercussions.
The season concludes with William Shakespeare's "Othello" (May 13-June 13, 2021) in which the renowned general is undone by the embittered Iago who sparks Othello's jealousy, which sets in motion a series of tragedies.
Performances take place at 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago. Subscriptions range from $96 to $300. They're available at (773) 753-4472 or courttheatre.org.
ABT in 2020-2021
American Blues Theater's 2020-2021 season begins Sept. 4 with a revival of August Wilson's "Fences" about a former Negro Baseball League star working as a Pittsburgh garbage man whose bitterness over his inability to break baseball's color barrier impacts his entire family.
That's followed by ABT's 19th-anniversary production of "It's a Wonderful Life: Live in Chicago!" adapted from Frank Capra's beloved film. It runs Nov. 12 to Jan. 2, 2021.
Next up is the premiere of "Alma" (Jan. 29-March 13, 2021) by 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award winner Benjamin Benne. It's about single mom Alma whose past threatens her and her daughter's present and future.
The season concludes with the Chicago premiere of Chelsea Marcantel's rock-infused comedy "Airness" (May 7-June 13, 2021) about a young woman who enters an air guitar competition then discovers "there's more to the art form than playing pretend."
Performances take place at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago. ABT offers annual memberships ranging from $27 to $116 that include reserved seating, unlimited ticket exchanges and missed performance insurance among other benefits. They're available at (773) 654-3103 or americanbluestheater.com.
TimeLine 2020-2021
TimeLine Theatre Company examines politics, a southern Jewish family, Chinese immigrants and the conflict between an African-American actress and her Caucasian director as part of its 2020-2021 season.
The season begins Aug. 5 with the premiere of "Campaigns, Inc." by ensemble member Will Allan. Set in 1934 California, the comedy tells the story of Leone Baxter and Clem Whitaker who formed the first political consulting firm.
Next up is a revival of Alfred Uhry's "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" (Nov. 4-Dec. 27), about the Freitags, a Jewish family living in Atlanta in 1939 who are forced to confront their beliefs and prejudices after a young bachelor from Brooklyn arrives at their home and begins to romance a comely Freitag cousin.
Beginning previews Feb. 3, 2021 is Alice Childress' examination of race and power called "Trouble in Mind." Set on Broadway in the 1950s, it's about how tensions arise during rehearsals for a fictional anti-lynching Southern drama after the lead actress, who is African-American, disagrees with the Caucasian director about his interpretation of the play.
The season concludes with the premiere of "The Chinese Lady" (May 5-June 26, 2021), by Lloyd Suh. Inspired by a true story, "The Chinese Lady" is about a teenage girl brought by merchants to the U.S. at age 14, who is put on display as an authentic "Chinese Lady" for the next 55 years.
Performances take place at 615 W. Wellington Ave., Chicago. Flex pass subscriptions range from $97 to $235. They're available at (773) 281-8463, ext. 6, or timelinetheatre.com.