Spotlight: PlayMakers Laboratory performs in Chicago parks

Fun in the sun

PlayMakers Laboratory presents "Stories Under the Sun," a series of family-friendly performances taking place throughout Chicago as part of the city's Night Out in the Parks series. Similar to PlayMakers' "That's Weird, Grandma," the performances consist of adaptations of stories written by Chicago schoolchildren.

5 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, at Cole Park, 361 E. 85th St., Chicago; Wednesday, July 7, at Gill Park, 825 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago; Thursday, July 8, at Moore Park, 5085 W. Adams St., Chicago. Free. See nightoutintheparks.com.

Comedy about villains

Theatre Above the Law resumes live, in-person performances with "Henchpeople," Ross Compton's comedy about a supervillain's henchpeople coping with the fallout from a sinister plan gone awry. That fallout includes facing a formidable superhero and an army of violent foot soldiers. Tony Lawry directs.

Previews at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8, and Friday, July 9, at Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago. In-person performances continue at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday through Aug. 1. In-person audience members over 12 must show proof of vaccination for admission and wear masks. Streaming option available. $15-$25. See theatreatl.org.

In other news

• First Folio Theatre artistic associate Diana Coates reads "Corduroy," Don Freeman's children's tale about a department store Teddy bear awaiting a child, as part of the Oak Brook theater's online bedtime stories series. First Folio's Storytellers Series continues with Sierra Schnack reading the poem "Rainbow Door" by Mossa. Performances stream online through July 15 on First Folio's YouTube channel.

• The New Colony announced a name change to The New Coordinates to reflect its efforts "toward being an anti-racist organization," according to a prepared statement. "Part of our work is to educate and examine ourselves, to be accountable to our history as a primarily white institution and improve the experience of collaboration with BIPOC artists," said co-artistic directors Fin Coe and Stephanie Shum in a prepared statement. "To that end, one of the changes we're making is the name of our company. It has been an increasingly awkward fit for some time now. It's a little absurd to call for decolonizing theater and its labor practices when it's right there in our name, in our communications, an odd sticking point in all of our introductions."

• The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, announced the resumption of live, in-person performances this fall. The lineup includes stand-up comedians Erik Griffin (Oct. 8 and 9), Maria Bamford (Oct. 14-17) and comedian Jacqueline Novak performing her off-Broadway show "Get on Your Knees." Productions from The Den's resident companies - Broken Nose Theatre, First Floor Theater, Haven and The New Coordinates - will be announced later. Tickets for all performance go on sale July 9 at thedentheatre.com.

• The Chicago Magic Lounge, a close-up magic venue at 5050 N. Clark St., Chicago, reopens Aug. 2, with host Jan Rose welcoming headlining magician Luis Carreon and Justin Purcell on the main stage. Paige Thompson performs in the 654 Club. AJ Sacco, Deven Brown and The Amazing Bibik will entertain patrons in The Performance Bar. The Magic Lounge is for patrons age 21 and older, 16 and older with a legal guardian. See chicagomagiclounge.com.

• New Normal Rep, a new streaming theater company in its inaugural season, presents "Lines in the Dust," Nikkole Salter's play about a mother who goes to desperate measures to ensure her daughter attends a high performing school instead of their underperforming neighborhood school. The production streams online from Thursday, July 8, to Aug. 10. Tickets are $25, $10 for students, teachers and theater professionals. See newnormalrep.org.

• Victory Gardens Theater welcomed Marisa Carr, Keelay Gipson, Isaac Gómez and Stacey Rose as new members to its Playwrights Ensemble whose three-year terms run through 2024. Each playwright receives a world-premiere production and a reading during the Ignition Festival of New Plays. Additionally, Victory Gardens will serve as a developmental home for the playwrights, offering support for new projects and connecting them with artists in Chicago and around the country.

• Porchlight Music Theatre's Porchlight Carolers is a new performance ensemble whose members will entertain at corporate and private events beginning this holiday season. The Home Front Festivities program features carolers dressed in 1940s garb singing holiday songs from that era. Santa Babies features carolers dressed in 1950s style and performing tunes from the Eisenhower era. See porchlightcarolers.com.

• City Lit Theater announced its 41st season consisting of four shows begins Jan. 7, 2022, with the premiere of "The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains," featuring puppets by The Puppet Company. It was adapted by L.C. Bernardine and Spencer Huffman from Owen Wister's 1902 cowboy novel. That's followed on April 15, 2022, by "Emma's Child," resident playwright Kristine Thatcher's play about a Rogers Park couple planning to adopt a pregnant teenager's child. Next up is "The Playboy of the Western World" (July 1-Aug. 14, 2022), John Millington Synge's classic about a man whose claims that he killed his father with a shovel make him a folk hero in his small Irish village. The season concludes with the musical "Aztec Human Sacrifice" (Aug. 26-Sept. 3, 2022), about the Chosen One, who is to be sacrificed on the eve of the new millennium, but runs off with the emperor's daughter instead. It's by Kingsley Day and Philip LaZebnik, who created the musical comedy "Summer Stock Murder." Performances take place at 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago. Season subscriptions are $68 for preview performances and $90 for regular run performances. Single tickets are $30 for previews and $34 for regular run. See citylit.org.

• PrideArts announced its 2021-2022 season titled "The Search for Identity Among Queer Communities" will begin Aug. 19 with the U.S. premiere of the musical "The Things I Never Could Tell Steven," about four people - wife, mother, father and ex-boyfriend - sharing details about their lives with Steven. Next up is the Chicago premiere of "4,000 Days" (Sept. 30-Oct. 27) about a man who recovers from a coma to find that 11 years of his memory have been erased, including his memories of his partner, Paul. That's followed by the premiere of "Christmas Karol: An Uptown Holiday Celebration Of Diversity" (Dec. 11-Jan. 2, 2022) about a woman facing the night she most dreads. The premiere of "When There Are Nine," a bio-drama about the last day of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, begins previews Feb. 10, 2022. The season concludes with a play to be announced. Performances take place at 4139 N. Broadway, Chicago. See pridearts.org.