First Folio announces 25th anniversary season, return to live theater

The long intermission is nearly over at First Folio Theatre, where the Oak Brook theater's 25th anniversary season commences this fall with the resumption of live, in-person performances.

First up is the pandemic-delayed premiere of ensemble member Joseph Zettelmaier's suspense tale "The Jigsaw Bride: A Frankenstein Story" (Oct. 13-Nov. 14). Inspired by Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," the play unfolds 100 years after the death of Victor Frankenstein, as scientist Maria von Moos excavates a ruined castle in an attempt to uncover the doctor's long-held secrets.

That's followed by the theater's second postponed premiere, "Agatha Christie's The Secret Council" (Jan. 26-Feb. 27, 2022). Adapted by First Folio co-founder and executive director David Rice, the play is set in the aftermath of World War I and features romantically involved sleuths Tommy and Tuppence, who race to expose the Secret Council whose members threaten Great Britain's welfare.

The season concludes with Phil Timberlake's adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" (March 23-April 24, 2022), about a well-intentioned 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 the Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st St., Oak Brook. Preview subscriptions range from $42 to $63; two-show adult subscriptions range from $58 to $75 ($50-$67 for seniors); three-show subscriptions are $78 to $98 ($70-$88 for seniors). For information, call (630) 986-8067 or visit firstfolio.org.