Taylor Mac, playwright of “Hir” receiving its Chicago premiere at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
1 Hir (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) Taylor Mac’s crusade to shake up the patriarchy is disarmingly funny, absurd and surprising as it looks at an American family forced to build a new world out of the pieces of the old Opens July 8
2 Beauty’s Daughter (American Blues Theater) This Obie Award-winning play by Dael Orlandersmith depicts one woman’s journey through life’s obstacles in an East Harlem neighborhood Opens July 13
3 Lela & Co. (Steep Theatre Company) Instinct, tenacity, biting humor and trust in the future keep Lela alive as her world closes in around her. Based on a true story, this US premiere is an eerily funny and enthralling story about the courage and perseverance of women in conflict zones Opens July 13
4 The Projects (American Theater Company’s Youth Ensemble) An abridgedversion of the critically acclaimed documentary play on Chicago’s public housing conceived, co-written and originally directed by ATC’s late artistic director PJ Paparelli Opens July 14
5 An Octoroon (Definition Theatre Company) A modern riff on Dion Boucicault’s 1859 classic melodrama, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Obie Award-winning historical satire follows a plantation in financial ruin Opens July 24
