SATURDAY
Candles to the Sun: Eclipse’s 2008 season opens with Steven Fedoruk’s rare revival of the very early Tennessee Williams drama (penned in 1936, before the famed scribe had graduated from college). The play is set, atypically, in coal-mining country in Alabama and probes personal and social issues. Through May 4 by Eclipse Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.;$25, 773-871-3000 and www.eclipsetheatre.com.
MONDAY
Bronte: The colliding lives and works of Yorkshire’s famously passionate literary sisters — Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte — are the subject of Polly Teale’s new play from the United Kingdom. James Bohnen directs. Through May 4 by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; $35-$40, 773-871-3000 and www.remybumppo.org.
THURSDAY
In a Dark Dark House: In the final (and biggest) installment of a provocative Neil LaBute season, Profiles Theatre presents the controversial writer’s new drama about memories and familial abuse. The rights were a coup — this is only the second production of LaBute’s 2007 play. Through May 11 by Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway; $25-$30, 773-549-1815 and www.profilestheatre.org.
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot: Michael Patrick Thornton plays the title role in this new production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ inflammatory play — wherein the infamous Apostle goes on trial in a courtroom in Purgatory. Through May 4 by The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave.; $20-$25, 773-283-7071 and www.thegifttheatre.org.
Free Radicals: In this world premiere of a play by Brenda Kilianski, a former 1960s radical (played by Iris Lieberman) confronts the next chapter of her life. Lydia Milman directs. Through April 25 by Stockyards Theatre Project at the North Lakeside Cultural Center, 6219 N. Sheridan Rd.; 773-936-7896 and www.stockyardstheatreproject.org.
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