SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco Playhouse has announced its 2016–17 season, featuring a world premiere, new plays, and a musical.

“We create theatre to tell stories that enhance our understanding of being alive in our time,” said artistic director Bill English in a statement. “The plays we have selected for our new season all tell stories of people who experience a transformation. They have their beliefs challenged and are inspired to question their own identity and their place in the community.”

The season will start with the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s Seared (Sept. 27–Nov. 12), a comedy about the battle between art and commerce in which investors try to cash in on a New York chef’s eight-table dining experience. Brian Dykstra will star and Margarett Perry will direct.

Next up will be Noises Off (Nov. 22–Jan. 14, 2017) by Michael Frayn, a farce about a British theatre ensemble putting on a comedy. Susi Damilano will direct.

Following will be Lucas Hnath’s The Christians (Jan. 24–March 11, 2017), about a pastor that rocks his congregation with a controversial sermon. English will direct.

The show after that, to run March 21–May 6, 2017, will be announced at a later date.

Playing in the spring will be Jen Silverman’s The Roommate (May 16–July 1, 2017), about two middle-aged roommates with vastly different personalities who are both dealing with issues of isolation, aging, and identity.

Next will be the musical La Cage Aux Folles (July 11–Sept. 16, 2017), with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, about the manager of a French cabaret and his male partner, the club’s star headliner.

The San Francisco Playhouse, founded in 2003, produces new works and reimagined classics in downtown San Francisco.