CHICAGO: Raven Theatre has announced the four productions of its 2020-21 season, including a world premiere from Chicago native Joshua Allen.

The season will open with Inherit the Wind (Sept. 24-Nov. 8), by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The play follows the national spotlight as it turns its attention to a small town after a teacher is arrested for discussing evolution with his students. Ian Frank will direct.

Next up will be The Luckiest (Oct. 22-Dec. 6), by Melissa Ross, about Lissette, who receives a diagnosis that shatters her world and leaves her at odds with her best friend and her family. Artistic director Cody Estle will direct.

Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing (Feb. 11-March 28) will follow. Directed by Mikael Burke,  Beautiful Thing follows two boys who find solace and understanding in each other that they can’t find elsewhere in their lives.

The season will conclude with the world premiere of Joshua Allen’s The Last Pair of Earlies (May 6-June 20). Allen’s play, directed by Tyla Abercrumbie, examines the love between Eayland Early and Della Rose who, after they’re forced to flee Mississippi for Chicago, face the reality of unrealized dreams.

Raven Theatre was founded in 1983 and presents world premiere productions and revivals of classic plays.