SKOKIE, ILL.: Northlight Theatre has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring a world premiere developed as part of the theatre’s Interplay Program for new plays.

The season will open with The Lifespan of a Fact (Sept. 24-Nov. 1), by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell. Halena Kays will direct this story about an earnest intern at a high-profile magazine who is assigned to be the fact checker for a potentially groundbreaking piece.

Next up will be the world premiere of the play with music Mr. Dickens’ Hat (Nov. 19-Dec. 27), by Michael Hollinger, which follows Kat as she tries to thwart two bumbling thieves plotting to steal Charles Dickens’ hat, all while trying to free her father from debtors’ prison. David Catlin will direct.

Following will be Donja R. Love’s Fireflies (Jan. 21-Feb. 27, 2021), about Olivia, the pregnant wife of a charismatic reverend, whose tolerance for writing his speeches and playing the supporting role is wearing thin. Mikael Burke will direct.

Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance (March 11-April 18, 2021) will follow, adapted and directed by Jessica Thebus. Lord Illingworth finds himself woefully unprepared when his flattery and flirtation have no affect on a “woman of no importance.”

The season will conclude with the world premiere of Unlikable Heroine (May 6-June 13, 2021), by Melissa Ross. Jessica Fisch will direct this play about the new president of a small liberal arts college in Vermont who finds herself dealing with the pressure of a progressive student body, a deeply traditional faculty, and the ethical questions surrounding a popular but controversial course.

Northlight Theatre, founded in 1974, aspires to explore the depth of humanity across a bold spectrum of experiences.