theatre

Unfolding with primal power, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” the opera by multi-Grammy Award winning jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, seizes the audience from the start and never lets go.

When Whitney White first encountered Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, she fell in love. Here was a character who was ambitious, decisive and powerful, a relatable contemporary woman. This fascination with Shakespeare’s female characters has led to “Macbeth in Stride,” running at the American Repertory Theater Oct. 23 through Nov. 14.

As nearby Salem has taught us, it’s rarely a good time when the devil comes to town. But in “Witch,” playing at the Huntington Theatre through Nov. 15, the narrative gets a modern makeover rounded out with laughter, tears and questions probing into contemporary morality.

Jasmine M. Rush is making up for lost pandemic stage time in “Queens Girl in the World,” running at Central Square Theater through October 31.

Hibernian Hall in Nubian Square is once again producing in-person performances, reopening its theatrical doors for the first time since 2019 with “Smoked Oysters” by Hibernian Hall’s 2021/22 Playwright-in-Residence Mary McCullough.

Shortly after hurricane Henri bypassed Greater Boston, “Hurricane Diane” hits the stage with full force at The Huntington. The 90-minute comedy welcomes audiences back into the theater, live and in person, with a searing and hilarious commentary on gardening and global warming.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, the Arnold Arboretum welcomed a new sound into its natural symphony — the sound of storytelling. “The Arboretum Experience,” created by American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, offers a series of audio plays, movement maps, meditations and live art experiences on the 265-acre property.

The Huntington Theatre Company and the Front Porch Arts Collective will launch a multi-year strategic partnership on Sept. 1. The Porch will be in residence at the Huntington, and the two theater companies will utilize the close connection to foster learning and growth opportunities and impactful theater experiences.

This month, Apollinaire Theatre Company presents “Romeo and Juliet” like Greater Boston has never seen it before. In collaboration with Teatro Chelsea and the City of Chelsea Department of Housing and Community Development, the company will stage an immersive, outdoor, bilingual adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic love story.

Boston is receiving an extra dose of Shakespeare this season with the arrival of Brown Box Theatre Project’s 10th annual Summer Shakespeare Tour. The international cast will perform “Much Ado About Nothing” at outdoor venues throughout Massachusetts August 6-29, including Boston’s Atlantic Wharf and Christian Herter Park in Allston.

On July 21, the Boston Common will once again come alive with the sounds of live theater. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) will stage “The Tempest” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Free Shakespeare On the Common.

Last week, Hibernian Hall concluded its second annual Play Writing LAB with a virtual showcase of work by up-and-coming playwrights in the area.