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There was also the sad news that Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company was going to disband at the end of its 30th-anniversary season. Apparently, the company's space ( known as Angel Island ) is slated for redevelopment, so rather than trying to find a new venue, Mary-Arrchie founder Richard Cotovsky decided to call it quits.

So here's hoping the rest of the Chicago theater surprises this season are confined dramatically to what happens onstage instead of to the theater companies themselves. Below is a select list of new and new-to-Chicago works. All shows listed are chronological and in Chicago unless otherwise noted. Shows with an LGBTQ angle are highlighted with an asterisk ( * ).

World premieres

*Merchild, 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th St., Berwyn. Aline Lathrop's drama focuses on a boy who dreams of being a mermaid and marrying a prince, while his parents stress about their son's gender expressions. ( Now to Oct. 17; www.16thstreettheater.org ) .

Funny Man, Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. George Wendt ( Cheers ) and Tim Kazurinsky ( Police Academy II-IV ) star in this drama about a fading vaudevillian comic in the late 1950s trying to make a comeback in an odd off-Broadway play. Written by Bruce Graham who had previous Northlight hits with The Outgoing Tide and White Guy on the Bus. ( Now to Oct. 18; www.northlight.org ) .

*Fifty States of Gay, GayCo at Under the Gun Theatre, 956 W. Newport Ave. The latest revue from Chicago's oldest LGBTQ sketch comedy troupe promises songs, puppetry and probably a lesbian break-up scene. ( Now to Oct. 31; www.gayco.com ) .

Feathers and Teeth, Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. A 13-year-old girl seeks revenge on her disagreeable new future stepmother in Charise Castro Smith's horror-infused comic drama. ( Sept. 17 to Oct. 18; www.goodmantheatre.org ) .

*Scream, Queen, Scream!, Hell in a Handbag Productions at Mary's Attic, N. Clark St. David Cerda unveils a new campy and drag-filled horror trilogy inspired by the likes of Creepshow, Night Gallery and Tales From the Crypt. ( Sept. 24 to Oct. 31; www.handbagproductions.org ) .

*Punk Punk, Nothing Without a Company at Fat Cat Bar, 4840 N. Broadway St. Two aspiring Chicago punk musicians' plans to attract the attention of a Riot Fest scout go awry in this raucous black comedy by lesbian playwright Hannah Ii-Epstein. ( Sept. 24 to Oct. 10; www.nothingwithoutacompany.org ) .

The Black White Love Play ( The Story of Chaz & Roger Ebert ), Black Ensemble Theater, N. Clark St. Playwright and director Jackie Taylor explores the courtship and marriage between the late world-famous Chicago film critic and his wife, Chaz, in this new play with music. ( Begins Sept. 26; www.blackensembletheater.org ) .

Love and Information, Remy Bumppo Theatre at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Caryl Churchill's acclaimed fragmentary play takes on post-modern communication and love in a multifaceted and poetical way. ( Sept. 24 to Nov. 1; www.remybumppo.org ) .

Fog Island, Filament Theatre Ensemble, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave. Emily Dendinger adapts Tomi Ungerer's picture book about two Irish youth who set sail to the mysterious title location. ( Sept. 25 to Nov. 1; www.filamenttheatre.org ) .

For Her as a Piano, Pegasus Theatre at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. Playwright Nambi E. Kelly ( Native Son ) and composer Jaret Landon team up to explore one woman's journey through three generations of her family's history. ( Sept. 30 to Nov. 1; www.pegasustheatrechicago.org ) .

The Cheats, Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave. Hamish Linklater's modern drama is all about a progressive couple whose lives are turned upside-down when their spied-upon neighbors pay a visit on Halloween. ( Oct. 1 to Nov. 7; www.steeptheatre.com ) .

Good for Otto, Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Ave. Artistic director Michael Patrick helms this new play by David Rabe ( Hurlyburly, Streamers ) about a psychologist who tries to minister to the distressed souls in rural Connecticut. ( Oct. 1 to Nov. 22; www.thegifttheatre.org ) .

The Story of a Story ( The Untold Story ), Underscore Theatre Company at 1543 W. Division St. A band of rebel clichés must defeat the land's evil tyrant in this new musical by Peter Gwinn ( The Colbert Report ) and Jody Shelton ( 50 Shades! The Musical ). ( Oct. 2 to Nov. 8; www.underscoretheatre.org ) .

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Terry McCabe's world-premiere adaptation brings Nicholas Meyer's take on Sherlock Holmes' sidekick Dr. Watson to the stage. ( Oct. 2 to Nov. 15; www.citylit.org ) .

LAWD The CVS is Burning! A Gospel Musical Stageplay, MPAACT at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Carla Stillwell irreverently explores the mainstream news media in light of recent events involving the shooting deaths of African-Americans. ( Oct. 9 to Nov. 22; www.mpaact.org .\ .

*Charm, Northlight Theatre at Steppenwolf Garage, 1624 N. Halsted St. An African-American transgender woman attempts to teach basic etiquette to a group of resistant LGBTQ youth in this new play by gay playwright Philip Dawkins ( The Homosexuals ). ( Oct. 14 to Nov. 18; www.northlight.org ) .

*Knocking Up the Mob, Rick Watkins at Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. A comedy by Rick Watkins about a gay guy who somehow gets a mobster's daughter pregnant. ( Oct. 15 to Nov. 8 )

The Terrible, The New Colony at Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. This latest ensemble-devised piece involves a controversial performance artist who wakes up dead with strange company to contend with. ( Oct. 16 to Nov. 21; www.thenewcolony.org ) .

The Firestorm, Stage Left Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Meridith Friedman's drama examines an interracial political power couple whose campaign ambitions are tripped up when a racially charged past incident is uncovered. ( Oct. 24 to Nov. 29; www.stagelefttheatre.com ) .

Pilgrim's Progress, A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells Ave. Brett Neveu's Thanksgiving comic drama promises to be an homage to playwrights like Albee, O'Neill, Williams and Shepard. ( Nov. 4 to Dec. 13; www.aredorchidtheatre.org ) .

Fulfillment, American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St. A lawyer fears that racial discrimination has prevented him from a partnership in Thomas Bradshaw's new drama exploring America's professional upper classes. ( Nov. 6 to Dec. 13; www.atcweb.org ) .

No More Sad Things, Sideshow Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater, Lincoln Ave. Hansol Jung's drama involves a boy who finds a girl on a Hawaiian beach who caught a last-minute trip to Maui. ( Nov. 15 to Dec. 20 )

*Animals Commit Suicide, First Floor Theatre at Flatiron Arts Building, 1575 N. Milwaukee Ave. A young gay man with a drug habit lies to get into a relationship with a handsome HIV-positive baker in J. Julian Christopher's new drama exploring bug chasing. ( Nov. 15 to Dec. 12; www.firstfloortheater.com ) .

Robin Hood and Maid Marian, Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway. Forks & Hope adapt Alfred Lord Tennyson's tale of the legendary English folk hero into a stage adventure. ( Nov. 28 to Dec. 29; www.strawdog.org ) .

Chicago-area premieres

Guardians, Mary-Arrchie Theatre at Angel Island, 735 W. Sheridan Rd. Peter Morris' two-actor drama explores the aftermath of photos released from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and similar ones that were faked for a British tabloid. ( Now to Oct. 18; www.maryarrchie.com ) .

With Love & a Major Organ, Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway St. A young woman somehow literally gives her beating heart to a stranger on a train in Julia Lederer's edgy tale of love. ( Now to Oct. 14; www.strawdog.org ) .

Dogfight, Bohemian Theatre Ensemble at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Based upon the 1991 film, this 2012 off-Broadway musical focuses on three soon-to-deploy soldiers in the 1960s who hold a cruel contest to try to find the ugliest woman for a date. ( Now to Oct. 18; www.bohotheatre.com ) .

*Side Show, Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. The authors of the 1997 beloved cult musical about the conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton teamed up with director Bill Condon to thoroughly revise their work for the acclaimed 2014 Broadway revival. The Windy City gets the first chance to see all of the changes post-Broadway. ( Now to Oct. 18; www.porchlightmusictheatre.org ) .

Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys ( An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow ), Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. It looks like Chicago will have to wait even longer for Kander and Ebb's 2010 Broadway musical exploring the wrongly imprisoned African-American youth in the 1930s. That's because Raven Theatre is producing a different musical take on the historical material by Mark Stein and Harley White, Jr. ( Now to Nov. 14; www.raventheatre.com ) .

Butcher, Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave. A lawyer, a police officer and a translator try to discover why an elderly man has been dumped at the police station with a meat hook around his neck in Nicolas Billon's Canadian drama. ( Sept. 17 to Oct. 24; www.signalensemble.com ) .

Washer/Dryer, Rasaka Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Nandita Shenoy creates a farcical situation when the marriage between an Indian-American woman and a Chinese-American man is intruded upon by disapproving relatives and nosy neighbors. ( Sept. 17 to Oct. 11; www.rasakatheatre.com ) .

The ( curious case of the ) Watson Intelligence, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Lesbian playwright Madeleine George ( Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England ) was a Pulitzer finalist for this time-jumping comedy exploring real and fictional knowledge and technology. ( Sept. 17 to Nov. 14; www.theaterwit.org ) .

Sucker Punch, Victory Gardens Theater, N. Lincoln Ave. Two Black boxers in 1980s London square off in Roy Williams drama questioning their motivations to fight. ( Sept. 18 to Oct. 18; www.victorygardens.org ) .

The Hyacinth Macaw, The Bridge at First Trinity Community Center, 643 W. 31st St. Mac Wellman's drama about a girl who makes strange observations while her family falls apart. ( Sept. 18 to Oct. 4; www.chicagoartistsresource.org ) .

Sins of the Father, eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Synthia Williams' 2013 drama looks at African-American men through the generations who each carry a burden from the father before him. ( Sept. 18 to Oct. 25; www.etacreativearts.org ) .

A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St. The 2014 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical officially launches its national tour in the Windy City. See how a murderous man goes after the eccentric D'Ysquith family to better his succession chances to attain an enormous fortune in this musical comedy by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. ( Sept. 29 to Oct. 11; www.broadwayinchicago.com ) .

Ride the Cyclone, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave. Jeff Award-winning director Rachel Rockwell helms the U.S. debut of this odd musical focusing on six Canadian teenagers whose lives are cut short while riding a roller coaster. ( Sept. 29 to Nov. 8; www.chicagoshakes.com ) .

Yellow Dress, Silk Road Rising at Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St. Marissa Lichwick's solo show examines what happens when a Korean American adoptee journeys back to her roots in Asia. ( Oct. 1-4; www.silkroadrising.org ) .

Unspeakable, Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St. Rob Gailes and performer James Murray Jackson, Jr., team up for this unauthorized look into the difficult life of comedian Richard Pryor between the years of 1967 to 1982. ( Oct. 6-25; www.broadwayinchicago.com ) .

My Brilliant Divorce, Irish Theatre of Chicago at Chief O'Neill's Pub, 3471 N. Elston Ave. Geraldine Aron tells the tale of a woman who must rethink her life after her husband leaves her for a younger, more exotic person. ( Oct. 7 to Nov. 1; www.irishtheatreofchicago.org ) .

Marjorie Prime, Writers Theatre at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Ave., Glencoe. Gay playwright Jordan Harrison was a Pulitzer finalists for his drama of an elderly woman who seeks the help of artificial intelligence when her memory starts fading. ( Oct. 21 to Feb. 28; www.writerstheatre.org ) .

The Play About My Dad, Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Playwright Boo Killebrew dramatizes what happened when his father, a doctor in Gulfport, Mississippi, tends to those who couldn't evacuate from Hurricane Katrina. ( Oct. 21 to Nov. 28; www.raventheatre.com ) .

Pocatello, Griffin Theatre at Signal Ensemble Theatre, 1802 W. Berenice Ave. An Italian chain restaurant manager starts to lose himself in this small Idaho town in Samuel D. Hunter's 2014 drama. ( Nov. 7 to Dec. 13; www.griffintheatre.com ) .

Repairing a Nation, eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. Nikkole Salter's drama focuses on a woman who tries to bring about a class-action suit for reparations 80 years after the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921. ( Nov. 13 to Jan. 3; www.etacreativearts.org ) .

My American Cousin, Silk Road Rising at Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St. Jameeleh Sheelo has devised a sketch comedy show that takes a humorous look into the life of an American Muslim woman. ( Nov. 19-22; www.silkroadrising.org ) .

Sherlock Holmes, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. David Arquette stars in the title role in this touring adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories by Greg Kramer. ( Nov. 24-29; broadwayinchicago.com ) .

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St. Former Chicago actress Abby Mueller ( sister to Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller ) stars in the title role of the inspirational singer-songwriter for the national tour. ( Dec. 1 to Feb. 21; www.broadwayinchicago.com )

Domesticated, Steppenwolf Theatre, 1640 N. Halsted. St. This 2013 drama by Bruce Norris ( Clybourne Park, The Qualms ) dissects the motivations of a politician whose career is torn apart by a sex scandal. ( Dec. 3 to Feb. 7; www.steppenwolf.org ) .