Cheap shots

The Birds, Hell in a Handbag Productions
Go behind the scenes of the Hitchcock classic, where beautiful young Tippi Hedren discovers everyone has an agenda: her director, his assistant, her costars and especially that time-traveling meddler Camille Paglia. Hell in a Handbag’s David Cerda makes a case that pop-cultural camp can be smart, subversive and sidesplitting. Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N Sheridan Rd (800-838-3006).$15–$25. Oct 6–Nov 17.

Aristocrats, Strawdog Theatre Company
Rick Snyder (a.k.a. the only Steppenwolf ensemble member not to follow August: Osage County to Broadway) stays behind to direct the Strawdog ensemble in this revival of Brian Friel’s Irish family drama. Strawdog, a longtime company that’s retained every bit of its scrappy sensibility, kicks off its 20th-anniversary season here. 3829 N Broadway (773-528-9696). $20. Oct 11–Nov 17.

Créole, InFusion Theatre Company
The balls-out cast of InFusion Theatre Company’s first outing, last fall’s The Last Supper, blew us away. Now the company teams up with storefront playwright Margaret Lewis (a Best New Work Jeff winner for last year’s Fellow Travelers at Stage Left) for the tale of a slave girl in a forbidden love triangle. Sounds like it could get steamy on the bayou. Gallery 37, 66 E Randolph St (312-742-8497). $20. Oct 16–Nov 18.

Weapon of Mass Impact, A Red Orchid Theatre
The combo of playwright Brett Neveu and director Ed Sobel has proved adept at tying our stomach in knots. Here, tackling how the threat of terrorism affects the national psyche, Neveu promises to make the political unsettlingly personal. A Red Orchid, one of the last real hole-in-the-wall theaters left in Old Town, premieres the work. 1531 N Wells St (312-943-8722). $20–$25. Oct 19–Dec 2.

Butt Nekkid, the Side Project
Laura Jacqmin, one of the regular MVP playwrights at Collaboraction’s Sketchbook, penned this play about race relations in the record industry. The Side Project, a shoebox theater in Rogers Park that’s one of the city’s true hidden gems, produces the premiere. The Side Project, 1439 W Jarvis Ave (773-973-2150). $20. Nov 11–Dec 16.