David Ahlvers' inspired stage adaptation of transgender author/activist Ellen Krug's autobiography illuminates her identity struggle with glistening clarity. A seamless acting trio — Amy Schweickhardt, Joe Wiener, Catherine Hansen — fluidly chronicles Krug's psychological journey from a childhood of fascination with girls' underwear to becoming a dutiful father who saw his wife as a soulmate, to a painfully baffling period of getting past misunderstandings that society creates by lumping identity, gayness and crossdressing into the same category. This luminous piece masterfully sidesteps preachy politicking and self-pity. (7 p.m. Mon., 4 p.m. Fri., 8:30 p.m Sat., Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 S. 4th St.)

John Townsend