On stage this season: A daring riff on 'Medea,' embattled Freedom Riders and a boisterous 'Ragtime'

Mike Wiley's play uses music, movement and ritual to illuminate the plight of Freedom Riders who were imprisoned in Mississippi's Parchman Farm Penitentiary. Wiley, who specializes in documentary theater, wrote and directed the premiere of this work in 2011 at PlayMaker's Rep, Guthrie artistic director Joseph Haj's previous theater at the University of North Carolina. Patricia McGregor directs the Guthrie's production.

Oct. 1-Nov. 6, Guthrie Theater proscenium, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls. 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org

The Los Angeles Times called playwright Michael Elyanow's contemporary riff on "Medea" a "breathtaking achievement." In Euripides' original, a betrayed wife and mother goes on a vengeful spell of cold-blooded killing. In Elyanow's take, told with actors as well as Masanari Kawahara's humanoid puppets, characters navigate the treacherous terrain of family dysfunction. Pillsbury House Theatre co-artistic director Noël Raymond directs a top-shelf cast that includes Tracey Maloney, Jim Lichtscheidl, Kathryn Guentzel, Kurt Kwan and Michelle O'Neill.

Sept. 16-Oct. 16, Pillsbury House Theatre, 3501 Chicago Av. S., Mpls. 612-825-0459 or pillsburyhousetheatre.org

This 1996 musical by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens is famous for, among other things, launching the career of Tony winner Heather Headley, who was a student when she was cast as Sarah, the young African-American woman who suffers tragedies in this multi-cultural tapestry of America in the early 20th century. Protean talent Traci Allen Shannon plays that role in Theater Latté Da's production, directed by Peter Rothstein and co-starring Sasha Andreev, Britta Ollmann and David Murray as Coalhouse Walker Jr.

Sept. 21-Oct. 23, Ritz Theater, 345 13th Av. NE., Mpls. 612-339-3003 or theaterlatteda.org

Lorraine Hansberry's classic play about African-American self determination is being revived by Park Square Theatre. Warren Bowles directs a production featuring Darius Dotch as Walter Younger, Greta Oglesby as Mama and Am'Ber Montgomery as Beneatha. This piece of theater is always worth seeing.

Bobby Vee (not to be confused with Vinton) was the Fargo kid whose career was born in tragedy. He was 15 when promoters asked him to step in after Buddy Holly's death. Tyler Michaels will play the title character in a script written by Bob Beverage. George Maurer did the orchestrations.

Oct. 1-30, History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul, 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com

Playwright Robert O'Hara has been highly praised for this savage send-up of stereotypes in this show in which he does a deft switcheroo, replacing white trailer trash with black trailer trash. The play, which also deals with issues of cultural appropriation, will be staged by fearless director Thomas W. Jones II and features Jevetta Steele, Regina Marie Williams, Sue Scott, and Stephen Yoakam.

Sept. 30-Oct. 16, Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 E. 4th St., Mpls. 612-338-6131 or mixedblood.com

Director Lou Bellamy is arguably the most sublime interpreter of August Wilson's work and he has assembled a cast of heavyweights for this revival of "Jitney," Wilson's metaphor about conveyance and destiny. The roster includes Terry Bellamy, James Craven, Abdul Salaam El Razzac, T. Mychael Rambo, Dennis Spears, Kevin West and relative newcomer Jasmine Hughes.

Jane Austen circles back to the Guthrie in this adaptation by Kate Hamill. The Guthrie last visited Austen with "Pride and Prejudice" in the summer of 2014.This comedy of manners centers on the love lives of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Jungle artistic director Sarah Rasmussen directs the production, which features Broadway actor Jolly Abraham and Alejandra Escalante.

Through Oct. 29, Guthrie Theater thrust stage, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls. 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org

Rasmussen returns to her home base to stage Sarah Ruhl's play about an American mother (Christina Baldwin), whose son is believed to be the reincarnation of a Lama. When Buddhist monks arrive to venerate the lad and bring him to an Indian monastery for training, the mother faces a dilemma. Ruhl's play explores what's best for the child, for the family, for humanity.

Nov. 4-Dec. 18, Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls. 612-822-7063 or jungletheater.com

This best-play Tony winner already had a lot going for it, including a strong narrative spine from Mark Haddon's best-selling novel. But director Marianne Elliott stages it as an immersive tour-de-force, with a young man's thoughts bringing people and the environment to vivid life.