At the Hoogland Center for the Arts, classics abound. First though is A Letter to Heaven, an encore presentation of an original gospel play by local playwright Donna Jefferson about a cancer patient’s spiritual journey. Originally presented in 2007, it will run Sept. 16-18. Then the raucous musical favorite Once Upon a Mattress, the story of “The Princess and the Pea” takes the stage Oct. 14-23. After that, A Raisin in the Sun will be staged Nov. 4-13. It is the story of the African-American Younger family struggling against oppression, as resonant now as when it was first performed in 1959. Fall at the Hoogland ends with STC’s Crimes of the Heart, a dark comedy about three eccentric southern sisters, Nov. 11-20. 420 S. 6 th St., Springfield. 523- 2787, www.hcfta.org

The Legacy Theatre will present Peter and the Starcatcher Sept. 16-Oct. 2. This Tony Award-winning play with music imagines the origins of Peter Pan and his introduction to Captain Hook. 101 E. Lawrence Ave., Springfield. 800-838-3006, www.atthelegacy. com

Sangamon Auditorium features a host of touring productions this fall. If you’re hoping to have the time of your life, Dirty Dancing – the Classic Story on Stage comes to town Sept. 20-21. Then on Sept. 28, Engarde Arts presents Basetrack Live, a piece of documentary theater about Marines serving in Afghanistan and their families, and on Oct. 9, you get a chance to see the Broadway hit Once, a captivating love story with actors playing their own instruments onstage. And on Nov. 22, children and adults alike have a chance to enjoy Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, based on an African folk tale. 206-6160. Sangamonauditorium.org

The UIS Theater department will present Macbeth Oct. 28-Nov. 6. Shakespeare’s fantastical, gory tragedy hits the stage just in time for Halloween, as well as the 400 th anniversary of the playwright’s death. 1 University Plaza, Springfield. 206-6160. www. uis.edu/theater

The Playhouse on the Square in Jacksonville will present Between Daylight and Boonville, about a group of women in a mining community in southern Indiana. Oct. 18-20, 25-27. 68 E. Central Park, Jacksonville. 491-3977, Playhouseonthesquare.net

The Fox Theatre, St. Louis. You’d be unwise to miss A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, an uproarious comedy that won the 2014 Tony for Best New Musical Sept. 13-25. Also catch the Broadway hit Fun Home (which also won five Tonys) Nov. 15-27 based on a graphic memoir about a uniquely dysfunctional family. 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. 314-534-1111,www.fabulousfox.com

The Krannert Center in Urbana will present Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea Sept. 29- Oct. 14. The play is about a young African-American man who heads to the Atlantic Ocean to search for an ancestor lost during the middle passage. It was written by a U of I theater grad and has received critical acclaim all over the country. Also of note at the Krannert is Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. After the collapse of civilization, characters sit around a campfire and recall an episode of “The Simpsons,” gradually morphing into a ritualized performance using dance and masks. Oct. 13-23. 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana. 333-6280, Krannertcenter.com

At The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, acclaimed playwright Dael Orlandersmith’s Until the Flood promises to be thoughtprovoking and timely. The theater commissioned Orlandersmith to write a play about the racial climate in the St. Louis area in and around the shooting in Ferguson. The show is a “mosaic of voices” captured in interviews that lets the audience hear many perspectives. Oct. 12-Nov. 6. 130 Edgar Rd., Webster Groves, Missouri. 314-968-4925, www.repstl.org

If you can make a trip to Chicago, you should know that Chicago Shakespeare Theater will also be celebrating Shakespeare’s big 4-0-0. Check out their website for details on companies from all over the globe performing Shakespeare – A Hamlet from Shanghai, a Polish musical take on King Lear and, for the macabre, a UK company’s presentation of all the deaths in Shakespeare’s canon. 800 E. Grand Ave, Chicago. 312-595- 5600, www.chicagoshakes.com

At the Steppenwolf Theatre, check out You’re Being Ridiculous, a show with a theme where real people tell stories about their lives, curated by Steppenwolf company members. Sept. 8-10. Visiting Edna, a new play by David Rabe (Hurlyburly), directed by artistic director Anna D. Shapiro, promises to be interesting. A mother and her son work through their baffling relationship as she faces cancer. Sept. 15-Nov. 6. 1650 N. Halsted, Chicago. 312- 335-1650, www.steppenwolf.org

Contact Ann Farrar at [email protected].