Stage notes: Company raising its Profiles with winning works

Profiles Theatre, the intimate storefront operation at 4147 N. Broadway that has been selling out two productions in recent months (it had to rent a second storefront three doors down from its home to accommodate the success), seems to have developed an uncanny knack for keeping its box office hot.

Ellen Fairey's world-premiere play "Graceland," a bittersweet tale of love, loss and arrested emotional development (already set for a New York production next spring), opened in May and has since become one of the theater's most successful runs ever. It has now been extended for an additional five weeks, playing through Dec. 20 at National Pastime Theatre, 4139 N. Broadway.

Meanwhile, the Midwest premiere of Neil LaBute's "The Mercy Seat," a post-9/11 tale, has been extended through Dec. 13. But it must close to make way for Profiles' next show, a revival of "Killer Joe," the 1991 gonzo trailer park thriller that first put Tracy Letts (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "August: Osage County") on the map. Steppenwolf's Nick Snyder will direct a cast featuring Somer Benson and Darrell W. Cox. Previews start Jan. 8; the show runs through Jan. 28.

For tickets to all three shows, call (773) 549-1815. Or go to www.profilestheatre.org.

REDMOON COMES HOME: Following its Halloween performance on the White House lawn, Redmoon Theater has returned to its Chicago home at 1463 W. Hubbard and is now gearing up for "Winter Pageant 2009," a hallowed 15-year holiday tradition for the company. The family-friendly show, whose motto is "expect the unexpected," will include some of the elements in the White House spectacle. It previews Saturday and Sunday, and runs Nov. 20 through Dec. 27. Tickets are $15 ($10 for those under 10). Cal; (312) 850-8440, ext. 111, or visit www.redmoon.org.