CHICAGO: Theater Wit has announced its 2016-17 season, which will feature four new plays.

“These surprising plays are a clarion call for how compassion, humor, and understanding can ignite unexpected community in a divided society,” said artistic director Jeremy Wechsler in a statement. “Ranging from the broadest political stage to the smallest coffee house, these plays scale from the smallest nuclear family to the larger collectives that create meaning and connection from nothing but plywood and determination. I’ve striven to find those particular works that can thrive in our unique home and artistic processes. It’s going to be a memorable year.”

Kicking off the season will be Mat Smart’s Naperville (Aug. 26-Oct. 16). Set in a Caribou Coffee in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, the dramatic comedy offers an exploration of the American suburbs. Wechsler will direct.

Next up will be Mike Daisey’s The Trump Card (Oct. 5-Nov. 8), a solo show examining the unlikely candidacy of this year’s Republican nominee. It will close on the night of the 2016 presidential election. Wechsler will direct.

The Wit’s holiday show will be This Way Outta Santaland (Nov. 23-Dec. 23), actor Mitchell Fain’s autobiographical play about his eight years starring as Crumpet the Elf in the Wit’s long-running The Santaland Diaries.

The season will close with Anne Washburn’s 10 Out of 12 (March 3-April 23, 2017). Set during a theatre tech rehearsal, Washburn’s play will be presented in a customized Chicago version, updated by Washburn and Wechsler to reflect Chicago’s theatre scene. Wechsler will direct.

Founded in 2004, Theater Wit’s mission is to explore contemporary issues through new works and Chicago premieres.