Curtains are going up by the dozen

Curtain up, light the lights - really, we're talking about 50 curtains and row upon row of lights, as the Philadelphia region's professional theater debuts another season with everything from world premieres to pieces staged here for the first time to classics and warhorses.

I'm not vouching for these performances - with one exception, these fall productions haven't opened yet. (My colleague Toby Zinman will scan the spring lineup come January.)

Instead, I offer a rundown of plays and musicals during the first half of the theater season that show promise, whether because of the shows themselves, local production histories, or, in some cases, the buzz they'll no doubt create.

- Howard Shapiro,
Inquirer theater critic

Director Abigail Adams discusses People's Light & Theatre's production of "Nathan the Wise," starring David Strathairn, at http://go.philly.com/fallarts09.EndText