Dessa Rose, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, will be presented March 6, 2014-April 5.

Based on Sherley Anne Williams' novel about a friendship between two women in 1847, the musical will be directed by artistic director Lili-Anne Brown.

"Based on both fact and fiction, the musical weaves together the stories of two real women, one white and one black, who struggled for different kinds of freedom in an era defined by men," press notes state. "Ruth Sutton is a white woman abandoned by her husband and living on an isolated farm. Dessa Rose is an escaped slave on the run from a bloody slave rebellion, with a newborn infant to protect, who seeks refuge with Ruth. Hidden in this Alabama backwater, the two women's uneasy alliance ultimately transcends any racial barriers as they find the strength to confront the world on their own terms."

Carrie, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, features a book by original screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean Pitchford and music by Academy Award winner Michael Gore. The musical will be directed by Christopher Pazdernik, with music direction by Aaron Benham.

Carrie will run May 29-July 12.  The musical, which was a famous flop in its original 1988 Broadway production, was revised and presented Off-Broaday at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2012. 

"Carrie White is a misfit. At school, she's an outcast who's bullied by the popular crowd, and virtually invisible to everyone else," press notes state. "At home, she's at the mercy of her loving but cruelly over-protective mother. But Carrie's just discovered she's got a special power, and if pushed too far, she's not afraid to use it…"

"Both of these shows deal with women who are subjugated and yearn to break free. They become empowered through the most extreme circumstances — for good or for ill," artistic director Lili-Anne Brown said in a statement. "It's exciting to have two musicals that share a common story, but are as different as they could possibly be in how that story is told."

The season will also include the Chicago Casting Auction Nov. 2, auctioning off more than 50 roles for the upcoming production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

The 2013–14 season marks Bailiwick Chicago's participation in Victory Gardens Theater's inaugural Resident Theater Program.

More information can be found by visiting bailiwickchicago.com.