Front Porch Arts Collective

In “Next to Normal” at Central Square Theater, a picture-perfect Black family gets ready for their day. Mom makes lunch, dad prepares for his workday as an architect, and two clever teens assemble their school supplies. But the picture, and the audience’s understanding of it, begins to crack as Mom’s bipolar disorder seeps into their daily routines and emotions.

When Dorchester native Kai Clifton saw “A Strange Loop,” it was the first time he had ever seen a queer Black character represented at the heart of a musical. After years of studying and participating in theater, Clifton finally felt like he belonged.

Boston theatergoers will be transported back to high school in Front Porch Arts Collective’s production of “Exception to the Rule,” a poignant and comedic piece that explores the lives of six black high schoolers stuck in detention.

Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “Hamlet,” has inspired some memorable adaptations (“The Lion King,” anyone?), but “Fat Ham,” opening at The Huntington this month in association with Alliance Theatre and Front Porch Arts Collective, is unlike any audiences have seen before.

It’s the season of love, and joyful, giddy, hilarious love is the central emotion of “K-I-S-S-I-N-G” by local playwright and Huntington Playwriting Fellow Lenelle Moïse.

Boston’s Black theater company, the Front Porch Arts Collective, launches its first self-produced performance this month. The regional premiere of Douglas Lyons’ comedy “Chicken & Biscuits” runs Dec. 9 - Jan. 8 at Suffolk University’s Modern Theater.