Deep Dish Theater Company will open its eighth season in August with a classic Italian farce and conclude next May with a gritty exploration of life at a rundown urban cab company.

Deep Dish's four-play season begins Aug. 21 at the theater in University Mall.

"This season will feature work from four of the theater's most acclaimed and influential playwrights," said Paul Frellick, Deep Dish artistic director. "From the revolutionary plays of Italy's Carlo Goldoni and Russia's Anton Chekhov to the contemporary work of the Pulitzer Prize-winners Wendy Wasserstein and August Wilson, our audience will have the chance to encounter four of the most distinctive and resonant voices ever heard on stage.

"Of course, when you start with such rich texts, the stakes are raised considerably, and we're excited by the challenges this season will provide our company."

New for the 2008-2009 season, Deep Dish will add two additional Wednesday night performances to each production's run. The company will present a number of special events, including the Side Dish fundraiser in January, as well as book club discussions and pre-show talks.

The 2008-2009 Deep Dish season will include:

• "The Servant of Two Masters," by Carlo Goldoni, translated by Edward J. Dent, directed by Derrick Ivey, Aug, 21-Sept. 13. A luckless but quick-witted servant comes up with a plan to double his wages and ends up caught between feuding lovers in this high energy farce from Italy's most beloved and influential playwright.
• "Third," by Wendy Wasserstein, directed by Hope Hynes Love, Oct. 23-Nov. 15. The last play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Heidi Chronicles" concerns a conservative college student and the celebrated liberal professor who charges him with plagiarism. A fierce and funny look at the struggle to preserve academic freedom.
• "Uncle Vanya," by Anton Chekhov, directed by Paul Frellick, Feb. 19-March 14, 2009. A provocative tragic-comedy centered on two desperate men watching their world slowly dying, and a young woman in whom they each hope to find salvation. A tangled tapestry of love, loss and inconvenient truths by the Russian master.
• "Jitney," by August Wilson, directed by Kathy Hunter-Williams, April 30-May 23, 2009. Set in Pittsburgh's Hill District in 1977, this gritty and compassionate comedy explores the struggles of the drivers at a gypsy cab company. A captivating chapter in Wilson's 10-play cycle reflecting the African American experience in the 20th century.

Season tickets are $64 for adults, $56 for seniors and $48 for students.

Individual ticket prices and showtimes are: Wednesday and Thursday (7:30 p.m. curtain) $16 adults, $14 seniors, $12 students; Friday-Sunday (8 p.m. curtain Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday matinee) $18 adults, $16 seniors, $14 students.

Tickets are available at the box office, at www.deepdishtheater.org or by calling 968-1515.