Chicagoan Nick Patricca’s newest work is now in a world premiere at the Victory Gardens Theater, where Patricca is an ensemble playwright. The Defiant Muse is about Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a lesbian writer from the 1600s who chose becoming a nun as one route to freedom. She was probably hundreds of years before her time and The Defiant Muse takes us on a journey through some of her writings and personal struggles. While at first Sor Juana was supported by the Catholic Church, it later turned against her views about women’s rights and other issues of the day. Dawn Alden (left) plays the Vicereine who supports and loves the writer, and Lisa Tejero plays Sor Juana. The play has been fine-tuned since preview performances, and offers a sometimes painful, and oftentimes enjoyable look into this life of an early feminist. The cast is excellent, and the staging and costumes are beautiful. Andrea J. Dymond directs. Performances thru Oct. 28 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln; 773-871-3000 or go to www.victorygardens.org. —Tracy Baim