The Northampton Community College Theatre Department is kicking off its 2021-2022 season with its first in-person production in 18 months.

The coming-of-age rock musical, “Spring Awakening,” is presented live on stage, Oct. 21-24 in the Bethlehem Township college’s Lipkin Theatre.

“We’re counting the days until we are back on stage to a live, in-person audience,” says William Mutimer, NCC theater department head and director of the musical. The last live on-stage theater show at NCC prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown was “Little Foxes” in February 2020.

Mutimer called the show, which features music by Duncan Sheik, a “passionate musical story.”

Based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, “Spring Awakening” explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood in a sexually-repressed society with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable.

“Spring Awakening,” winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, it is a fusion of morality, sexuality and rock ‘n’ roll.

Because of the show’s themes, the production is recommended for mature audiences.

The cast includes Samantha Prentice, Mary Eitzenberger, Amelia Illingworth, Kait Stein and Kate Morgan as the girls; Justin Abarca, August Gaumer, Maxwell Wetherhold, Connor Sternberg, Joshua Crowley and Cade Kocher as the boys, and Trish Steele and David Lippincott as the adults.

The creative team includes music director Lucille Kincaid and choreographer Tina Williams.

Theater-goers are required to wear face masks. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination for audience will not be required. The actors will not wear face masks.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21-23 and 2 p.m. Oct. 24.

The NCC Theatre Department continues its partnership with Hampton Winds, the student-run restaurant in Alumni Hall on the campus. A “Spring Awakening”-themed dinner is available Oct. 21 and 22 before the show. Reservations: 610-861-4549

The college has announced the rest of its 2021-22 theater season.

“The Burn” will run Nov. 18-21. In the play, a high school production of “The Crucible” forces four girls together and tensions escalate into bullying.

Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sweat” will be presented Feb. 17-20. “Sweat” tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives working together in a factory floor in Reading, Berks County, when layoffs pit them against each other.

Carol Churchill’s “Cloud 9” will run March 3-9. The time-shifting comedy is a scathing parody of colonialism and the Victorian rigid attitude toward sex. Its humor conveys a message about accepting people who are different.

The cult musical “Xanadu” will be presented April 21-24. Based on the movie that starred Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly, “Xanadu” is a quirky roller-skating musical adventure about following your dreams despite the limitations others set for you. The show’s score was composed by Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne and John Farrar.

Information: www.ncctix.org

“Silence! The Musical!” in LV debut at Civic:

After being postponed in 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, “Silence! The Musical” has its Lehigh Valley debut, Oct. 22-31, Civic Theatre of Allentown’s Theatre514, 514 N. 19th St., Allentown.

Termed an “unauthorized parody” of the 1991 Academy Award-winning film, “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Silence!” recreates the horror thriller with song and dance in the 2005 musical comedy created by Jon and Al Kaplan.

In the story, rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling matches wits with the brilliant but insane cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, in order to catch the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill.

The laugh-out-loud satire is X-rated with several songs that have titles that can’t be printed in a family newspaper. It also features a singing chorus of floppy-eared lambs narrating the action as Buffalo Bill gleefully dances a hoedown about kidnapping hapless Catherine Martin.

Fueled by a rabid cult following after the songs debuted online, “Silence!” was expanded into a live stage show and shattered every box office record at the Fringe NYC festival.

William Sanders, Civic Theatre of Allentown artistic director, directs the show.

Leading the cast are Deena Linn (Clarice Starling), Mike Daniels (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) and Jason Roth (Buffalo Bill). The cast includes Audrey Lasicki, Juanita Shockley, Mason McGowan, Todd Rizzuto, Nina Elias Ace, Ryan Donchez, Kate Pistone and Jason Sizemore.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 23, 25, 26, 28 and 31 and 7:30 and 11 p.m. Oct. 30.

Proof of vaccination is required and face masks must be worn.

Tickets: www,civictheatre.com; 610-433-8903

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com