Crowded Kitchen Players (CKP) was one day away from opening “The Rising: The Irish Rebellion of 1916 in Song and Verse” in March 2020 when the City of Bethlehem shut down the Charles A. Brown Ice House because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shutdown.

Two years later, CKP opened the original show in its world premiere March 18-27, starring Michael Sheridan, at the Ice House.

Meanwhile, Civic Theatre of Allentown is presenting the Lehigh Valley premiere of “Significant Other” March 18-27, starring Matt Gurniak, at Civic’s Theatre514.

“The Rising,” written and directed by CKP co-founder Ara Barlieb, tells a tragic story of the attempt by a small band of Irish rebels on Easter Monday 1916 to take back control of Ireland after centuries of oppressive British rule.

The story is told through first-hand accounts of the battle, newspaper reporting, poems and songs of the rebellion, speeches, proclamations, letters from the condemned rebels to their loved ones and an interview for The New York Times between the journalist and World War I poet, Joyce Kilmer, and a young woman, Moira Regan.

Regan was in the Dublin General Post Office during the rebellion and helped run messages between rebel forces scattered throughout the city as the battle raged.

‘”The Rising’ seems even more relevant, sadly, than we could have anticipated before the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Barlieb says.

“So many of the Irish Rebellion’s stories of British oppression seem now to foretell what may befall the Ukrainian people and the sacrifices they may have to make in order to regain their independence if their nation does fall,” says Barlieb.

Michael Sheridan, who portrays two of the legendary martyrs of the rebellion, union organizer John Connolly and rebel leader, The O’Rahilly, sees “The Rising” as telling a universal story.

“The Easter Rebellion lit the fuse for Irish independence, not unlike how the 1969 Stonewall Riots led to the birth of the modern gay rights movement, or how Rosa Parks’ arrest ultimately inspired the Civil Rights movement,” Sheridan says.

“The Irish people had for centuries been mistreated by England, and efforts to break away from British rule had come and gone with no success,” says Sheridan.

“Our play provides a perspective into the rebellion where various political ideologies collided during one of the worst periods in world history.”

Even though the uprising failed, Sheridan says it sparked the flame which led to a larger conflict only a few years later and ultimately resulted in the freedom of Ireland from the United Kingdom.

“Sure, the immediate aims of the Rising failed in the moment, but the fight and then the British response to the rebellion, caused more people in Ireland to demand independence,” Sheridan says.

“I think many of those who participated and even led the Rising recognized that they would not achieve their goals. But the hope was that their actions would inspire change. And I think it did.

“So, to me, the Rising proved ultimately to succeed,” says Sheridan.

Original songs for the play, written and performed onstage by Joey Mutis III of the band The Electric Farm, woven into the fabric of the show’s narrative include “Ireland’s Rise,” “Banna Strand,” “‘The Row in the Town,” “Tri-coloured Ribbon,” “The Parting Glass” and “The Foggy Dew.”

“The songs and the dialogue go hand in hand along the storyline and the songs punctuate what’s happening,” Mutis says. “The melodies are intoxicating. There’s an abundance of emotion in the music, and the lyrics are captivating.”

Trish Cipoletti, who plays Moira Regan, agrees that the Rising showed the people of Ireland that they were a nation.

“The spurious court martials, hurried executions of the leaders, mass arrests and martial law stoked public anger toward the British and helped build support for the independence movement,” Cipoletti says.

“Though its goal, an Irish republic, was years away from being realized, the Easter Rising of 1916 spurred that movement. The success may have been delayed, but it was most definitely a success,” says Cipoletti.

The cast includes Dan Ferry, Pamela Wallace, Carla Thew, Sharon Ferry, Bruce Brown, Paula Klein and Colleen Popper.

The show is 75 minutes with no intermission.

Audience members must wear face masks.

Performances: 8 p.m. March 18, 19, 25, 26 and 2 p.m. March 20, 27, Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem.

Tickets: https://www.ckplayers.com/ ; 610-395-7176

“Significant Other” at Civic:

Civic Theatre of Allentown presents the Lehigh Valley premiere of “Significant Other,” March 18-27, Theatre514.

Director Will Morris calls the seven-actor play that tells the story of four friends navigating life and love in their twenties “a multi-verse, queer, non-romantic romantic-comedy.”

“There are situations in the play that could have been plucked from my 20s, and I think many will feel the same,” says Morris, Civic Theatre of Allentown Associate Artistic Director.

“Finding the humor to force you through the sadness is a skill that the playwright Joshua Harmon is wildly adept at,” says Morris.

Morris says he is proud to tell a LGBTQIA+ story that can speak to everyone:

“We either know or are one or many of the characters seen in the play. Society places so much unneeded pressure on coupling and the drive to find someone when really all we need to find and understand is ourselves.”

In the play, Jordan Berman would love to be in love, but that’s easier said than done. So until he meets Mr. Right, he wards off lonely nights with his trio of close girlfriends.

But as singles’ nights turn into bachelorette parties, Jordan discovers that the only thing more difficult than finding love is supporting the loved ones around you when they do.

Jordan is played by Matt Gurniak, making his Civic Theatre debut. An Allentown Central Catholic graduate and Freddy Award winner, Gurniak played Ryder in the national tour of Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol Live! “Race to the Rescue.”

Cast members include Cindy Lozada, Amira Jackson, Veronica Bocian, Denise Long, John Capocasale and Parker Ryan.

Proof of immunization and face masks are required.

Performances: 7:30 p.m. March 18, 19, 24-26; 3 p.m. March 20 and 2 p.m. March 27.

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