In Philly, a play about gun violence. ‘Childhoodslost Chronicles:’ How a small incident can become a tragic accident.

It doesn’t take much. That’s the message that actor Sunn Byrd wants the audience to take from “Childhoodslost Chronicles,” a play about gun violence written and directed by local playwright Bilal Islam.

People need to know “how easy it is — taking a small incident and turning it into a tragic incident. Kids can have a simple disagreement and that can turn into somebody’s life being gone,” said Byrd, who plays the mother of a young man grieving a sudden loss.t.

“We have to start teaching that there’s a better way to solve a problem than picking up a gun,” she said. Byrd works with Delco children with autism at Pennell Elementary School in Aston, and she counts her blessings that neither her students nor her own children have experienced gun violence.

Childhoodslost Chronicles is a series of vignettes about gun violence, with teenage actors playing many of the roles. They portray how regularly young people seek and obtain guns for attention, status, and street cred — with devastating consequences. The stories are interwoven, but the gun is the main character throughout. Presented by the Childhoodslost Foundation in partnership with Children of the Arts Foundation and Dollars-n-Sense Records.

March 11 and 12, Arts Bank, 601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. For tickets, Childhoodslost Theater Group. Vaccination proof and masks required.

Karaoke and gentrification — yes, they actually do show up in the same play, “Backing Track,” by satirist R. Eric Thomas. Commissioned by the Arden Theatre Co., Backing Track mashes together a karaoke-singing cruise worker, a community association, and a cantankerous recently widowed mother trying to fit into a neighborhood that no longer feels quite like home. Directed by Rebecca Wright. Need a recommendation? In a tweet, Lin-Manuel Miranda described Thomas as “one of the funniest writers.” And Thomas has Philly ties. He’s an alumnus of InterAct Theatre Company’s Core Playwrights program and the Foundry, a Philadelphia playwrights lab.

Through April 10, Arden Theatre Co., 40 N. Second St., Philadelphia. 215-922-1122 or ardentheatre.org. Vaccination proof and masks required.

Just as change happens in the city, it’s happens in the country, too — accompanied by the sounds of frogs croaking and birds singing.

As charming as those croakers and singers are, Tess, the main character in “Carroll County Fix,” wants out. She enlists her best friend to help her make a boundary-pushing documentary in the Walmart parking lot. From there, Tess hopes, it’s a never-look-back scholarship to a fancy film school. But what story will the documentary tell?

The answer comes in the world premiere of Carroll County Fix written by award-winning Philly playwright Val Dunn, directed by Priyanka Shetty, and presented by Azuka Theatre. Dunn’s plays have been workshopped and produced all over the area — including Philadelphia Fringe Festival and Philly Theatre Week, PlayPenn, and InterAct Theatre Co..

Through March 20, Azuka Theatre, Proscenium Theatre at the Drake, 302 S. Hicks St., Philadelphia. Pay what you decide. 215-563-1100 or azukatheatre.org. Proof of vaccination and masks required.

Prop guns are everywhere in “Oklahoma!” — nearly 100 in all — and many are fired regularly through the musical playing at Philadelphia’s Forrest Theatre through March 20. Since guns have played a significant role in American history, and in the West, they can’t be left out of this diverse redo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 2d’s beloved musical.

But nothing can be left to chance either.

Gun safety experts have trained the cast and crew of Oklahoma! Furthermore, the touring company is donating $100 for each gun visible on stage and in the theater to Gun Neutral, a nonpartisan initiative open to producers, financiers, and storytellers calling for greater responsibility to offset and account for gun violence in entertainment. This effort comes as gun violence has soared throughout the city and around the nation.

Oklahoma! has become the first gun-neutral show on Broadway and the national tour, the company says.

It’s also the first time the show has been on the road in 40 years. There’s new choreography and a new cast.

“We are excited to bring this reimagined production to Philadelphians — featuring a wonderfully diverse cast and a familiar score — yet one that challenges longtime perceptions and attitudes toward the well-known story,” Frances Egler said in a statement. Egler is senior director of programming and presentations for the Kimmel Cultural Campus, which is staging Oklahoma! at the Forrest.

Daniel Fish directs the revival, which sold out its Broadway run.

Tickets prices range from $47 to $142. (When the show premiered on Broadway in 1943, $7 would get you a seat.) Through March 20, Forrest Theatre, Kimmel Cultural Campus, 1114 Walnut St., Philadelphia. Kimmelculturalcampus.org or 215-893-1999. Masks and vaccination proof required.

Sometimes it just seems hopeless. Jessie’s marriage ended in divorce, and she lives with her mother in a small house in the country. Jessie has epilepsy, she can’t keep a job, and her son is a petty thief. Tensions simmer in the home, until one night Jessie and her mother get into a heated debate about life and living, asking each other, and forcing the audience to ask itself, some of the deepest and darkest questions about life’s purpose. Playwright Marsha Norman earned a Pulitzer Prize for ‘Night, Mother. Presented by Isis Productions, directed by Neill Hartley, and starring Kirsten Quinn and Renee Richman-Weisband, who is also Isis’ producing artistic director.

Through March 27, Neighborhood House, 20 N. American St., Philadelphia. www.isisperforms.com or 609-220-7537. Proof of vaccination and masks required.

You may have personality, but do you have tickets to see the world premiere of Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical at People’s Light? At People’s Light, 16 performers plus an on-stage band take us on Lloyd “Mr. Personality” Price’s path from his humble beginnings to the acclaim he earned as he topped the charts in the late 1950s with hits such as “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” “Stagger Lee,” and of course, “Personality.” It’ll be the first production under the leadership of Peoples’ new producing artistic director Zak Berkman. Berkman said Personality is one of the largest productions People’s Light has mounted in decades. Book by B. Jeffrey Madoff working with Price. Price, 88, died on May 3, 2021. Saint Aubyn plays Price, and Miles Boone is Little Richard.

March 9-April 3, People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern, 610-644-3500 or peopleslight.org. Masks, vaccination or negative antigen test proof required.

This is true: Singer Barbra Streisand built a fake mall in her basement to showcase her astounding collections. “Instead of just storing my things in the basement, I can make a street of shops and display them,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. That’s where the plot starts with “Buyer and Cellar” at Act II Playhouse in Ambler. After that, the show takes more than a few hilarious twists when aspiring actor Alex is hired to work in Streisand’s “mall.” Having learned to operate the frozen yogurt machine, Alex is awaiting an appearance from the Funny Girl herself. Directed by Tony Braithwaite and starring Zachary Chiero.

Through April 3, Act II Playhouse, 56 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, 215-654-0200, or act2.org Masks and proof of vaccination or recent negative antigen test required.

According to the rules imposed by the Greek gods, muses aren’t supposed to fall in love, but one of them does, causing all sorts of problems — problems, that involve, oddly, roller disco. Eagle Theatre presents “Xanadu,” a parody of the infamous 1980s cult classic. Angela Longo directs.

Through March 20, Eagle Theatre, 208 Vine St., Hammonton. 609-704-5012 or eagletheatre.org Masks recommended, but not required. Vaccination proof or negative antigen test within six hours required.

Ken Ludwig has been described as “America’s preeminent comic playwright,” so if it’s laughs you’re craving, Bristol Riverside Theatre’s production of Ludwig’s “A Comedy of Tenors” might hit just the right note. There’s mistaken identity and misunderstandings as three high-strung tenors ready themselves for what has been billed “The Concert of the Century.” Amy Kaissar, Bristol Riverside Theatre’s producing director, directs. The theater offers Wine Down Wednesday on March 16, serving wine, desserts, and crudités before the show, and Thirsty Thursday preshow on March 24 with snacks and beer from local breweries.

Through March 27, Bristol Riverside Theatre, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol, 215-785-0100 or brtstage.org. Masks and vaccination proof required.

The Old Academy Players present Agatha Christie’s classic thriller, “The Unexpected Guest.” Loretta Lucy Miller directs the East Falls’ troupe’s 527th production.

Through March 20, Old Academy Building, 3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, 215-843-1109 or oldacademyplayers.org Vaccination proof required.

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