Do facts matter' Or is it okay to change a few details to express a creative vision' Thats the debate at the heart of the fast-moving and thought-provoking "The Lifespan of a Fact" presented by Northampton Community College Theatre Department through Nov. 20 at Northampton Community Colleges Norman Roberts Lab Theater, 3835 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem Township.

Based on true events, theis fascinating play focuses on the conflict between Jim Fingal, a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a New York literary magazine, and John D'Agata, an academic writer who has penned an essay about the suicide of a teenage boy in Las Vegas.

Between the Lines Studio Theatre delivers a deliciously wicked satire with its premiere of "The Thanksgiving Play" through Nov. 19 at its theater at 725 N. 15th St., Allentown.

Playwright Larissa FastHorse, a member of the Sicangu Lakota nation and the first Native American woman to have a play produced on Broadway, has written a smartly clever play about four white, well-intentioned artists who want to create a respectful and politically correct Thanksgiving play at an elementary school. As they attempt to avoid offending anyone, they encounter minefields of white privilege, historical accuracy, the lack of indigenous casting and the challenges of accurately representing Native Americans.

Northampton Community College Theatre Departments "Blood Brothers," is emotionally gripping, funny and ultimately devastating. The Bethlehem Township college's poignant production of the tragic show is in NCCs Lipkin Theatre, through Oct. 29.

Civic Theatres production of "The Little Mermaid" can be described as a giddy, colorful cartoon come to life. The fun, energetic musical is at the 19th Street Theatre, 527 N. 19th St., Allentown through Oct. 22.

Big, bold performances recreate the beloved characters from the Disney film effortlessly.

The titular mermaid Ariel is played with amazingly bubbly enthusiasm by Katie Semon. Semon channels the Disney princess so well, she seems to have literally leapt out of the film on to the stage. Her big belty voice satisfies on the shows big song "Part of Your World" and she throws herself whole-heartedly into every scene.