A new play about an old war, the Vietnam Conflict, will premier at the Charles A. Brown Ice House in Bethlehem October 6 through October 22.
"Mothers Shall But Smile" is the 100th production by Crowded Kitchen Players since their founding in 2000 at Mauch Chunk Opera House.
"Mothers Shall But Smile", written by Ara Barlieb and based on a true event experienced by the playwright's brother in 1971, recounts the collision courses of two young recruits, Andrew and Troy, during the conflict in Vietnam in 1971 and 1972.
Arriving as unseasoned and untested newcomers to the trials of war, they quickly find themselves at fierce odds with one another when a report of the death of a civilian at the hands of U.S. troops is assigned to Andrew for a thorough investigation. 
A Vietnamese woman has claimed that her son, a farmer, was wrongly killed by a helicopter gunner who believed him to be a Viet Cong soldier on his way to attack a U.S. military installation.
This comes in the wake of the My Lai massacre and reports of other alleged atrocities that have severely jeopardized America's strategic position in Southeast Asia, as well as alienating much of the American public that has grown weary of a growing number of American casualties from the war.
Andrew is schooled in his assignment by his clerk, a Stanford University trained engineer, Quan, who has returned home to Vietnam after being conscripted by the ARVN.
But there is relentless political pressure on Andrew and Quan to dispel any possible faith in the accusations and to clear the case as quickly as possible.
Mothers Shall But Smile is set in Bien Hoa, Republic of Vietnam July 1971 to March 1972
The cast features Phong Tran, as Quan; Robert Tollinger, as Lt. Andrew Samuels; David Donado, as Aviator Troy Breckinridge; Sharon Ferry as War Correspondent Norma Edwards; David Oswald, as Colonel Leo Baxter; Bruce Brown, as Senator Lucius Thompson; John Cusamano, as Sergeant Major Wooleridge; and Katie MacMillan, as Congresswoman Farrington.
Showtimes are Oct 6-7, 13-4, 20-21 @ 730PM and Oct 8,15,22 @ 200PM
All tickets $20. They may be purchased by credit card online or by phone, or by cash or check only at the door.
The Charles A. Brown Ice House is located at 56 River Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.
Parking is free.
The theater is accessible.
For more information, please call 10-704-6974 or visit