THE PAN SHOW, Guest Artists and More Set for Touchstone Theatre's 2012-13 Season in Bethlehem

Touchstone Theatre, now heading into its 32nd season, will be producing three original works created by the Ensemble, as well as bringing in performances by nationally celebrated artists from across the country. The theatre's community initiatives and arts-in-education programming will further enrich their season.

Dedicated to producing a season of original work, Touchstone's offerings this year include The Pan Show: In Pan We Trust, a risqué musical comedy with a healthy helping of political satire; Christmas City Follies, back for its thirteenth year of seasonal songs, silliness, and sentiment; and The Odyssey Project, an ensemble-created work springing off from Homer's timeless classic and performed outdoors.

Additionally, Touchstone presents three guest artists for the year. Featuring as part of the Downtown Bethlehem Association's VegFest on the afternoon of September 8, NACL (North American Cultural Laboratory) Theatre will perform The Little Farm Show, a family-friendly performance about farming, sustainability, and thinking about where our food comes from. Later that evening will be Belle Linda Halpern's Cravings: Songs of Hunger and Satisfaction, a one-woman cabaret and a funny, thought-provoking look at hunger for food, love, acceptance, and true nourishment. And in November, dynamic actress and comedienne Kristina Wong travels to Bethlehem with Going Green the Wong Way, a play about trying to save the environment and "do the right thing."

Touchstone also continues in its acclaimed ArtsTouch arts-in-education programming with the Young Playwrights' Lab. The Young Playwrights' Lab, a program that teaches literary and theatre skills to schools across the Lehigh Valley, will be led this year by Touchstone Ensemble Associate and Lehigh Valley favorite Mary Wright. ArtsTouch also operates Building Bridges through the Colonial Intermediate Unit, a program that encourages emotional growth through creative expression.

This year, Touchstone has been fortunate to receive generous funding to tour their acclaimed three-person adaptation of The Tempest to area schools. Touchstone Theatre's production is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Arts Midwest.

"It's exciting to have a season packed with world premieres," says Touchstone Artistic Director Jp Jordan. "We're incredibly fortunate to be able to create original work, here in Bethlehem, for our community. With funding support from the National Endowment for the Arts, we're also able to present prestigious guest artists who's highly acclaimed original work will enhance and complement our 2012-13 season."

Touchstone's season begins on September 8 with NACL Theatre's The Little Farm Show at 1pm and Belle Linda Halpern's Cravings: Songs of Hunger and Satisfaction at 8pm. To purchase tickets or for more information on the coming season, contact Touchstone Theatre at 610-867-1689 or check out www.touchstone.org.

Celebrating over thirty years, Touchstone Theatre produces and presents both original and classic productions, with a dedication to the renewal of theatre as a vital art form. Touchstone works to foster collaboration on a local and national level through educational and youth empowerment programs, using theatre as a community-building tool.

 

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