Touchstone Theatre to Present JOURNEY FROM THE EAST, Begin. 4/3-13

Touchstone Theatre, long-renowned for creating community-transforming works of theatre, is tackling the story of the Lehigh Valley's Chinese locals and visitors. This two year process, entitled Journey from the East, will feature two performances, the first of which will be taking place April 3-13, 2014; the latter performance will be produced in April 2015, in collaboration with Chinese multidisciplinary artists of the Utopia Group, and with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

In the tradition of Touchstone's Steelbound, Don Quixote of Bethlehem, and A Resting Place, Touchstone has embarked on its next epic community undertaking. Inspired by the sudden influx of Chinese population in Bethlehem, Touchstone theatre artists have been gathering stories from Bethlehem natives and tourists, restaurant owners and city officials, Asians and Caucasians, to discover the community's perspective on the story of Bethlehem's Chinese community. As the first round of this story-gathering concludes, storyteller Mary Wright writes and directs the project's first play, Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion, to premiere in April.

"When you start out on a project like this, like any journey, you don't know what to expect," says Wright. "What we've found is that the folks we've talked to have been gracious, honest, and more than willing to share their stories with us. I am always amazed at what you can learn about people when you take the time to ask."

She adds that Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion will "play with themes of how we encounter 'the other.' Given Bethlehem's rich heritage as a center of immigration, it is especially important to take a look at the ways in which we embrace or reject difference and otherness."

In Touchstone's 2014-15 season, Touchstone co-founder Bill George and Touchstone ensemble affiliate Christopher Shorr will co-write the project's second play, a large-scale outdoor production that merges the stories of the Chinese journey to Bethlehem with traditional Chinese folklore. The performance is planned to take place at Lehigh University's newly constructed Chinese Harmony Pavilion on the South Side Greenway.

Collaborating with Touchstone on the second production are Deng Dafei and He Hai of the Utopia Group. "As Chinese artists, we have an interest in the history and status of Chinese immigrants in America. If Chinese immigrants are at the margin of American society, for their national personality and the fact that they seldom speak their minds in public, we are trying to make them heard in this drama."

Touchstone is eagerly anticipating the coming year of working with the Utopia Group, as well as continuing fruitful partnerships with Moravian College, Lehigh University, and the Bethlehem community at large.

Journey from the East is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts - Art Works, which supports the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Touchstone is one of 160 grants awarded nationally under the Theatre and Musical Theatre discipline. Christmas City Follies XIV is supported locally by season sponsors First Generation, an integrated marketing communications company, and RCN. WDIY provides media sponsorship.

Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion, the year one production of the Journey from the East project, performs April 3-13, 2014, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $25 / $15 for students and seniors, with group rates available on request. On Thursdays, Touchstone offers pay-what-you-will at the door, allowing patrons to name their own ticket price. Advance tickets may be purchased at 610-867-1689 or online at www.touchstone.org.