It all started in the mid-1970's... Touchstone's founding members were part of a series of improvisational bilingual street theatre troupes made up of professional artists, university students, local teachers and teens. These troupes brought an immediate and intimate form of theatre to neighborhoods and parks in order to acknowledge, engage and celebrate low-income Latino and Anglo populations.
In 1981, Touchstone founders Bill and Bridget George and Lorraine Zeller decided to build a resident professional ensemble that would be charged with creating original movement-based theatre. Their artistic philosophy was first drawn from John Pearson's improvisational street theatre troupe at Lehigh University, and then developed during the tenure of the People's Theatre Company, founded by Bill and Bridget George, Barbara Pearson, and Ricardo Viera. Touchstone was a professional touring mime troupe creating and performing mostly non-verbal pieces. As in the improvisational street theatre troupes, the actors generated the scripts.
The company strove to reach audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds in diverse settings, using the universal language of gesture and image rather than words. Set, costumes and lighting were simple and portable. The unencumbered performance of the actor was considered to be the highest production value. The company trained in movement and dance and taught theatre workshops and residencies in schools, prisons and recreational facilities. They developed and rehearsed new work in the founders' backyard garage, and toured to traditional audiences in theatre spaces as well as new audiences in non-theatre settings regionally, nationally and internationally.
In 1987, our board and company raised community support to renovate an abandoned 19th century firehouse into an intimate 72-seat home theatre still rooted on Bethlehem's multi-ethnic, multi-lingual SouthSide where the founders lived and performed. With our own space, Touchstone evolved into a regional theatre company producing and presenting a subscription season of original plays for all ages. The heart of our artistic process has continued to be the ensemble's involvement in the entire process of theatre production, from playwrighting to performing.
In addition to a full season of adult and children's theatre productions, touring and teaching, Touchstone has also fostered intercultural and international collaborations such as:
- The original adaptation of Greek myths in Deadalus in the Belly of the Beast by Marco Antonia de la Parra with Teatro Memoria of Santiago, Chile, and dramaturg Joanne Potlitzer, 1992. This bilingual production toured the eastern U.S. and was performed at the Theatre of Nations Festival in Santiago.
- Theatre of Creation: A Festival Celebrating the Work of Jacques Lecoq and his International School of Theatre, 1994. A collaboration with Lehigh University which resulted in a two-week festival, including classes taught by the late Jacques Lecoq and internationally renowned Lecoq trained artists and theatre companies. (To learn more about Jacques Lecoq, please visit www.ecole-jacqueslecoq.com)
- The Steel Festival: The Art of an Industry, a multi-arts festival celebrating Bethlehem's heritage of steel making with Cornerstone Theatre, musician Ysaye Barnwell, storyteller Jay O'Callahan, and singer-songwriter Bob Franke, 1999. This community celebration, which received national media attention, included the performance of Steelbound in the original Bethlehem Iron Works Foundry.
- The Don Quixote Project, a two year multifaceted project involving nine community partners. All aspects of the project took place in both English and Spanish. The main themes were promoting literacy and producing creative collaboration between people of diverse cultural backgrounds. The project culminated in Don Quixote of Bethlehem, a "theatricade" that moved through the streets of Bethlehem's SouthSide. A play for children, Don Quixote - the Adventure Begins! is presently touring.
Through the art of theatre we continue to craft opportunities for people to build relationships, explore new and old ideas and nurture each individual's ability to play and create.
