Touchstone celebrates over 25 years of original, professional, actor-created theatre!
The company is dedicated to being an active force in the renewal of theatre as a vital art form. At our heart is a resident professional acting Ensemble rooted in both the local community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the international community of the actor/creator.

The Ensemble is engaged in:
The creation of original work
The ongoing discovery of a theatrical vocabulary in which the emotional dynamics of image, movement and space are as important as the text, be it original or classic
Touring selected works nationally and internationally
Offering educational programs that inspire students of all ages to discover their own creative expression, contribute to serious training in the field and demonstrate the power of theatre as a community building tool

Touchstone is a not-for-profit producing and presenting organization, which fosters inter-cultural, international and community collaborations. The focus of our presenting season is original work by other innovative theatre ensembles and solo artists.

Bill George, Ensemble Member/Touring Manager/Co-Founder
Bill received his B.A. in English Literature from Lehigh University and his M.F.A. in Acting/Directing from the Dallas Theatre Centre of Trinity University. He studied mime with Paul Curtis of The American Mime Theatre, founded the People's Theatre Company in 1977 and later co-founded Touchstone Theatre in 1981 where he was Producing Director until 1990. During a hiatus from Touchstone in 1996, Bill created Little Pond Arts Retreat in Nazareth, Pennsylvania with his wife Bridget--a retreat center dedicated to exploring the art of transcendence--and toured to Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and throughout Canada and the United States with his original dramas: The Kingfisher’s Wing and The Marriage of Munirih Khanum. Bill returned to Touchstone as a full-time Ensemble Member in 2003 where he has won numerous awards over the years--including a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, a Pennsylvania Solo Theatre Arts Fellowship, and the Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theatre. Bill has served as a panelist and adjudicator for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Maryland State Arts Council and the Barrymore Awards of Philadelphia.

James P. Jordan, Ensemble Member/Production Manager
James has worked in theatre professionally for the last 17 years. He began his career as a Stage Manager for illusionist Jeff O'Lear's anti-drug programs, which toured both nationally and internationally. During this period, James played in multiple music bands, performing to crowds as big as 5000 people. James graduated from Kutztown University majoring in Telecommunication (video production) with a minor in both Theatre and Music. He appeared in a number of Kutztown University's Theatre productions and played both guitar and trumpet in the University's Jazz band. Post college, James continued to play in small musical projects but mainly recorded in the studio. At this time, he began work at the newly opened Zoellner Arts Center on Lehigh University's campus. During his five-year tenure as Zoellner's Stage Coordinator, James helped in the production of hundreds of events; from lectures to Broadway musicals to some of the best ballets and orchestras in the world. While at Zoellner, James freelanced with many production companies and also began freelancing as both a sound and lighting designer. Now in his 5th year at Touchstone, James has played a crucial part in every production since his arrival, serving in multiple roles including Designer, Composer and Actor. James is also in charge of all print and electronic media design for Touchstone.

Lisa Jordan, Ensemble Member/Producing Director
Lisa holds a BA in theatre and minor in music from Kutztown University. After serving as Production/Administrative Intern at Civic Theatre of Allentown for their 2000-01 season, she came to Touchstone to stage manager Christmas City Follies '01. This initial experience with ensemble-created work opened her eyes to whole new world of theatre creation, and she joined the company as Production Manager. Over 40 productions later she has filled many roles, including: stage manager (A Comic Strip, Don Quixote of Bethlehem), lighting designer (Just So Stories, Follies '03), props designer (Hit or Myth), costume designer (Talisman, A Comic Strip) and assistant director (Southside Experience, The Glass Menagerie). In 2005 she joined the Ensemble, and last season, after seven years with the company, she became the Producing Director.  Lisa is honored to fill this new position and to continue collaborating with such a brilliant company.

Vicki Haller, Ensemble Member/Education Coordinator
At Touchstone, Vicki has performed in 10 ensemble-created productions, written 2 plays for family audiences, and designed or stage managed 4 plays. As Education Coordinator for the past 2 years, she has overseen all arts-in-education residencies and workshops and taught theatre to students from early childhood through Touchstone’s professional apprenticeship program. Vicki has worked and performed at the New Harmony Project (Indiana), Slant Theatre Project (New York), and the Barter Theater (Virginia) and studied theatre and dance at the Patravadi Theatre in Bangkok, Thailand. She has a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville. Vicki studies at the International Institute for Restorative Practices in Bethlehem and teaches yoga.

Amy Meleck, Director of Development
Amy Meleck is a native New Yorker who has lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1983.
A life-long supporter of the arts, Amy began her career in development at the Pennsylvania Stage Company (now defunct) in 1988. She headed the development effort at Valley Youth House for 10 years and was Director of the Annual Fund at DeSales University. Meleck obtained her CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) which is the credential awarded by CFRE International to fundraisers who demonstrate tenure in the fundraising profession, continuing education, professional achievement, ethical standards and commitment to service for not-for-profit organizations.

Liz Wheeler, Administrative Assistant
Liz joined Touchstone in April of 2005. She lives in Bethlehem's Southside with her husband and two young daughters. She has a BFA with a concentration in ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MA from the State University of New York at Binghamton in the Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture department.

Emma Chong, Ensemble Associate/Stage Manager
Emma is a 2007 graduate of Gettysburg College, where she
took a double-major in English and Theatre Arts with a
minor in Classical Studies. Favorite past roles include
Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, Maria in An Experiment
with an Air Pump, Lucienne in A Flea in Her Ear, and the
ensemble of Metamorphoses; directing projects include
Lebensraum, Wake-Up Call, A Note on the Type, and IMing.
She also enjoys hanging lights, stage management, and just
about anything else theatre-related which she’s tried. Emma
performed for three years with Upscale, Gettysburg’s
all-female a capella group, and with the Gettysburg College
Choir. She is very much looking forward to the coming year
at Touchstone!

Anne Losq, Ensemble Apprentice
Anne is Franco-American, born and raised in the Paris area, while spending summers in the US. After high-school, she crossed the Channel to get a BA in theatre studies from the Royal Holloway campus of the university of London. She came back to Paris for an MA in dramaturgy from the Sorbonne Nouvelle university. She's now making the big jump across the Atlantic to be an apprentice at Touchstone. In England, she participated in student productions as a stage manager for The Fall of the House of Usher (Steven Berkoff's version), acted as Sganarelle in Molière's Don Juan and co-directed Far Away by Caryl Churchill. She was also part of a dance improvisation group in Paris that staged a site-specific performance in the metro. Anne loves vibrant, thought-provoking and inspiring theatre, and is really excited about this upcoming year in Bethlehem!

Zach Kanner, Ensemble Apprentice
Zach is a native of Jacksonville, FL and holds a B.A. in Theatre from Drew University. At Drew, he appeared on stage in The Tempest and WASP among many others. He also directed Sittin', written by faculty member Chris Ceraso. He also studied acting at the Michael Howard Studios in New York City. Since then, he has studied Commedia dell'arte, clown, and voice at the Accademia dell'Arte in Tuscany. He recently appeared on stage in The Beard of Avon, produced by Wilmington's City Theatre Company, as well as in Hair at Players by the Sea in Jacksonville. He has performed at the American Globe Theater in New York and Teatro Aretino in Arezzo, Italy. Other projects include the Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Festival and the upcoming film, "Chapter 18". As an apprentice at Touchstone, he gratefully looks forward to exercising a creative spirit with the ensemble in every area of production.

Touchstone is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The official registration and financial information of Touchstone may be obtained from the PA Dept. of State by calling toll-free within PA 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.