Touchstone Theatre to Present JOURNEY: DREAM OF THE RED PAVILION, 4/3-13

Touchstone Theatre presents Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion, the first of two theatrical productions to feature in their two-year Journey from the East project. Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion investigates the history of Chinese immigration in the Lehigh Valley and the community's continuing reaction to "the other"; the play performs April 3-13, 2014.

Based on the first year's worth of research and stories from Lehigh Valley community members, Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion focuses on the stories of an American with Chinese heritage, a young American girl adopted from China, and two Chinese women living in America. These varied voices, woven from a year's worth of story gathering from the local community and Bethlehem's Chinese tourists, create the kind of community-based, community-transforming theatre for which Touchstone has become known.

At the helm of Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion is Mary Wright, renowned Lehigh Valley storyteller and Touchstone Ensemble Associate. As with many of Touchstone's original community and ensemble-based pieces, the play-making process has been largely collaborative. "When creating original theatre," says Wright, "my favorite phrases are 'The way I'm imagining it is...' and 'Let's see what would happen if...' The slow sifting of 'what ifs' is part of what writing and directing this kind of piece is all about."

Artists Deng Dafei and He Hai of the Utopia Group, a multidisciplinary arts company based out of Beijing, China, will be in residence with the Touchstone company for the first week of performances. The Utopia Group will serve as artistic international partners with Touchstone as the Journey from the East project progresses into its second year.

In addition to the Touchstone performing company, the cast is joined by Dong-Ning Wang, an adjunct professor in the Asian Studies department at Lehigh University, who has spent several years researching the hundred-and-fifty year history of China's technical development in relation to its partnership with Lehigh University. "Nowadays," says Wang, "with globalization, it's really important to be part of this project, really bringing people together - bridging cultures, bridging people. I think this is part of the reason I first came to Lehigh." Other members of the cast include Qiyi Zhu-Stoffey and Liana Irvine, two community members who were interviewed as part of the story-gathering process and were interested in continuing to share their stories onstage. Zhu-Stoffey adds, "I think that it's very important to be proud of, share, and represent my heritage whenever I can."

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's is one of 160 grants awarded nationally under the Theatre and Musical Theatre discipline. Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion is supported locally by season sponsors First Generation and RCN. WDIY provides media sponsorship.

Journey: Dream of the Red Pavilion performs at Touchstone Theatre April 3-13, 2014, as the culmination of the Journey from the East project's first year. Shows are 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.

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