Touchstone Theatre Announces New Civil War Project Play and Event Weekend
By: Kelsey Denette Feb. 28, 2012
Beneath Bethlehem's soil lies the stories of citizens who lived through the Civil War. Touchstone Theatre and Moravian College Theatre have unearthed these stories to share and honor them with today's community as part of Historic Bethlehem Partnership's yearlong commemoration of the war's 150th anniversary. Over the course of three days (April 13th, 14th &15th, 2012) and at eight different Bethlehem venues, Touchstone will connect the citizens of today to the spirits of those passed through panel discussions, guest lecturer and its feature play, A Resting Place, written by Alison Carey.
"Touchstone has been working on this project for three years," said Lisa Jordan, the non-profit organization's Managing Director and Ensemble Member. "It's rewarding for us to see all the research and hard work come together in this celebration of Bethlehem's deep roots in American history."
Touchstone Theatre is offering The Civil War/Cemetery Project free to general public and donations are welcome. The events and activities aim to gather the community in an interactive and entertaining exploration of their local history. Assisted by the art of story, enchantment of theatre and gripping realities of history, the performers, panelists and guest lecturer David Kincaid will lead audiences through the history of the souls that walked through Bethlehem during the Civil War.
The Civil War/Cemetery Project includes events to be held in indoor and outdoor venues including Central Moravian Church, Lehigh University, Moravian College, Bethlehem's City Hall Plaza and Historic Bethlehem Partnership locations. The performances of A Resting Place will be held outdoors on both North and South sides of Bethlehem.
The play, directed by Christopher Shorr, Moravian College Theatre Director and Touchstone Ensemble Affiliate, features a coast of more than 100 performers and is held outdoors. The script centers around Dan Rice, an entertainer who visited Bethlehem during the Civil War, and his traveling circus wagon of acrobats, jugglers and musicians. In A Resting PlaceRice serves as an omniscient narrator, leading his crew into present day Bethlehem to perform a Civil War story based on the lives of Bethlehem soldiers and residents left behind, providing insights into the war and provoking dialogue with the audience. The production presents an array of content, locations and performance times.
On Friday, April 13 the play A Resting Place will premier at 6 p.m. on Moravian College's North Campus outside the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex. Following the performance will be the Panel Discussion "How the Civil War Affects Us Today" from 7:45-9 p.m. at Moravian College's Haupert Union Building.
Saturday, April 14 will bring another performance of A Resting Place at 1p.m. on the South Bethlehem Greenway behind Touchstone Theatre. Following the performance will be the Panel Discussion "Building Community Trough Theatre" from 2:45-4 p.m. in Touchstone Theatre. A Resting Place will play again on Lehigh University's Packer Chapel lawn at 6pm that evening.
On Sunday, April 15 there will be another performance of A Resting Place at 1 p.m. at Bethlehem City Hall Plaza. The Panel Discussion "Bethlehem's Civil War History" will follow the show from 2:45-4 p.m. at Moravian Museum of Bethlehem's Gemeinhaus. The final showing of A Resting Place will take place at 6 p.m. at the Colonial Industrial Quarter. Guest lecturer David Kincaid will wrap up The Civil War/Cemetery Project with a discussion on Civil War Era Music at 7:45-9 p.m. in the Central Moravian Church Chapel.
"The Civil War/Cemetery Project aims to restore pride in those who built our community long ago and those who inhabit it today by connecting us to history through stories that lie silently below our feet," said J.P Jordan, Creative Director and Touchstone Ensemble Member. "Touchstone Theatre not only strives to entertain and educate with this production, but to also inspire and excite our community with artistic experiences."
This program has been supported in part by The National Endowment for The Arts, The MAP Fund, a program of Creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities' We the People initiative on American history.
Celebrating over thirty years, Touchstone Theatre produces and presents cutting edge original 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. Visit us on the web at www.touchstone.org.
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