BETHLEHEM, PA - Touchstone Theatre opens its 2023-24 season with a fifth year of Festival UnBound: a five-day celebration full of arts-infused events, performances, and hands-on workshops for all.
Featuring visual arts, live music, participatory dance, original theatre, community dialogue, and more, the Festival is a unique, hyper-local arts experience taking place from September 27-October 1 at venues throughout Bethlehem, with pre-Festival "pop-up" events throughout September.
Attendance is free for most events; select events have an admission fee. The Festival includes work by the Touchstone Ensemble, local artists and organizers, and acclaimed guest artists from beyond the Lehigh Valley.
The first year of Festival UnBound took place in October 2019, twenty years after the closing of Bethlehem Steel, and explored questions of community and identity: Who are we, now that the Steel is gone'
What are the challenges ahead, and what are the values that hold us together as we shape our future' Festival UnBound has since evolved into a five-day series of events taking place in streets, parks, and venues across Bethlehem and beyond: a celebration of arts for everyone who calls the Lehigh Valley home. "We say it every year, and its true: Festival UnBound is a genuine community festival," says Festival Director Mary Wright. "Its art of, by, and for the people of the Lehigh Valley." A sampling of the delights you can expect at this years Festival include "Hidden Bethlehem" Pop-Up Events throughout the month of September, a mural unveiling, workshops, sing- and dance-alongs, and a Festival Block Party featuring original indie music and local LVAC wrestlers signing autographs. Touchstone also welcomes three guest residencies this year, with acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben bringing the joy of music to local schools and to Godfrey Daniels; renowned community arts activist ashley sparks heading the Festivals cornerstone performance about housing; and Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble leading story-gathering exercises throughout the Festival. The centerpiece of the 2023 Festival has been over a year in the making: a Bethlehem-centric production entitled, The Most Beautiful Home¦Maybe. Spearheaded by nationally-recognized directing duo Mark-n-Sparks (Mark Valdez and ashley sparks), this interactive civic engagement project brought Touchstone artists together in conversation with local residents, nonprofit organizations, housing advocates, and government officials to address the question: Can we imagine a future where everyone in the Lehigh Valley is housed' Informed by the stories of local residents lived experience, its creation has involved dozens of community meetings over the past 12 months, hosted by sparks and Touchstone artists. "The skills that you have as a theater artist are actually superpowers," says sparks, "for solving community problems and creating spaces for people to have hard conversations." The result' A participatory performance juxtaposing housing data, torch songs, and tales of home insecurity. The Most Beautiful Home¦Maybe is packed with zebra stripes, sprinkles, music, and laughter “ and invites audiences to collectively create housing policies and envision a future where every Lehigh Valley resident has a home. Full 2023 Festival UnBound ScheduleMost events are FREE; donations are gratefully accepted. HIDDEN BETHLEHEMWednesday Sept. 27, 6-7pm | Bethlehem City Sculpture GardenThe perfect way to ease into your Festival UnBound experience! Let the worries of your day melt away at this interactive musical pop-up in the Sculpture Garden at 6pm, then head to Payrow Plaza on the opposite side of City Hall at 7pm for the Opening Ceremony. FREE EVENT; come one, come all! OPENING CEREMONYWednesday Sept. 27, 7-8pm | Payrow PlazaIs it true that there are visitors from another planet among us' Join us at Payrow Plaza as the Mayor and other featured guests finally answer the question on everyones mind (and help kick off Festival Unbound in the way only Touchstone can)! FREE EVENT; come one, come all! CHANGE-SPOTTINGThursday Sept. 28, 10-11am, 12-1pm & 5:30-6:30pm | Walk begins at Touchstone TheatreAn architect-led walking and talking tour that invites us to spot changes through history in the "everyday spaces" of South Bethlehem. Following a custom-made map, explore everyday historical landmarks and the ways, over time, we affect place. FREE EVENT; advance registration is encouraged at touchstone.org. CHANGING THE RACE DANCEThursday Sept. 28, 7-8:30pm | Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the ArtsTickets: $15. Visit touchstone.org or call 610.867.1689This moving dance performance examines how we talk about race and imagines how we can break down the barriers that divide us, in a work that speaks to current challenges and aspirations for race relations going forward. ALEXANDER KHIMUSHINS THE WORLD IN FACESFriday Sept. 29, 4-7pm | Venture X BethlehemFeatured at the United Nations in Geneva and UNESCO Paris, this photography exhibit honors Indigenous Peoples right to their cultures, identities and traditions, and their right to self-determination by determining their own policies and strategies with respect to their cultural heritage and traditional systems. FREE EVENT; come one, come all! FESTIVAL UNBOUND BLOCK PARTYFriday Sept. 29, 7-10pm, doors at 6:30pm | Touchstone Theatres Barrio StageYoure invited to our backyard for a celebration of Bethlehems vibrant culture, with live music (including area fave Were From Antarctica), food, drinks, the unveiling of our new mural by Monica Salazar, and even your favorite local LVAC wrestlers signing autographs! FREE EVENT; come one, come all! WORKSHOP: SEEDS AND STORIES FROM THE LAND OF THE LENAPESaturday Sept. 30, 9:45am-12pm | Northampton Community Colleges Fowler Family Southside Center (Shuttle to workshop location leaves at 10am)Enjoy the stories and language of the Lenape, make your own paper, and create your own poems, all while immersed in the natural beauty of NCCs East 40 Gardens & Nature Area. FREE EVENT; advance registration is encouraged at touchstone.org. WORKSHOP: RESTORING PETALSSaturday Sept. 30, 10am-12:30pm | Touchstone Theatre CaféJoin Basement Poetry artistic director Chloe Cole-Wilson for a writing and paper-crafting workshop. Together, youll fold paper sunflowers while sharing poetry, short stories, and monologues created during your time together ” for a final story slam. FREE EVENT; advance registration is encouraged at touchstone.org. WORKSHOP: WOMENS DANCE FROM AROUND THE WORLDSaturday Sept. 30, 10am-12pm | Northampton Community Colleges Fowler Family Southside CenterIn this fun, no-experience-needed dance workshop, learn three dances taught by three different women from across three cultures: Ukrainian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican. FREE EVENT; advance registration is encouraged at touchstone.org. WORKSHOP: SONGWRITING WITH JESSE RUBENSaturday Sept. 30, 10:30am-12:30pm | Godfrey Daniels Coffee HouseTickets: $15. Visit touchstone.org or call 610.867.1689Jesse Ruben discusses finding your purpose and voice as a writer ” and the importance of being willing to make mistakes. Attendees will participate in creative songwriting exercises followed by a performance and Q&A session. Bring your instrument along! WORKSHOP: STORY SOUPSaturday Sept. 30, 11am-12pm | Bethlehem Area Public Library, Main BranchJoin Storyteller Ingrid Bohn to learn the pieces needed to build a story, in this highly interactive workshop that involves movement, poetry, song, and craft. This workshop is recommended for kids in Grades 2-5 (and their adults!) FREE EVENT; advance registration is encouraged at touchstone.org. DEVOTIONAL GATHERING: NEIGHBOR LOVESaturday Sept. 30, 1:30-3:30pm | Charles A. Brown Ice House at Sand IslandJoin with interfaith representatives of those who belong to a faith community (or not) to unite around the mystery of life in gratitude, and in the pursuit of peace, beauty, and justice. Bring a neighbor to this event featuring music, prayers, poetry, dance, and more. FREE EVENT; come one, come all! THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOME¦MAYBESaturday Sept. 30, 7-8:30pm & Sunday Oct. 1, 1:30-3pm | Charles A. Brown Ice House at Sand IslandA performance full of zebras, sprinkles, music, and of course, housing policies! Created by legendary directing duo Mark-n-Sparks, this pastiche performance invites audiences to collectively create housing policies and picture a future where everyone has a home. FREE EVENT; come one, come all! JESSE RUBEN CONCERTSaturday Sept. 30, 7-9pm | Godfrey Daniels Coffee HouseTickets: $19.50. Visit touchstone.org or call 610.867.1689Touchstone and Festival Unbound are proud to partner with Godfrey Daniels to present this event featuring Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben at the legendary Godfrey Daniels, in a captivating live performance of new and old favorites. FESTIVAL CLOSINGSunday Oct. 1, 3-3:30pm | Centennial ParkA wrap-up to Festival UnBound 2023 with a collective moment to reflect on the meaning of home and community. Plus, a chance to reconnect with new and old friends both from Earth and galaxies away! FREE EVENT; come one, come all! Fundraising for Festival UnBound is ongoing, but to date, Festival sponsors include PLATINUM SPONSORS: Community Action Lehigh Valley and National Endowment for the Arts; GOLD SPONSORS: Air Products, Dexter F. and Dorothy H. Baker Foundation, and Verna O. Canova Foundation; SILVER SPONSORS: Amaranth Foundation, Lehigh Conference of Churches, Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, PPL, SWBR, Inc., and WDIY; BRONZE SPONSORS: B. Braun, Highmark Corporate Giving, and Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation; COPPER SPONSORS: Crayola, Embassy Bank, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation, IceHouse Performing Arts Collaborative, Lehigh University College of Health, Lehigh Valley with Love, and Working Dog Press; as well as numerous small businesses and individuals. Touchstone Theatres Festival UnBound takes place September 27-October 1, 2023 throughout Bethlehem, with pop-up events occurring during the full month of September. More information at www.touchstone.org/festival-unboundhttps://www.facebook.com/TstoneTheatrehttps://www.instagram.com/touchstone_theatre/