The Fresh Voices showcase returns to Touchstone Theatre on June 20 and 21, 2014. This annual showcase is a celebration of new theatre, featuring original works-in-progress by the 2013-14 Touchstone Apprentices, Mallory deForest, Jordan Orth, and Catherine Restivo, as well as Touchstone Journeyman Kyle Lewis. The evening, subtitled Beyond Worlds, is composed of five original pieces, exploring the theme of "other worlds."
Touchstone's Apprenticeship Program selects emerging and transitioning artists to study within the company and learn about life as a professional ensemble theatre. Their work touches every aspect of the company and includes acting, stage management, playwriting, teaching, prop making, and more. Over the past thirteen years, Touchstone has graduated over 60 theatre artists from its program with over a decade of Fresh Voices productions.
"Fresh Voices is one of our annual favorites," says Emma Chong, Touchstone Ensemble Member and apprentice coordinator. "We look forward to it every year, and our audiences do, too; after a season of getting to know them and performing alongside them, its inspiring to see what direction each class of apprentices decides to take with the charge of creating their own original piece of theatre."
The apprentices' solo works cover a wide range of worlds. deForest adventures into nature, creating a fable-like story of a woman confronted by death and the fantastic journey they travel. Orth explores the nature of safety, the power of faith, and the growing pains of coming to terms with adulthood. Restivo, graduate of the prestigious training program at Dell'Arte International, experiments with mask and puppetry to tell the story of a lonely woman whose sole desire is to be a bird.
An ensemble piece devised by the three apprentices contains elements of farce, commedia dell'arte, and physical comedy, while dabbling in the world of magic.
Additionally, this year features the first Fresh Voices showcase including material from an Ensemble Journeyman. After spending a year as an apprentice in 2012-13, Lewis returns this season having taken on new responsibilities in the company. In a short piece that he has written and directed, Lewis follows the story of a man on death row; torn from the headlines and stories like Trayvon Martin, Michael Dunn, and Marissa Alexander, the piece explores themes of justice, family, and righteousness.
Celebrating over thirty years, Touchstone Theatre produces and presents both original and classic 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
Touchstone's season is sponsored locally by season sponsors First Generation and RCN. WDIY provides media sponsorship.
Fresh Voices: Beyond Worlds runs June 20 and 21, 2014, 8:00 pm at Touchstone Theatre. Tickets are Pay-What-You-Will at the door, with a suggested donation of $10 or can be purchased in advance for $10, available at (610) 867-1689 or www.touchstone.org