BETHLEHEM, PA - Touchstone Theatre announces Shadows in Steam, the second in their "Letters from Far" series, a storytelling experience told through packages in the mail. The production will unfold weekly, sent to audience members' mailboxes from February 15 to March 21, 2022.
An ever-innovative producer of original theatre, Touchstone has been creating artistic content throughout 2020-22 that could be safely delivered in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Offerings over the last two years have included outdoor concerts, Zoom play readings, movie-making, and more. Last year, amidst the cold weather of early 2021 that prevented safely distanced outdoor events, Touchstone released the first iteration of "Letters from Far," a story that audiences experienced in their own homes by receiving packages and letters via the United States Postal Service. It told the story of a fictional interplanetary expedition set in 2032 and their mysterious disappearance; audiences were invited to read the final account of the party, in their own words, and piece together the last days of their journey.
"What started out as a sci-fi mystery story ended up manifesting into a piece about isolation, loneliness, and a need to communicate and connect," says Emma Ackerman, Touchstone Ensemble Member and director of the Letters from Far project. "So even though it was a story about visiting an alien world, everything under the surface of the plot was very much rooted in things that we were going through as a community in the height of the pandemic."
This second iteration of the "Letters from Far" series, Shadows in Steam, sets its story in 1906 as a steam locomotive pulls into station with three passengers dead, a foul smoke puffing from the engine, and no clear explanation for the rash of nightmares amongst the crew. Witness accounts of what happened aboard the train vary, with reports of mysterious meetings, strange noises, and seemingly supernatural phenomena.
Audience participants, as "friends" of the investigating police officer in charge of the case, will receive an introductory letter, written statements from the survivors, and physical evidence from the investigation. The production includes six small packages, arriving to audience mailboxes over the course of February and March, allowing ticket-holders a chance to follow the story at their own pace as they dig into a pseudo-historical mystery.
Touchstone's season is supported locally by season sponsor RCN. WDIY provides media sponsorship, and Working Dog Press provides print sponsorship.
Shadows in Steam: A Letters from Far Story begins hitting mailboxes February 15, 2021; the cutoff date to register by purchasing a ticket is February 1.
Tickets are $45 per household/mailing address and can be purchased for any US mailing address.
Tickets are limited and available by phone at 610.867.1689 or online at www.touchstone.org