Arts & Culture
Touchstone Theater: Festival Unbound
Visions of the future are being forged onstage.
In 1998, after an almost 150-year history building this nation, Bethlehem Steel finally shut down steelmaking here in Bethlehem. It was a traumatic event, and Touchstone, to help the community work its way through it, created and assembled several works of art and cultural projects into a festival called Steel Festival: The Art of an Industry.
Now, as October 2019 approaches and the 20th anniversary since that extraordinary event, we face a challenge of a different and perhaps more daunting nature. Who are we, now that the Steel is gone? What are the challenges ahead, and what are the values that will hold the community together as we face the task of shaping our future?
Out of conversations and questions with the community, themes and stories have emerged. Visions of the future are being forged onstage and in dance studios, on college campuses and in public parks, on canvases and in coloring books, between young and old, across racial divides, across the gender spectrum, through Lehigh Valley citizens from all walks of life.
Get a snapshot of what’s coming to Bethlehem on October 4-13, 2019 for this year’s 20th anniversary of Festival Unbound!
Theatre
Beyond Utopia
a collaboration with Teatr Brama (Poland) and Moravian College
Hidden Seed: Bethlehem’s Forgotten Utopia
a dive into the hidden history of Bethlehem’s birth
Prometheus/Redux
a companion piece to the 1999 “Steelbound”
The Secret
a new work about Hilda Doolittle by Mock Turtle Marionette Theatre
Music
A Joyful Noise
explores the collective act of choral singing
Cabaret
an evening watering hole: food, drinks, performances, and conversation
Poets, Troubadours, & Troublemakers
three evenings of live original music
Food
Community Supper
savor Bethlehem’s favorite foods
Kitchen Chronicles
part immersive performance, part family gathering
Food for Thought
Community Conversations
a noontime lunch series exploring festival themes
Sustainability Forum
a town-hall gathering to brainstorm, learn, debate, and discuss sustainability
Outdoor Spectacles
Opening Ceremony
a celebratory processional down the South Bethlehem Greenway
The Hunt for Utopia
an interactive, wild, theatrical bicycle ride through Bethlehem
Starry-Eyed
a new show devised and written by Bethlehem teens
Closing Ceremony
an outdoor extravaganza and gathering of our 21st-century village
Community Connections
pARTicipate: Express Yourself
collaborative art-making for all ages and skills
Embracing Bethlehem / Abrazos a Belén
a collaboration with Pregones Theatre (NY) and Bethlehem’s Latinx community
Forward March: The Future of Our Warriors
a collaboration with Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving
Homecoming
an afternoon highlighting the Black community in the Lehigh Valley
Inside/Outside City
a midweek, daytime event filled with music, dance, visual arts, games, and conversation
