1. Professional Training Apprenticeships
3. Arts in Education Opportunities
4. Arts Residencies in Communities
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
APPRENTICESHIPS
Announcing Apprentice Auditions for our 2008/2009 Season:
Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12
Our exciting Apprentice program is an opportunity for young or transitioning theatre artists to create, train, and collaborate under the guidance of the Touchstone Ensemble.
Apprentices
engage in:
training
that focuses on creating original work in Ensemble Theatre
performing
at Touchstone and on tour
teaching
in a variety of educational and empowerment programs to gain experience
and understanding of how theatre artists can guide communities in exploring
creativity, while encouraging and articulating points of view and creating
cultural exchange
creating
original solo and ensemble performance in production and lab settings
Production Apprenticeships are also available to those who wish to train with the Touchstone Ensemble, but concentrate on stage management or technical direction in an ensemble-centered theatre.
The 9-month program runs from September through May; apprentices receive a monthly stipend. Auditions/interviews are held each spring.
For a more detailed description of the apprenticeship and instructions for application, download form, email Vicki Haller or call (610) 867-1689. For information about the Production Apprenticeship please contact Production Manager, James Jordan.
ARTSTOUCH
Touchstone’s ArtsTouch programs expose local youth to the arts and teach them a positive means for self-expression through the use of theatre techniques.
ArtsTouch refers to all of Touchstone Theatre’s programming that involves local youth. Examples of our current programs are listed below, although Ensemble members also conduct residencies at local elementary and secondary schools, as well as theatre performances designed for young people, such as Don Quixote The Adventure Begins.
Some of Touchstone’s current ArtsTouch programs include…
Building Bridges
Ensemble members work with teachers, counselors and students in emotional support classrooms. The Ensemble members use theatre activities to help the students to open up and accept one another and themselves. Skills learned in these classes help students more effectively communicate, improve focus and concentration skills, enrich problem-solving and decision-making skills, and strengthen teamwork. As a result, students’ self-esteem is improved and they begin to develop a more positive means of self-expression.
Finding Your Voice in a New Language
English Acquisition Program classes work with Touchstone Ensemble members over the span of seven weeks, using theatre as a way of learning and practicing English. This past year’s class at a local high school included writing skills, at the request of the teachers. The students’ writings were inspired by theatre games and activities that the students learned with the Ensemble members. These writings, which served as the basis for the final production, were also used as part of the curriculum each week. In the final session of this class, thirty-six English Acquisition students from countries around the world stood before an audience of students, faculty, and their parents as they performed works, in English, they had written themselves.
Young Playwright’s Lab
Touchstone Ensemble members are collaborating with other members of the theatre community to teach theatre techniques to local public school students. These students are learning improvisation and basic theatre skills, monologue writing, dialogue writing, character creation, and other fundamentals of playwriting. Using these elements, they will compose a full scene, which will then be expanded into a one-act play. The YPL provides a vehicle for a diverse cross-section of local young people to share their stories
SouthSide
Arts Collaborative
In
collaboration with various other groups in the community, the Ensemble
engages at-risk teens from South Bethlehem in visual and performing arts
projects, as part of an after-school program. Partners involved with the
SouthSide Arts Collaborative include the Banana Factory, Community Music
School, and The United Way. By working together on visual and performing
arts projects, the youth are able to express themselves creatively.
Early
Childhood Arts Integration
Working intimately with teachers to plan detailed projects that develop
creativity, Touchstone artists work in early childhood classrooms, integrating
in for one school day a week. Artists and students discover the essence
of theatre and creative drama, playing their way towards developing social
and communication skills, literacy, and of course communication. Read
about one partnership right on the Southside of Bethlehem: PASELA.
More Arts in Education Opportunities:
When students discover a new way of thinking about something, or expressing their ideas, the results are remarkable. As arts educators, Touchstone’s commitment to engaging students of all ages in the creative process continues to be a vital part of our mission.
From pre-school programs to university training, Touchstone’s Ensemble has been actively involved in helping students explore curriculum subjects, critical thinking, listening, teamwork, the ability to interpret and construct meaning, and the fine art of being fully human… in addition to honing their theatre skills.
"Learning how theatre is made is a blast! I learned the skills of acting, cooperation, good teamwork and responsibility."
"We had so much fun working with you. We learned a lot about teamwork and not to fight with each other"
"I had the best week ever! You taught me that listening is the most important thing in theatre and in life."
These rave reviews are from fourth grade students at Union Township Elementary School, NJ, following a one-week theatre residency program.
Please contact Touchstone to discover how you can make any subject come to life using theatre techniques!
Arts Residencies in Communities
"You have given us something to think about as far as telling our stories across the state. You are golden!" —Rosemary Pawlowski, Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center, Johnstown, PA
Touchstone can work with your community center, library, museum to create an exciting program that will teach how to use the arts to tell your community’s, or your own, stories.
Recently, Touchstone conducted a theatre arts residency with the Bethlehem Area Public Library as part of their summer reading program.
Touchstone also traveled to the Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown, PA to conduct workshops in how the community can further use the arts to express their industrial heritage.
For more information, e-mail us to begin a dialogue.
Overview:
Camp Touchstone is a two-week program
or 9-13
year olds exploring the process
of creating original theatre. Instructors
are
highly
trained theatre professionals
who are also committed and experienced
teaching
artists.
The curriculum has been
distilled
from the educational programs
provided by the Touchstone ensemble throughout the region. At Camp Touchstone,
all students have the opportunity to grow; instructors work one-on-one
with children
to ensure that the least and most
experienced are equally challenged.
Curriculum:
While students learn about…
" Working as an ensemble
" Performance
" Playwriting/Adaptation of literature
" Movement
" Improvisation
" Character development
Skills
will be developed in:
" Leadership
" Communication
" Focus and concentration
" Problem solving
" Decision-making
" Working as a group
Program
Details
July 21 - August 1, 2008
Weekdays from 9am to 4pm (with a supervised lunch break from 12-1)
Final Sharing at 7pm on Friday, August 1
At Touchstone Theatre, at 321 E. 4th Street, Bethlehem.
Cost: $350 per child
To register
Fill out this form and
mail it to Touchstone Theatre, Attention: Liz Wheeler.
Financial
Aid
In order to ensure that Camp Touchstone is accessible to as many children
as possible, we offer financial aid. To apply, download
this form and send it in, or contact Liz Wheeler at 610-867-1689 or
liz@touchstone.org to have one mailed to you.
Click here
for directions to Touchstone.