Touchstone Theatre
321 E. 4th StreetBethlehemPA18015
610-867-1689610-867-0561

Program: Latino Drama Workshop/Youth Ensemble Year Started: 1988/1993 Focus: Theater Youth Served: 36 Ages: 9-18 Budget: $11,185 Learning about the theater provides participants of the Touchstone TheatreĚs Latino Drama Workshop with a chance to focus their creativity and make connections with others. Through a 4-week, intensive summer workshop, participants learn improvisation, scene development, playwriting and music. The Youth Ensemble, a troupe developed from the Workshop, allows participants to develop their acting and performance skills further. Members of the Ensemble meet daily for 6 weeks, working 3 hours a day, and perform their topical productions at schools and community centers throughout the region. The Latino Drama Workshop is run in collaboration with BethlehemĚs Council for Spanish-Speaking Organizations. Professional actors run both programs at the Touchstone Theatre. "These programs have created a sense of community and are a safe place where the teens can let down their street masks," says Artistic Director Mark McKenna. "They bring together an unlikely group of teenagers who might not normally associate with one another and teach them that they can work together as a group and achieve something."