What Touchstone Theatre does

Touchstone Theatre is a not-for-profit ensemble theatre company founded in 1981 and based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where it operates from a renovated 19th-century firehouse containing a 75-seat indoor theatre. The organization produces original devised ensemble works, delivers arts-in-education programming for K-12 students, runs community-based storytelling projects, and partners with Moravian University to offer a low-residency MFA in Performance Creation. Its audience and stakeholder base spans general theatregoers, local schools, university students, community organizations, and corporate sponsors across the Lehigh Valley.

The company's product mix includes devised ensemble productions, a planned seven-city tour of The Poisoner, an annual holiday tradition (Christmas City Follies, now in its 27th edition), summer theatre camps, K-12 residencies, the MFA program at roughly $8,500 per student per year, and a forthcoming mobile application titled "I Remember This Spot." Its technology footprint is limited to standard theatrical production tools plus the planned consumer mobile app; no proprietary software platform, AI capabilities, or data-driven products are indicated.

Touchstone's revenue model is multi-channel and characteristic of a mid-sized regional arts non-profit. Income is drawn from ticket sales, individual donations and memberships, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants (the Shubert Foundation, NEA, and Henry Luce Foundation are cited), Pennsylvania EITC program credits, summer camp tuition, MFA tuition, and merchandise. Go-to-market is community-rooted — the company cites more than 60 local partnerships — rather than built on scaled paid marketing or distribution.

Name

Touchstone Theatre

Legal name

Touchstone Theatre

Website

https://touchstone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Touchstone Theatre is a not-for-profit ensemble theatre in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, producing original theatrical works, K-12 arts education, community storytelling projects, and a low-residency MFA in Performance Creation with Moravian University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theater / Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI), Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Live theater performances
• Performing arts education
• Youth theater programs
• Community theater productions
• Arts education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from sales of tickets to theatrical productions and performances, including season subscriptions, individual show tickets, and special event admissions.
2. Individual Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals who support the theatre's mission. Donations can be made monthly or as single annual gifts, and donors can also cover tickets for other community members.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Partnerships with businesses that sponsor Touchstone's season, individual productions, educational programming (EITC approved), and marketing vehicles including blogs, e-newsletter, and social media sites.
4. Membership Program: Annual membership program offering benefits to supporters, administered through Arts People platform.
5. EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit) Program: Approved arts-in-education programs (Young Playwrights' Lab and Building Bridges) that businesses can support through Pennsylvania's EITC program in exchange for tax credits.
6. Volunteer/Internship Programs: Non-monetary contribution of volunteer time; internship positions available for college and high school students in marketing, development, box office, accounting, and arts education.
7. Summer Camp Programs: Revenue from Camp Touchstone (ages 8-12, $475) and Teen Ensemble (ages 13-18, $375) summer programs.
8. MFA Tuition: Tuition revenue from the Master of Fine Arts in Performance Creation program offered in partnership with Moravian University ($8,500 per year for two-year program).
9. Merchandise Sales: Sales of Touchstone merchandise including T-shirts and postcards through the Merch Store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Touchstone Theatre is a non-profit performing arts organization that produces and presents live theater performances for general audiences. It also runs arts education programs in partnership with schools and community groups, extending its reach beyond ticketed audiences into educational delivery.

Product overview

Touchstone Theatre is a professional not-for-profit ensemble theatre company offering a portfolio of theatrical productions and arts-in-education programs. The core offerings include original stage productions (Christmas City Follies, touring productions, and special performances), educational programming (Young Playwrights' Lab, Building Bridges, Teen Ensemble, Camp Touchstone, Custom Residencies), and an MFA graduate degree in Performance Creation. The UnBound Year-Round series provides year-round community events including playreadings, story cabarets, and cultural celebrations. The I Remember This Spot project represents a community memory-collection initiative with a mobile app component.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Festival UnBound: A year-long programming series of arts-centric events taking place throughout Bethlehem, including community storytelling, performances, and cultural celebrations.
• Young Playwrights' Lab
• Building Bridges
• UnBound Year-Round
• I Remember This Spot

Products and services

• Live Theater Productions In-house live theatrical performances presented to general audiences and the Bethlehem, PA community, including ticketed productions staged at the theater.
• School and Youth Arts Education Programs Arts-based education and youth theater programming delivered in partnership with local schools and community groups, targeting students and educators in the Bethlehem, PA region.
• Community Engagement and Sponsored Events Community-based and sponsored arts events that extend the theater's reach beyond traditional ticketed audiences, often supported by sponsorships and community partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Building Bridges program served nearly 1,000 students since 2001 and won Growing Up Artfully Award from Lehigh Valley Arts Council (2011)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Moravian UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchstone offers a Master of Fine Arts in Performance Creation in partnership with Moravian University. The 21-month accelerated program is designed to provide practical, hands-on training in ensemble-based theatre. Students are mentored by Touchstone Ensemble members while taking classes within the theatre facility. The program is fully accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
• Bethlehem Area School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership to deliver Young Playwrights' Lab program in local schools. The program was developed in partnership with Bethlehem Area School District teachers to build literacy skills through playwriting and theatre arts instruction for grades 3-12.
• Colonial Academy Intermediate Unit 20coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2001 to deliver Building Bridges program serving students with emotional, social, and behavioral difficulties. The therapeutic intervention program uses theatre and creative drama to facilitate cultural competency and self-awareness.
• Panorama Cultural Latin NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Touchstone's Latinx Initiative to present the José Díaz Experimental Theater's fifth anniversary celebration with five short Spanish-language plays. The partnership supports the theatre's commitment to serving the Latino community and cultural programming.
• Southside Tomorrow (Community Action Development Bethlehem)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored by Southside Tomorrow, a 6-year revitalization program of Community Action Development Bethlehem and the City of Bethlehem, with support from Univest Bank & Trust Co., Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley, People's Security Bank and Trust, PPL Electric Utilities, and Provident Bank.
• Lehigh Valley Girls RockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lehigh Valley Girls Rock for Double Dare Ya! event - a punk celebration created by Touchstone/Moravian University MFA student Jolie Lanning celebrating non-cis men in the Lehigh Valley punk/diy scene.
• Insufficient PostageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Double Dare Ya! event celebrating women, transgender men, and non-binary artists through original art and collective liberation.
• Citizen56minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Poisoner production, a neo-noir thriller inspired by the Flint water crisis, presented as a limited-run touring production.
• Uncommon ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer of The Poisoner, developed and directed by two-time Obie Award-winning director Lee Sunday Evans. The play had its first run at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in NYC in April 2024.
• Sandglass TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandglass Theater presents When I Put On Your Glove, a solo-performance puppetry piece exploring belonging, memory, and love between generations. Sandglass is a renowned theatre company specializing in combining puppets with music, actors, and visual imagery.
• Network of Ensemble TheatrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchstone is a constituent member of the Network of Ensemble Theatres, which defines an ensemble as a group of individuals dedicated to collaborative creation and committed to working together consistently over years to develop a distinctive body of work.
• Lehigh UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner for various community projects including Journey from the East (Chinese Harmony Pavilion), Historic Bethlehem Heritage Trail, and community programming.
• WDIY 88.1 FMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLehigh Valley Public Radio providing media sponsorship and promotional support for Touchstone events and programming.
• Theatre Communications GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchstone is a constituent member of TCG, the national service organization for American theatres, providing resources, advocacy, and professional development.
• Working Dog PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal media partner providing print sponsorship for Touchstone programming, featured as a sponsor on the website.
• Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchstone is a constituent member providing regional business networking and community engagement opportunities.
• Lehigh Valley Arts CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional arts advocacy organization that awarded Building Bridges its 'Growing up Artfully Award' and provides sector support.
• SouthSide Arts DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchstone is located in and partners with the SouthSide Arts District, the arts-centric neighborhood where the theatre is rooted.
• Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage CorridorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to record audio book 'Tales of the Towpath' telling local canal history through children's literature perspective.
• Bethlehem Area Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Don Quixote Project, providing resources and support for bridging Anglo and Latino cultures.
• Council of Spanish Speaking OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Don Quixote Project addressing diverse South Side Bethlehem neighborhood and bridging Anglo and Latino cultures.
• Muhlenberg CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for Lehigh Valley Black African Heritage History Project, collaborating on oral history collection and community performance.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sandglass Theater: Vermont-based ensemble theatre specializing in puppetry, music, and visual performance; Touchstone is presenting its work 'When I Put On Your Glove' as part of the 2026-27 season. Comparable as a touring, ensemble-based, original-work company with strong educational programming.
• Sycamore Rouge: Ensemble-style community theatre in Petersburg, VA founded by Christopher Shorr, who also serves on Touchstone's ensemble and MFA faculty. Both organizations operate intimate venues, develop original work, and emphasize community storytelling.
• Cornerstone Theatre Company: Ensemble-based community theatre known for large-scale civic and cultural storytelling projects; co-presented the 1999 Steel Festival with Touchstone. Strong direct comparability on ensemble methodology and community-driven production model.
• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Long-running experimental ensemble theatre in NYC where Touchstone's touring production 'The Poisoner' premiered in April 2024. Both organizations share an ensemble-driven, original-work ethos with a community-outreach emphasis.

Regional players

• People's Light: Established professional regional theatre in Malvern, PA operating a multi-stage venue with season programming and education work. Comparable as a Pennsylvania-based not-for-profit combining production, education, and community engagement.
• Arden Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based professional theatre company producing a season of plays and musicals with a strong education program. Comparable as a Pennsylvania regional theatre with integrated education and community programming.
• Hedgerow Theatre: Historic professional theatre in Media, PA with an artist-residency and fellowship model. Touchstone ensemble affiliate Alexis Leon completed a year-long Hedgerow fellowship; comparable as a Pennsylvania ensemble/residency-rooted theatre.

Others

• Theatre Communications Group: National service organization for American not-for-profit theatres; Touchstone is a constituent member. Relevant as an industry-association peer shaping the funding, advocacy, and programming landscape in which Touchstone operates.
• Network of Ensemble Theatres: National service organization of which Touchstone is a constituent member, defining and supporting the ensemble-theatre model. Included as an ecosystem peer because it represents the broader competitive set of fewer than 100 ensemble theatres Touchstone belongs to.

Broad incumbents

• Walnut Street Theatre: One of the oldest and largest regional theatres in the U.S., operating multiple venues in Philadelphia. Comparable as a Pennsylvania non-profit producing original and established work with education programs, but at a substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TstoneTheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/touchstone-theatre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Touchstone Theatre