Steel Festival: Art of an Industry

Steel Festival: The Art of an Industry
September 9-19, 1999
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
A multi-arts festival in produced by Touchstone Theatre in collaboration with Lehigh University, Bethlehem Steel and local arts and civic organizations

When the giant blast furnaces of Bethlehem Steel finally shut down, the company's Pennsylvania home town turned to its local theater company for a resolution to their anger and disappointment. Bethlehem's Touchstone Theater and dozens of community partners created the Steel Festival in September 1999, with new theater works by Cornerstone Theater and Jay O'Callahan, a Steel Choir, a singer-songwriter project, a children's play and a citywide art exhibit based on stories from the citizens' collective past. The program overview is listed below. In the related links to the left are looks at the festival by two experienced ensemble-theater artists and an interview with "Steelbound" director Bill Rauch.

"Steelbound"
September 9-12 and 16-19, 1999
Iron Foundry, Bethlehem Steel

Bethlehem Steel, photo by Linda Frye Burnham

A modern-day adaptation of the story of Prometheus, the Greek god who gave fire to humankind. Performed by Touchstone's Ensemble in unison with 74 community members, many of whom worked or had relatives that worked at the mill. The play took place in the wreckage of the Iron Foundry, a enormous brick structure covering thousands of square feet and towering three or more stories, like an industrial "cathedral" with a long nave, crossing transept and capping apse. The open space was rhythmically punctuated by 40-foot windows empty of glass. The audience sat on steel bleachers in the apselike cap. Prometheus was a defiant laid-off steelworker, chained by two servants of Progess in a cruciform position on top of a massive steel ladle. He stayed there throughout the play, while he, the other actors and three choruses argued and sang about his plight and the conditions surrounding the closure of the mill. During the play, cars, trucks and machinery drove in and out of the scene, and a collage of mill sounds could be heard through the speakers. On opening night, a severe thunderstorm broke overhead, illuminating the bones of the five-mile-long dead steel plant in the distance.

Presented by Touchstone Theatre in collaboration with Cornerstone Theater
Written by Alison Carey from Aeschylus' "Prometheus Bound"
Original music by Ysaye Barnwell
Directed by Bill Rauch
Movement Director Jennie Gilrain; Music Director Beverly Morgan; Costume Designer April Bevens; Sound Designer Tim Frey; Lighting Designer Ken Rothchild; Set Designer Lynn Jeffries

Cast:: Bill George (Prometheus), James Jackson, David James, Devon Allen, Terry Galle, Guillermo Lopez Jr., John Reiman, Herry Werkhauser, Sara Brady, Mark McKenna, Beverly Morgan, Diane Cusanti.

Women's Chorus leader Cora Hook; Young Person Chorus leader Ivan Alicea; Steelworkers Chorus leader Peter DiPietro .

"Pouring the Sun"
September 16-19
Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University
The story of one family, capturing the legacy of thousands of immigrants whose lives became intertwined with the steel industry and the labor movement.

Produced by Lehigh University
Written and performed by storyteller Jay O'Callahan, based on interviews with 75 steelworkers over three years.

"Stories of Steel"
September 11, Touchstone Theatre
School performances ongoing

Family theater performance about the history of steelmaking, including a comprehensive study guide with a reading list and activity suggestions provided for school shows.

Produced by Touchstone Theatre
Performed by Mark McKenna and Cora Hook of Touchstone's ensemble

Singer-Songwriter Project
September 9 and 15, The Ice House
September 12, Godfrey Daniels coffeehouse

A two-year project of songwriting, based on singer-songwriters' interviews with steelworkers and their families, gathering and creating songs from their stories. Project members came from the Leigh Valley; two are retired steelworkers and several more have steelworkers in their families. The singer-songwriters performed during the festival and celebrated the release of their CD, "Days of Steel," by local record company, Bummertent Records. The group plans to go on working together.

Produced by Godfrey Daniels
Artistic Director Bob Franke; Coordinator Bonnie O'Donnell
Singer-songwriters: Christian Bauman, Patti Edgar Foley, Bill Hall, Bob Hrichak, Roland Kushner, Roger Latzgo, Caren Leonard, Barbara Paradowski, TomWatson,

The Steel Choir singing on the street in South Bethlehem, photo by Linda Frye Burnham

Steel Choir
September 11, Walk-n-Sing on the streets of South Bethlehem
September 13, Holy Infancy School
September 14, Cathedral Church of the Nativity
September 15, St. John's Windish Lutheran Church

A diverse community choir, open to all, perfmoing traditional, ethnic, folk and labor songs. The choir plans on continuing to work together.

Produced by local churches and volunteers
Directed by Beverly Morgan
Music Arranged by Ysaye Barnwell

Visual Art Exhibitions
August through September
Bethlehem, Allentown and Easton

Twenty exhibitions of photography, paintings, sculptures and prints based the history and experience of steelmaking in the Lehigh Valley. Venues included museum, galleries and businesses.

The Making of the Steel Festival
Community discussions at Touchstone Theatre with the artists and community members who created the festival.
"Voice of the Community: Conversations with Songwriters," September 9
"Steel As It Was: Conversations with Steelworkers," September 10
"The Making of Steelbound: Conversations with the Cast," September 11
"The Arts of Steel: Conversations with the Artists," September 13

Linda Frye Burnham is a codirector of Art in the Public Interest.

Original CAN/API publication: October 1999