September 17-18, 2021 | Arena Theatre, Moravian University - A Devised Adaptation of "Medea" by Euripides created by Touchstone/Moravian MFA ...
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A Devised Adaptation of “Medea” by Euripides
created by Touchstone/Moravian MFA students Abbie-Jean Litman and Matt Prideaux
September 17-18, 2021 | Arena Theatre, Moravian UniversityIS LOVE SO SMALL A PAIN?
Cast
Light Medea Abbie-Jean Litman
Dark Medea Kat Rousseau
Jason Matt Prideaux
Nurse/Creon/Children Sara Group
Aegeus/Princess Adam Ercolani
Chorus Kat Rousseau, Rebecca de Jesús, Katie Anne Phykitt, Sam
Thompson, Sara Group, and Matt Prideaux
Production Team
Director: Abbie-Jean Litman
Assistant Director: Katie Anne Phykitt and Matt Prideaux
Set, Sound, and Lighting Design: Matt Prideaux
Hair, Makeup, and Costume Design: Abbie-Jean Litman
Co-Adaptors of Original Text: Matt Prideaux, Kat Rousseau, and Abbie-Jean Litman
Original Translation: Gilbert Murray; Oxford University Press
Music Director: Abbie-Jean Litman
Final Song produced by: Tim Rousseau
Instrumental: Happier Than Ever by Billy Eilish
Dramaturgy: Kat Rousseau and Abbie-Jean Litman
Stage Manager: Katie Anne Phykitt
Film Producers: Kat Rousseau and Sam Thompson
Film Editor: Sam Thompson
Crew
Sound/Light Board Operator: Sam Thompson
Ushers: Jenny Pacanowski, Robert Mills, Krystal Hall, Meara Plesh-Gill
Stagehands: Kyra Zimmerman and Lucia CinquinoNote from the Director:
”To confront a person with their own shadow is to show them their own light.”
- Carl Jung
Our team has strived to create a performance that externalizes the internal human
instinct of: fight, flight, or freeze; a part of oneself that appears often in survivors of
domestic trauma and abuse. In this adaptation of Medea, you will see two Medea
archetypes: Both a “light” version and a “dark” version, which are two entities that
make up the same person. Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist best known for his work on
archetypes, explains that the “dark” part of oneself can be attributed to the “shadow
self” archetype, which frequently emerges in times of great trauma or survival. The
shadow self does what it needs to in order to survive, advocating when necessary, and
the other parts of oneself are left to reconcile with these choices. Our adaptation of
Medea reflects theories and myths surrounding the end of her story, differing from the
ending of the original text by Euripides’.
The mantra that inspired the initial idea, that turned into an art therapy workshop, that
has now turned into the production you will see today is: “I give myself permission to
let go of what no longer serves me.” This is a story of a victim of domestic abuse, on
the challenging but powerful journey to healing, becoming a survivor, and letting go
of what no longer serves her. The strength of the community of survivors, locally in
Lehigh Valley and all across America have inspired the development of Is Love So Small
A Pain? and has inspired me immensely in my own life and my own journey to healing.
Special thanks to:
4 Directions Counseling and our “Salvia” workshop participants, for their involvement and
assistance in the workshop component of this production;
Chris Egging, for his thoughtful insight, mindful advice, and comedic relief;
Christopher Shorr, for his advice and assistance with the adaptation of the show’s text;
Katie Anne Phykitt, for her generosity in time, energy and spirit towards this production;
Pregones Theatre’s Rosalba Rolón and Desmar Guevara, for inspiration on the creation of our
show and the assistance in the creation of our original song ”My Blood is Tainted”;
Sara Group, Adam Ercolani, for being lovely members of our cast;
and Touchstone Staff/Ensemble, for your continued support and assistance in this show’s
fruitionAbout Festival UnBound:
In 1998, after an almost 150 year history building this nation, Bethlehem Steel finally shut
down steel making 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.
In October 2019, twenty years after that extraordinary event, we began to explore questions
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 these questions came our first year
of Festival UnBound, a collection of arts and community dialogue around concerns of
diversity, sustainability, health, youth leadership, and interconnectedness.
In an extraordinary 2020, the festival resumed, with performances distanced outdoors and
livestreamed online, continuing the discussion and bringing audiences together in a time when
loneliness and isolation were the norm.
Now, in our third year, the festival continues. Join us!
Touchstone Theatre’s FESTIVAL UNBOUND is generously sponsored by
Gold Sponsors
Air Products
Silver Sponsors
Keystone Savings Foundation | Lehigh Valley Community Foundation | PNC
Bronze Sponsors
Amaranth Foundation | Verna O. Canova Foundation | W. Beall Fowler | WDIY 88.1 Lehigh
Valley Public Radio
Copper Sponsors
Elaine & Mike Ackerman | Anonymous | Joanne & Hank Barnette and the National Museum of
Industrial History | Crayola | Provident | UGI Utilities, Inc.
Tin Sponsors
Butz Foundation | A grant from the Cinquino Community Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community
Foundation | Highmark, Inc. | ICON | A grant from the Kraft Hillman Family Fund of the Lehigh
Valley Community Foundation | Ruth & Charlie Marcon | Lynne & Chad Paul | RCN
Touchstone receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state
agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.Touchstone Board of Trustees
Neal Koplin, President
Cindy Glick, Vice President
Bekah Eichelberger, Secretary
Joe Connell, Treasurer
Diane Elliott, Esq.
John Fallock
Jennifer Jiménez
Jp Jordan
Lisa Jordan
Alexis Leon
Alison O’Connell
Michele Pappalardo
Ernie Thomas Stiegler
Honorary Council
Linny* & Beall Fowler
Ellen Baker-Ghelardi
Ruth Marcon
Mary Meilinger*
Mrs. Katherine Merle-Smith Thomas*
Joan Moran
Barbara Pearson*
Denise Stangl
Sharon Yoshida
*In Memoriam
Company Members
Jp Jordan, Artistic Director/Ensemble Member
Lisa Jordan, Managing Director/Ensemble Member
Emma Ackerman, General Manager/Ensemble Member
Bill George, Co-Founder/Ensemble Member
Christopher Shorr, Ensemble Member
Mary Wright, Education Director/Ensemble Member
Chris Egging, Technical Director/Ensemble Associate
Adam Ercolani, Development and Marketing Associate
Apprentices/MFA Students
Jessica Boothe Robert Mills
Sara Group Katie Anne Phykitt
Krystal Hall Matt Prideaux
Abbie-Jean Litman Sam Thompson
Ensemble Affiliates
Steven Barnett Jason Hedrington
Samantha Beedle Ashley Tait Weller
Erick Black Silagh White
Michael Duck
Interns
Lucia Cinquino
Kyra ZimmermanNEXT UP FOR FESTIVAL UNBOUND’S PRE-FESTIVAL EVENTS
Welcome Home: An Audio Tour – September 18 - October 3
Put on a pair of headphones, press play, and take a tour of your own home almost as if
you are visiting it for the first time. Inspired by the isolation and time spent inside during
the height of the pandemic, Welcome Home, an original piece created by Touchstone/
Moravian MFA student Sara Group, will give you a new perspective on an extremely
familiar space.
AND JOIN US IN TWO WEEKS FOR THE REST OF FESTIVAL UNBOUND
September 29 – October 3, 2021
11 events, 5 days, 1 city—a weekend of FREE theatre, music, visual art, dance, and
conversation, by acclaimed local and guest artists, designed to celebrate and imagine
our future together.
To keep up to date with more information on events, visit us at
www.touchstone.org or follow us on social media @FestivalUnBoundYou can also read
