Editor’s Note: The following article was published in the June 3 and 4 Lehigh Valley Press Focus print section prior to the following statement received June 4 from Touchstone Theatre: “In light of recent racist atrocities, our apprentices Adam and Sean, with the full support of the Touchstone Ensemble, are choosing to put this weekend’s performance of ‘Fresh Voices’ on hold.”

“Fresh Voices” is as innovative as ever this year, in one sense more than Southside Bethlehem’s Touchstone Theatre might have imagined.

As with its recent “Young Playwrights’ Festival,” this year’s “Fresh Voices” is going virtual because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic mandates.

“Fresh Voices” annually gives Touchstone apprentices an opportunity to explore and create their own solo and ensemble-created theater.

This year’s “Fresh Voices” features three original works: two solo pieces performed back-to-back via a live-stream and a collaborative podcast released in four installments.

The first is “Pothole” by Adam Ercolani.

That show segues into the second show, “Dr. Sogol’s Magnificent, Malfunctioning, Intergalactic, Cosmic Car Wash and Stamps” by Sean Patrick Cassidy.

The third is “ISO/Nation Presents,” a four-part podcast.

The plays will be streaming at 7 p.m. June 5.

The podcast is available June 2, 5, 9 and 12.

“Pothole” should be particularly relatable to those who like to sing while driving their vehicles.

Ercolani calls his 25-minute work a combination of music and storytelling. He will be streamed live on videophone while driving the streets of Bethlehem, with a recording that will include his own background vocals.

When Ercolani is not singing to accompany the recording, there will be background music for his speaking parts.

Cassidy will be in the passenger seat using his iPhone to stream Ercolani’s performance.

The southside drive is to conclude in the Touchstone Theatre parking lot, where Cassidy will exit the vehicle to begin his own show.

“Music is a huge passion for me,” says Ercolani in a phone interview. “I have been singing longer than I have been acting. The backing tape has popular music that is very important to me.”

“Pothole,” which began in development in January, was inspired by interactions Ercolani had while driving.

“It’s easier to have a conversation when not having to maintain eye contact,” he says. “There will be a virtual audience in the car with me, and I will have a communication with them in the driver’s seat.”

“Dr. Sogol” will be performed in Touchstone Theatre’s parking lot.

“We will be bringing people into a futuristic carwash obstacle course,” says Cassidy in a phone interview.

“Touchstone company members will enter one car at a time with two people per car. Viewers can see what they see onscreen, as the company members film their experience from their cars.”

Because of the coronavirus, Cassidy changed plans for “Fresh Voices.”

“My original idea was to introduce myself to the community so we get to know each other. Then the world went up on its end,” he says.

“We had to come up with something that could be an alternative.

“Theaters will be one of the last places to reopen and to go back to normal. With this play, you don’t even have to roll down your car window.”

Plans are for “Dr. Sogol” to be presented in a format where audience members can drive through a designated area in their cars and listen to the dialogue through the cars’ radios.

The fourth part of the “ISO/Nation Presents” podcast will be interactive.

“At first, we had a completely different show in mind,” says Ercolani.

In the audio form, he says it is about “what happens to a community when they are completely closed off, and how they react to others and their environment. It resembles a true-crime podcast, but with absurdist elements and commentary.”

The podcast references old-time radio broadcasts and contemporary podcasts.

Over the past 20 years, Touchstone has launched more than 70 theater artists from its apprenticeship program. This season marks the inaugural year of Touchstone’s partnership with Moravian College, converting the longstanding apprenticeship into an MFA-granting program.

Touchstone’s Apprenticeship Program annually selects emerging artists to study within the company and learn about a professional ensemble theater. Apprentice work touches every aspect of the company and includes acting, stage management, playwriting, teaching and design.

Ercolani and Cassidy are the first to be involved in Touchstone’s partnership with Moravian College, combining the apprenticeship with a Moravian College Master of Fine Arts in Performance Creation graduate degree program. The pandemic has provided a new twist to their education.

“I’ve learned to adapt. I have learned things like photo and sound design, things that I can incorporate into the future,” says Cassidy.

“It’s forcing me to learn things I never would have otherwise,” says Ercolani. “There are restrictions, but also opportunity. It shows you how adaptable you have to be as an artist.”

To stream and download “Fresh Voices”: www.touchstone.org. Performances are free with donations accepted online.