A new one-man performance of Homer’s timeless Greek tale “Odysseus,” Nov. 2 - 6, Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, performed by Touchstone Theatre co-founder Bill George follows the mythic 10-year journey of Odysseus struggling to make his way home after the Trojan War.

The stage production that George calls “at once, epic and intimate” features a live musical soundscapes performed by percussionist Rob Aptaker and directorial assistance from Gerard Stropnicky.

George says the seeds for the performance were planted following Touchstone’s 15-person outdoor production of “Ulysses Dreams” in 2013 on the South Bethlehem Greenway.

George began working on the piece two years ago during the pandemic when he was struck by the intensified screen-centric nature of communication. He says he wanted to return to something simple.

“I want to see the artist, the empty space, the people in the room, the breath and heartbeat of live theater, unadorned,” George says.

He says the show also grew out of anger.

“I’m angry about growing old, angry about the state of the world and what seems to me to be so much confusion and chaos, and angry that people are suffering a lot, so often pointlessly.

“In all this, my heart cries out, and this is my attempt to turn it into something beautiful, something useful,” he says.

The script, written by George, is drawn primarily from Alexander Pope’s 18th-century poetry but is influenced by several other interpretations of Homer’s work:

“I wanted to see what this amazing story, made up by many different authors over many different generations that has lived throughout time has to offer about what it means to be a good man.”

George says that even though the story is ancient, the themes are relevant and reveal insights not just about the psychic relationship between Odysseus and the Divine, but also about fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and the human relationship to life and death.

George co-founded Touchstone Theatre in 1981 where he was producing director until 1990. After taking a hiatus to pursue personal works, he returned to Touchstone as an ensemble member in 2003. In September, he retired from Touchstone, where he now is an ensemble member emeritus.

“The production comes at the ‘endish’ of what is for me a long performance career, and this work is by far the most demanding I’ve ever attempted,” says George.

He hopes audiences will be uplifted and inspired.

“I don’t know how much longer I’ll simply have the physical strength and mental vigor to attack such a project. It is an extraordinary event, like performing all of Bach’s cello suites or a two-hour Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ playing all 50 roles,” George says.

“Odysseus:” 7 p.m. Nov. 2 - 5; 3 p.m. Nov. 6, Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem. Tickets: www. touchstone.org; 610-867-1689

“Tootsie,” State Theatre:

The national touring production of the Broadway musical “Tootsie” was presented 7 p.m. Nov. 3, State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton.

The musical is based on the 1982 hit film “Tootsie” that starred Dustin Hoffman as an actor who masquerades as a women to get work.

“Tootsie,” which features a book by Robert Horn and score by 2018 Tony Award winner David Yazbek (“The Band’s Visit”), premiered on Broadway in 2019. It was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning two Tonys.

In the musical, Michael Dorsey is a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to land a job.

The movie set the story on the set of a daytime soap opera. The musical takes place at a Broadway musical.

The cast features Drew Becker (Michael Dorsey), Ashley Alexandra (Julie Nichols), Jared David Michael Grant (Jeff Slater) and Payton Reilly (Sandy Lester).

“Tootsie,” 7 p.m. Nov. 3, State Theatre Center for the Arts, 453 Northampton St., Easton. Tickets: www.statetheatre.org; 610-252-3132

Reading Theater Project one-act plays:

Reading Theater Project presents “Present, Future, Past,” three one-act plays written by local playwrights and united by place and time, Nov. 4 - 13, George Baer Chapel, 39 S. Sixth St., Reading.

One of the one-act plays, “Grave Concerns,” was written by Allentown resident Susan E. Sneeringer, who grew up in Reading.

The other two one-act plays are “Buy to Rent” by Félix Alfonso Peña and “Everybody Hates This Place” by Adam Richter.

The three plays were chosen to reflect the story of Reading and Berks County.

“Grave Concerns” and “Buy to Rent” were produced by Reading Theater Project in 2005. “Everybody Hates This Place” is a new production.

The directors are Jody Reppert, “Grave Concerns”; Daphnee McMaster, “Buy To Rent,” and Andrea Kennedy Hart, “Everybody Hates this Place.”

The cast for the three plays includes David Donado, Jordan Eck, Jeanette Fotis, Jane Ney, Karyn Reppert, Aaron Rineer, Laura Diann Stewart, Maeve Weidman, Rob Weidman and Amy J. Young.

Chris Heslop composed new music for the production.

“Present, Future, Past:” 8 p.m. Nov. 4 - 5; 11 - 12; 2 p.m. Nov. 6, 12, George Baer Chapel, 39 S. Sixth St., Reading. Tickets: www.readingtheaterproject.org; 484-706-9719

“Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com