Faculty and Staff

Christopher Shorr directs the Theatre Program on campus, is the Artistic Director of the Moravian University Theatre Company and is a member of the Touchstone Theatre company. Primarily a stage director and playwright, Shorr also works as a set designer and composer for theatre. Through all of his work, he strives to prevent students, audiences, collaborators, and himself from succumbing to complacency. He is particularly interested in the creation of new theatre pieces and in the aggressive re-working of classic texts.

His documentary play “Tribute: September 11” was commissioned in 2002 by the AmeriCulture Arts Festival in Fitchburg, MA to mark the first anniversary of 9/11, and was revived for the tenth anniversary and performed at Moravian University and at the University of Baltimore. “Rina,” his two-person, one-act re-working of Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters” was produced at New York’s “Chekhov Now Festival” in 2002. His play “Clytemnestra’s Daughters,” a reimagining of the Greek tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, was workshopped at the Southampton Writers Conference, prior to a reading at Touchstone Theatre. “Faust in France,” his World War One adaptation of Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus,” was produced in 2012 at Moravian University, and then workshopped in residence at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre on Cape Cod. His play “Everyman on Trial”—a contemporary adaptation of the classic morality play “Everyman” was produced at Moravian in 2016 in conjunction with the University’s Medieval and Early Modern Studies Conference. His satirical musical “DICTATORS 4 DUMMIES” premiered at Touchstone Theatre in 2018 and then toured to Poland, where it was presented by Teatr Brama. During pandemic quarantine, he made a feature film adaptation of the musical, titled "Tyrants of Tomorrow Telethon," using action figures instead of actors. The film has been featured at a number of festivals, winning awards including "best animated feature" at the New York City IO Film Festival, and the "breaking the rules award" for feature film at the Paris International Film Festival.

In addition to his work as a solo writer, he has co-authored several plays and musicals. With James Jordan (Artistic Director of Touchstone Theatre, partner in Jordan & Shorr, LLC), he co-wrote the musicals “The Pan Show: A Cautionary Tale,” and “The Pan Show: In Pan We Trust” (both produced at Touchstone Theatre and named “best original play of the year” by the Bethlehem Press) and a musical adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey called “Ulysses Dreams.” Together, they conceived, wrote and designed “Dear Tamaqua—In a New Light,” which used language, music and light to turn a mile of city streets in the Pennsylvania coal-region borough of Tamaqua into a transformative community experience. Shorr and Jordan (with contributions from the Touchstone Theatre ensemble) co-wrote “Bhudoo”—an interactive musical fable—which premiered at Touchstone in Spring, 2016, followed by performances in Italy (Teatro Potlach) and Hungary (Maladype). Working with Touchstone Theatre founder Bill George, Shorr co-wrote “Journey from the East”— combining the mythic Chinese Journey to the West with the mythic American Western—premiering in Spring 2015 with a large-scale outdoor production in Bethlehem, PA.

He has directed more than 50 productions, working in a range of styles and periods, in professional and academic and venues, and has designed some combination of set, sound and video for more than 50 productions as well. Much of his design work is done collaboratively through Jordan & Shorr Creative, LLC.

He moved to Bethlehem from Petersburg, Virginia, where he was the founding Artistic Director of Sycamore Rouge—a professional, non-equity theatre and arts center. While in Virginia, he served as a panelist for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and on the boards of the Southside Virginia Council for the Arts and the Petersburg Arts Council. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Drew University, and an MFA in Stage Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University.

"Theatre brings together the resources of many parties to create a single work that, in turn, brings a community together in a collective experience. In a college environment, this sort of collaboration can involve students and/or faculty coming together from different departments, and can be incredibly rewarding—adding texture, depth and new perspectives to their academic work. I want theatre at Moravian to build bridges. It should bridge the gap between different segments of our campus community, and between the college and the wider community of Bethlehem. It should also test boundaries. It should raise questions, stimulate discussion, and challenge preconceptions. Through it all, theatre at a liberal arts college needs to focus on the growth and development of the student participant. Our work should take our audiences and our artists on a journey that enriches them.”

James has called Touchstone Theatre his artistic home for its last thirteen seasons. He has helped produce over seventy productions since arriving at Touchstone, serving in multiple capacities including director, designer, composer, actor, and playwright. Some of James’s most notable contributions were his leadership as Project Director for Touchstone’s last two community-based productions A Resting Place and Journey from the East and his original series of musical comedies under The Pan Show title, which chronicles the misadventures of the Greek God Pan as he is placed into modern day America, co-written with Touchstone Ensemble Affiliate Christopher Shorr. Both projects have brought accolades in the form of awards given by Bethlehem’s local press; notable amongst these honors were “Producer of the Year” and “Best Original Play.” Before coming to Touchstone, James worked at the Zoellner Arts Center on Lehigh University’s campus. During his five-year tenure as Zoellner’s Stage Coordinator, he helped in the production of hundreds of events – from lectures to Broadway musicals to some of the best ballets and orchestras in the world. While at Zoellner, James freelanced with many production companies and as a sound and lighting designer. James holds a BS in Telecommunications (video production) with minors in both Theatre and Music from Kutztown University, an MA in Performance from the University of Chichester, and an MFA in Creative Practice from Plymouth University’s Transart Institute.“  

"Each of us must become the master of our own art.  It is this unique voice within us which is our most valuable possession   It’s imperative that we learn the sound of this voice.  We don’t learn this by sitting in a seat, we learn this by doing.  It is not an idle activity of observation, but rather one of vigorous engagement"

Kiyaana Cox Jones is a creative powerhouse who embodies grace, compassion, and inspiration. As a restorative practitioner and storyteller, Kiyaana bridges the gap between Restorative Practice and the Theatre With her interactive Restorative Healing Theatre, The Brave Space On Stage. As an educator, advocate, and certified Restorative Practitioner, she has served in Higher Education as an Assistant Director of Multicultural Life and in K-12 as Coordinator of Equity and Inclusion. She now serves as an Instructor and Implementation Coach for the International Institute of Restorative Practice, and the new part-time faculty teaching Culture and Identity at the Touchstone/Moravian MFA program. Kiyaana received her BFA from Howard University and her Master’s in Social Science from the International Institute of Restorative Practice. She won the Star-Ledger Scholarship for her interpretation of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill. She is also a recipient of the Governor’s Award in New Jersey for dramatic interpretation. She is committed to building community, and helping people to restore relationships with themselves and with others. Kiyaana Cox Jones offers a space for educators, students, creatives, and people from all walks of life to be authentic and transparent while experiencing creative freedom in cultivating their voices. Kiyaana served as the Director of Drama and Production Director at Greater Shiloh for over 10 years; producing, directing, and writing over 80 inspirational productions and illustrated sermons. Kiyaana’s Professional credits include A Raisin in The Sun, Dreamgirls, Once on this Island, South Pacific, The Wiz, Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope, Mama, I Want to Sing, Westside Story, Fences, Piano Lesson, The Trial, Into the Woods, Gutter Beautiful, Every Tongue Confess and the musical Hairspray as Motormouth Maybelle.

"I live by the Dr. Maya Angelou quote, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Lisa Jordan is the Managing Director and an Ensemble Member at Touchstone Theatre; she holds a BA in theatre and minor in music from Kutztown University. A company member since 2001, she has filled many creative roles, including: stage manager, lighting designer, props designer, costume designer, and director. On the administrative side of things, she manages the finances, marketing, development, special events, and human resources for the 38-year-old theatre company whose motto is "theatre that transforms". Lisa is also a core teaching artist for the company, mentoring young theatre artists and teaching life skills through theatre for elementary through college-aged students. In the community, she serves on the Southside Arts District Organization Committee (Chair), Southside Arts District Advisory Council, ArtsQuest Comedy Committee, Southside Vision 20/20 Development Committee, Bethlehem Rotary Foundation Committee (secretary), and Bethlehem Rotary Club Board of Directors.

“As a teaching artist, I am continually in awe of how transformative the act of theatre creation can be for participants at any age or experience level, and how many of those skills are transferrable beyond the stage. A successful theatre maker embodies both skills of collaboration and an independent work ethic; can easily switch between the role of leader and follower; has the ability to look at something both objectively and with compassion; and, perhaps most importantly, has courage, drive, and passion to put themselves and their art into the world. Whether it’s the once-shy 3rd grader who confidently plays his part alongside his classmates or the college student who discovers their own creative voice, theatre is a powerful tool.”

Mary is a professional storyteller, playwright, actress, costumer and director who has over 30 years of experience teaching in arts based residencies from pre-k through college. As an Ensemble Member at Touchstone Theatre, she has written and directed five plays, performed in more than a dozen, and been the coordinator for the award winning arts-education program Young Playwrights’ Lab for more than eight years. As a professional storyteller she has performed for over 6000 children and adults. She has led workshops, given personal performance coaching, and coordinated storytelling conferences and festivals. She teaches performance and playwriting skills, is a performed playwright and published writer. She is Rostered with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Arts In Education program, a Lehigh Valley Arts Council Rostered Artist, a member of the Lehigh Valley Storytellers Guild, the National Storytellers Network. In addition to her work with Touchstone Theatre, she is on the faculty at Pennsylvania Youth Theatre and the Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Arts. In 2014 she received the Tribute to the Arts Award from the Bethlehem Fine Arts Commission for her body of work to date.  

“Storytelling is the seed of good art. By exploring the variety of ways in which story can be created, transformed and transmitted, we deepen our understanding of ourselves and our world. I believe passionately in the power of the arts to transform lives – both individually and in community. Theater is storytelling writ large. By affirming the importance of imagination in an increasingly technological world, story-telling and theater work together to build community. I believe strongly in the power of artists to engage students of all ages in dynamic and creative ways, helping them discover their own creative voice. It is vital that artists not only be effective at their own art form but also be able to transmit their knowledge in ways that challenge, engage and help transform their communities. Our aim is to imagine, create and inspire.”

Jan Cohen-Cruz was A Blade of Grass Director of Field Research from 2014-19 and, more recently, content editor of its magazine. She directed Imagining America: Artists and Scholars in Public Life (2007–2012) and co-founded and edited its journal, Public. A longtime professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Cohen-Cruz taught applied theater and produced community-based arts projects. She received the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Award for Leadership in Community-Based Theatre and Civic Engagement (2012). Jan was evaluator for the US State Department/Bronx Museum cultural diplomacy initiative smARTpower as well as for New York City’s Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) project. She wrote Remapping Performance, Local Acts, and Engaging Performance, edited Radical Street Performance, and, with Mady Schutzman, co-edited Playing Boal and A Boal Companion.  

"My approach to teaching is dialogic, focused on engaging students in a process of inquiry. When possible, I include a hands-on component so students experience the combination of action and reflection. I want students to learn how to think critically, identify and pursue their passions, and consider various perspectives on the subject under consideration."