Ted & Company Theater Works coming to Goshen Feb. 8-10

GOSHEN, Ind. – Ted & Company Theater Works is coming to Goshen from Feb. 8-10, with the help of College Mennonite Church, Just Peace Seminars, Goshen College, and Oaklawn. Ted & Co., led by Ted Swartz, are dynamic actors and musicians who are passionate about bringing thought-provoking storytelling to the stage. The group incorporates theater and comedy into biblical storytelling, often pushing the envelope on issues of faith and social justice.

Ted & Co. will present three evening shows at 7 p.m. on Feb. 8-10. Tickets for the evening shows cost $5 for individual tickets or $10 for the whole family. Wednesday night's show will be in Goshen College's Umble Center; Thursday night's show will be in Goshen College's Church-Chapel; and Friday night's show will be at The Goshen Theater (216 S. Main St.).

Tickets will be available to purchase through the Goshen College Welcome Center. Call (574) 535-7566 or email welcomecenter@goshen.edu. Tickets will also be available at the door of each show. All profits from ticket sales will go to The Window, a nonprofit organization in Goshen that helps meet the basic needs of those with low income.

Ted & Co. will also perform during chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 8 ("The Big (& Ted) Story") and Friday, Feb. 10 ("Reflections on Laughter and Lament") at 10 a.m. These events are free and open to the public.

Wednesday night's show in the Umble Center, titled "The Big Story," combines Scripture, story and humor. Both theater and seminary trained, Swartz has found a unique and entertaining discovery; at the intersection of humor and biblical story is often a greater understanding of the text. In this show, Ted brings biblical characters to life in unexpected and entertaining ways.

For Thursday night's performance in the Church-Chapel, Swartz will present "Laughter and Lament." In this show,

Swartz offers audiences a glimpse into his 20-year friendship and creative partnership with Lee Eshleman, which ended when Eshleman took his own life in 2007. Swartz explores the paradox of working with a comedic partner struggling with bipolar disorder, as well as the challenge of writing and performing God's stories while experiencing the absence of God after Eshleman's death. Using monologue and multi-media, "Laughter and Lament" reveals the unique journey of working in the theater and church under the shadow of a mental illness, and offers hope and humor.

Also on Thursday, Feb. 9, Swartz will lead a church workshop, "Incorporating Drama in Worship," at 9:30 a.m. in the Koinonia Room in Goshen College's Church-Chapel. This event is free and open to pastors and worship leaders. Call (574) 535-7565 or email churchrelations@goshen.edu to reserve a place.

Friday night's performance at The Goshen Theater, titled "I'd Like to Buy an Enemy," will be a hilarious and poignant satire that explores peace, justice and the American way. This thought-provoking show allows us to laugh at ourselves while engaging us to think about the place of the United States in the world. It confronts the fear that is such a large part of U.S. culture and considers ways to work for peace and justice in this country and in the world.

Swartz graduated from seminary in 1992, and began a ministry that took him not to a pulpit in a congregation, but to audiences across the United States and beyond. The first 20 years of this work included the creation of Ted & Lee TheaterWorks with Lee Eshleman, and development of plays such as Armadillo Shorts, Fish-Eyes, Creation Chronicles, Live at Jacob's Ladder and DoveTale.

Since Eshleman's death in May 2007, Swartz has been writing and performing new plays with a number of other artists. Swartz lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

For more information about Ted & Co., visit tedandcompany.com.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.