History [his-tuh-ree]: noun, defined as:
a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account; chronicle
history of Ted & Company: noun, defined as:
A long-winded, somewhat systematic narrative of past events as relating to Ted & Company, mostly written as a chronological account
Ted & Company TheaterWorks, like any theatric endeavor, is filled with drama, comedy, tragedy, and poignancy. It all began in 1987 when Ted Swartz and Lee Eshleman found themselves teaming up to write and perform some short comedy pieces for a youth leaders retreat. Not only did the performances go well, the two became fast friends and, eventually, founders of Ted & Lee TheaterWorks.
For years, Ted and Lee wrote and performed thoughtful, comedic sketches, many of which appear in Armadillo Shorts. Eventually, though, they found that their niche revolved around mining sacred texts for humor, humanity, and, hopefully, fresh relevance. Soon, Ted & Lee found themselves portraying biblical story from a unique perspective.
They were perhaps best known for Fish-Eyes, which debuted in 1994, and showed Peter and Andrew, Jesus’ disciples, as they lived with Jesus and coped with his death. The play crossed the boundaries of age, denomination, and theological stance, and has since been performed around the world by a variety of acting duos.
Ted & Lee spent the next several years writing and performing around the world, and even found themselves teaming up with Ken Medema to write the musical, Live at Jacob’s Ladder. They also partnered with Ingrid De Sanctis and created DoveTale, which is a fresh and funny look at the nativity story.
In 2007, Lee passed away suddenly, leaving Ted to discover what was next… That’s when Ted & Company TheaterWorks was born. Knowing that his passion for writing and performing was still alive, Ted decided to team up with several other writers, actors, and musicians to develop new shows that look at everything from men and women in the Bible, to peace and justice, to the true meaning of church.
As Ted & Company continues to make history, you can watch for new, compelling live shows, along with new DVDs, video downloads, and scripts from the shows.
