RABBIT TRAILS: DISPATCHES FROM THE SHED

A powerful show! Funny, moving, challenging, thought-provoking, and musically outstanding! This show combines the best of what church and theater ought to be about. It challenges the notion that the essence of church is captured in the weekly rituals of worship. Yet it holds out the hope that when we combine ritual and symbol with real human compassion and presence, new life is possible, even if all our doubts and questions aren’t easily resolved. ~Phil Kniss, Pastor, Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA We really appreciated the show that Ingrid, Ted, and Trent created and performed. We got feedback that was entirely positive from the folks who attended the shows. We are so thankful to have been a part of the premier. Someone said “Ted is back.” I heard folks comment about how much they were impressed by the “layers” embedded within the message of the show. Several said that they…

I was so moved by Friday night’s performance of Excellent Trouble and struck by the fact that Ted and Ingrid can/will be/are hitting just as profound a chord as Ted & Lee did. I found myself getting shivers a few times as I told other people about some of the sketches later in the weekend. In fact, maybe it worked even more for me than some of Ted & Lee’s work because of the female aspects of the stories. ~Andrea Schrock Wenger I laughed. Then I cried. Then I laughed again…the way Pop used to laugh, till he (now I) had to take off his glasses and wipe his eyes so he could see again. And then I cried again… Your omagosh imagination, your how-do-you-know-me-so-well timing, your scowling expressions, your guttoral indignations, your withering and fecund silences… well, you’re just the best. Thank you. ~Earl Martin

People will laugh – but as they do, they will learn, and perhaps even gain the courage to confront some truths that most of us manage to avoid. I wish everyone could experience “I’d Like to Buy an Enemy!” – Brian D. McLaren, author/speaker It’s both delightfully funny and deadly serious, packed with content about trauma awareness and breaking cycles of violence, manipulation of the public mind in preparation for war, fair trade, etc. Makes everyone laugh and then think for months. ~Sue Klassen, President, Partners in Restorative Initiative Ted & Company remind us [that] laughter is a prophetic art, ‘loving our enemy’ is [too often] a lost art. I’d Like to Buy an Enemy is not simply a lament of how much fea has yet to be cast out of our cultures…it is a call to lovingly exorcise this fear from ourselves and the world, by laughing at it!…

What I admired most about these two men was the way in which they took humor and theology and the Bible and seamlessly wove it all together to the glory and honor of Christ. They gave our volunteers, and our staff I might add, the gift of humor and inspiration. If you are looking for good hearted, meaningful and wholesome Christian entertainment, without all the cheesiness that often accompanies such an endeavor, then I highly recommend Ted & Company. ~ Pastor Benji Kelley When we booked Tattered & Worn at our church, Ridgeview Mennonite, I advertised it saying that in the midst of all the [financial] troubles, it is good to laugh and to refocus on what is really important.  We had many, many wonderful comments on the show [with Ted and Jeff Raught] and everyone wanted to be informed when they were going to come back. I was really…

I want to start by thanking you for being a blessing in our youth’s lives by producing Good God Theater! We have worked our way through most of the New Testament DVD and it has been a joy this Easter season to look at the familiar stories in new ways and engage the youth in discussion. Thank you! It is truly hard finding good material out there for youth groups, and this has made my life as a youth leader easier and has engaged my brain as well! You have quite a gift in bridging the generations and that speaks volumes. ~ Mitch Racine, Youth Leader, Trinity UCC Immense grief has weathered Ted Swartz, carving out new depths and tempering his craft with a wisdom that is only born out of suffering. What he brings to the stage comes from a deep, grounded place, and is presented honestly and humbly.…