Laughter is Sacred Space

In this gritty and dramatic show, Ted Swartz walks you through his relationship with friend and business partner, Lee Eshleman, who took his own life in 2007. Ted explores the paradox of working with a comedic partner struggling with bipolar disorder, as well as the challenge of writing and performing stories about God while experiencing the absence of God after Lee’s death.

Using multi-media and his twenty years of storytelling experience, Laughter is Sacred Space is honest, funny and vulnerable, and reveals the unique journey of working as a comedic actor under the shadow of a mental illness, and offers hope and humor in a way that only Ted could deliver.

Ted also wrote an autobiographical book by the same title, with more stories about his life with Lee, and his story of loss, grief, and hope. The book is available for purchase on our website here.

In 2016, this show went on tour under the auspices of The Human Faces Tour, with professional photographer, Steven Stauffer, who offered to take portraits of audience members after the show who also wanted to share their story. These stories and photographs were stunning, and we published a book entitled Portraits From the Human Faces Tour: Mental Health Struggles and Resilience in 2020 to bring awareness and light and hope to a topic that often sits in shadow. This book is also for sale on our website here and Ted is touring another show, Portraits of Resilience, with updated reflections from his own journey, performing Laughter Is Sacred Space and from the book.

Length: 80 minutes

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