{"id":29640,"date":"2016-08-30T10:59:03","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T14:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=29640"},"modified":"2016-09-01T10:15:57","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T14:15:57","slug":"ted-swartzs-one-man-play-teaches-importance-laughter-celebration-life-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/ted-swartzs-one-man-play-teaches-importance-laughter-celebration-life-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Ted Swartz’s one-man play teaches the importance of laughter in a celebration of life lost"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This preview, published Aug. 24, 2016, in the Daily News-Record, profiles Ted Swartz ’89, MDiv ’92, and “Laughter is Sacred Space,” his performance about depression and mental illness that tells the story of\u00a0 friend, business partner and fellow alumnus Lee Eshleman ’86, MDiv ’92. The Studio Theatre on campus is named after Eshleman.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ted Swartz knows what it\u2019s like to experience the grief of losing a loved one to suicide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But in his performance of \u201cLaughter is Sacred Space,\u201d which opens Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.<\/span><\/span> at the Weyers Cave Community Center, he teaches audiences the importance of laughter in a celebration of life lost, but also a celebration of love.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIf you can find comedy in the situation, it means you care deeply for the situation,\u201d the principal actor, creative director and writer of Ted & Company TheaterWorks<\/a> said. \u201cThat we can find laughter in a situation means there\u2019s a lot of love.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The free one-man performance is the first of 11 shows around the country on the September Suicide Prevention Awareness month \u201cHuman Faces\u201d tour.<\/p>\n

[Swartz returns to the area with a Sept. 27 performance at 7:30 p.m. at Bridgewater College.]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Using a multimedia show of photos and video, Swartz takes the audience through his relationship with friend and business partner, Lee Eshleman, who took his own life in 2007.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Through Swartz\u2019s narration and the media shown, the audience will get a glimpse of who Eshleman was, his work with Swartz and what he meant to him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI like [the photos] we chose because it pokes fun at our relationship and also gives people a great glimpse into who [Eshleman] was and how talented he was and our love for one another,\u201d Swartz, a Harrisonburg native, said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The show highlights the paradox of working with a comedic partner struggling with bipolar disorder, while Swartz struggles to write and perform stories about God despite feeling an absence of God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The juxtaposition of footage from Swartz and Eshleman\u2019s work together and Swartz\u2019s solo performance highlight the sense of loss as Swartz struggled toward hope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere\u2019s a sense of absence in the midst of the sketches,\u201d he said. \u201cBut why they\u2019re written and how they\u2019re written is a journey toward wholeness even with the absence.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The show is sponsored by Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren and Karis \u201cGifts of Grace,\u201d a Christian nonprofit founded to help people change their lives through God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

On the tour, Swartz targets houses of worship and religious organizations because they are the best positioned and least equipped group of people to deal with mental illness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

With suicide so prevalent, especially in the veteran population, it\u2019s important to raise awareness, according to Swartz.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cChurches are places where we don\u2019t bring our pain or hurt because we think we have to put the pain away, but that\u2019s the antithesis of what churches are supposed to be,\u201d he said. \u201cI want the show to help people be aware that there are people struggling around them all the time and be more open to share stories if they feel it\u2019s acceptable to share.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

To those concerned about the emotional weight of the subject, Swartz said the laughter helps balance the sadness of suicide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But suicide still needs to be talked about.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cOne of the best ways to continually perpetuate the stigmatization of mental illness and depression is to not talk about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for a night of easy entertainment, you should go rent a movie, but if you want to feel deeply and connect to other human beings, come see [the show].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Free refreshments to follow the performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For more information, visit tedandcompany.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This preview, published Aug. 24, 2016, in the Daily News-Record, profiles Ted Swartz ’89, MDiv ’92, and “Laughter is Sacred Space,” his performance about depression and mental illness that tells ... read more about Ted Swartz’s one-man play teaches the importance of laughter in a celebration of life lost<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,17562],"tags":[],"feature":[17241],"class_list":["post-29640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-digest","feature-news-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nTed Swartz's one-man play teaches the importance of laughter in a celebration of life lost - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/ted-swartzs-one-man-play-teaches-importance-laughter-celebration-life-lost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ted Swartz's one-man play teaches the importance of laughter in a celebration of life lost - 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