Read through the Bible and you will find countless stories of men and women relating to each other: David and Bathsheba, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Samson and Delilah. What really happened when Jacob awoke the morning after his wedding and found himself married to Leah, instead of Rachel? What did Abraham and Sarah say after being told they’d have a baby late in life?
“Excellent Trouble: Finding the Humor and Heart in Biblical Relationships” will be performed at Plains Mennonite Church in Hatfield, Pa. on June 14 at 7:30 p.m. The show, written and performed by Ted Swartz and Ingrid De Sanctis, connects us to a God who can and who longs to be part of our everyday relationships.
“Excellent Trouble” is written in the style of Ted & Lee, creators of “Fish-Eyes” and “Creation Chronicles,” which focus on the humor and heart of biblical stories. The material is colorful and surprising, from wit and wordplay to silliness, but always probing what God and humans do in relation to one another. Foundational to the work is the belief that with humor we can teach, heal and build community.
Ted Swartz lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. In 1987, he graduated from seminary and began a ministry that took him, not to a pulpit in a congregation, but to more than a quarter of a million people across the United States and into Canada, Kenya, Japan and beyond. For the past 15 years, Ted toured as part of Ted & Lee TheaterWorks. Since Lee’s death last May, Ted has been working with a variety of actors to continue the “Ted & Lee” tradition of using humor as a means to open the heart to courageously and honestly look at important things. Along with writing and acting, his loves include his wife, three sons and baseball. In that order.
Ingrid De Sanctis is a writer, director, actor and teacher and has worked with Ted for more than a decade. She has taught full time at Eastern Mennonite University and Clemson University, and also spent four years at Willow Creek Community Church as an associate director of drama. She recently served with Americorps, using theatre as a tool for empowerment. She is an adjunct instructor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. De Sanctis has won writing grants creating edgy, challenging plays on issues of peace and justice.
Plains Mennonite Church is located at 50 W. Orvilla Road in Hatfield. The show is appropriate for all ages. For tickets, call 215-565-2535 or email cgr1@comcast.net.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.