RABBIT TRAILS: DISPATCHES FROM THE SHED

Updates, news and blog stories from around the Ted and Company universe.

rabbit trails close up GREY

Kickstarter dreams

March 25, 2014

Last week Ted and Company launched a Kickstarter campaign. This is our first endeavor in the world of crowd-funding, but Learning to Play seemed to be the perfect project; still developing, pertinent subject matter, lots of energy to make it better. As you might imagine it is a bit scary as well, and so, it was no surprise that I dreamed about Kickstarter last Monday. In the dream things went a little crazy and we reached a total of 4 million dollars! It was amazing and then horrifying. I panicked. “What are we going to do…that’s so much money!” It was terrifying to have the responsibility of some much cash, and I thought—in the dream—“I need to find someone who could emotionally handle this—and might be looking for another career.” As you can imagine, as an artist I don’t typically find myself showered in money and this struggling-artist-life has not…

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At Christmastime – Seuss and Sharing

December 20, 2013

Our oldest son Eliot is a first grade teacher. He was a “pied piper” when he was a kid—younger children always seemed to be following him around. He wasn’t necessarily cultivating their attention, there just seemed to be something about him. So it was no surprise to Sue and I when he decided to become a teacher. The past 2 years around Christmastime, Sue and I have been invited to visit the school where he teaches.  I read Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”…needing to tell a couple of the kids that, while Theodore Giesel and I have the same first name, I am not, in fact, Dr Seuss. It’s good alliterative practice to read Seuss and always wonderful to watch faces of rapt attention. Sue and I then help the kids make  “Grinch” faces–what makes the Grinch grin? Thanks Eliot for the gift of sharing your class. Lovely…

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Thanksgiving and Peace Pies

November 12, 2013

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to start thinking about pies. Of course, in addition to the usual kinds of pie, we’ve been thinking a lot about peace pies. As many of you know, in 2012 Ted & Company partnered together with Christian Peacemaker Teams to produce the Peace, Pies & Prophets (PPP) tour in the US and Canada. This new way of collaborating combines peace work, thought-provoking theater, fundraising and the talent of local pie bakers. What is Peace Pies & Prophets? This interactive event aims to raise both funds and awareness for peace, presenting Ted & Co’s “I’d Like to Buy an Enemy” starring Ted Swartz and Tim Ruebke. During the show Ted and Tim intermittently don cowboy hats, blow an air horn and begin the bidding of homemade pies, the proceeds of which benefit CPT or other peace work. Bringing in over $40,000, the enthusiasm and funds raised through…

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The church’s journey with sexuality

October 22, 2013

In the last two years Ted has been approached by several people about writing a show based on the church’s journey with sexuality. It’s a difficult subject to know how to talk about, not least because it affects all of us and yet all of us experience it in very personal and very different ways. Well, the time has come. Ted has spent the last few months exploring a topic that makes many of us uncomfortable, to perhaps understate it. This project isn’t meant to answer or “side” with a specific viewpoint on “the homosexuality question.” It’s not meant to take a specific biblical viewpoint on what is sin and what is not sin. The task is more difficult. It is to provide space for a genuine conversation to emerge in the church; a place for hearing different voices with varied views and histories. The intent of this show is…

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The one with the rubber chicken

September 27, 2013

There was excitement this week at Ted & Company – the long-awaited re-release of Ted’s book. Re-release, you ask? Well it’s a longer story, one you may enjoy reading sometime. The decision-process for choosing the final cut for the new cover was a long and arduous one, fraught with great questions like: Should the rubber chicken be in the tool belt or on the Bible? Should Ted be wearing the tool belt or not – do we all really need a book with Ted’s backside on it? And what really is the relationship between the chicken and the Bible? Big questions. Ultimately we’re pretty pleased with the end result. We think our readers will be too. Wednesday evening Ted planned a re-release of Laughter is Sacred Space along with fellow local Mennonite author Shirley Showalter who just released her own memoir Blush. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Our…

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Setting the stage for some historic peace pie bidding

June 13, 2013

March 16 we, Tim Ruebke and I, were in McPherson Kansas for a Peace Pies and Prophets show, in the historic McPherson Opera House, originally built in 1888. Jerry Bowen of McPherson Church of The Brethren and Kathy Neufeld Dunn, First Menno of McPherson — both Christian Peacemaker Teams alumni — were the hosts and organizers. Kathy is an old friend from the Ted and Lee Armadillo Tour days. She was host and instigator for a memorable show in Ann Arbor in the mid 90’s. That’s one of the perks of having pastors move around. Sometimes those connections take you to another community, another part of the country. Jude and Doug Krehbiel of “Road Less Traveled” opened the evening and we had one of our most spirited shows ever while setting a  record for money raised in support of CPT. For the first time we netted over $9000 for Peacemaker Teams. In addition, once again…

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