5 minute read
New York, New York For 20 Seconds
New York, New York For 20 Seconds
By Tom Sweitzer
This past fall, I had the honor and opportunity to bring my one-man show “20 Seconds” to Off-Broadway in New York.
I lived there for two months, and about two weeks into it I realized I’d never been away from Middleburg for more than two weeks in 30 years. Living in New York for a couple months was truly an eye-opening experience. The smells of nature and blooming flowers of Middleburg were replaced with the pungent stench of pot and urine as I lived in the center of Hell’s Kitchen.
The quiet morning walks from my house around the village were replaced by wailing sirens and people yelling profanities. The hugs and smiles at Common Grounds coffee house were replaced by no eye contact or unfriendly responses. And yet, I loved every minute.
New York had an energy and chaos I grew to embrace. I found beauty when the sunset reflected against a glossy tall building, or as I passed hundreds of people and their dogs in the everenchanting Central Park. I also found so many loving and kind people in crowded, loud places.
Unfortunately, I also witnessed massive amounts of loneliness and homelessness as I walked the 12 blocks to the theater each day. Still, I’d go back to New York in a heartbeat, just to experience it all again. I left there feeling more aware and more alive than I’d felt in a long time.
I developed my one-man show for four years and it was finally prepared to bring to the Great White Way. I was scared to death, but also had the honor of performing in the most beautiful Off-Broadway theater on 42nd Street—the Signature Theater.
My show is intense and very personal. I tell the story of my abusive childhood and how music saved my life. I play 12 characters including my ill mother and schizophrenic father. For 48 performances, I put my soul and heart on that stage and have never felt so purposeful and vibrant.
My whole life I dreamed of being in a show that had profound meaning for an audience. And I had also dreamed of becoming a preacher, a teacher, or an actor. This show gave me the platform to be all three.
Each time I stepped on that stage, I knew for the next 90 minutes I had a responsibility to take every audience member with me on my journey from childhood until now.
In that theater, I could see the faces of the audience. I saw and heard people crying. I watched people hold the person next to them and was taken aback by the joyous sound of laughter. It also was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had to build an audience, because to a New York theater crowd, I was a nobody. It did grow and by the last weekend the theater was packed.
I play my parents, so before each production I stood backstage and prayed. I’d ask my mom and dad to come on stage with me to tell our story. And when it was over, I asked them to return to heaven.
The title “20 Seconds” comes from the day my Sunday School teacher Erdean told me to hug my father for 20 seconds to forgive him. She explained that a hug needs to last 20 seconds to have a full healing affect. It worked. I also learned a new discipline for myself—no alcohol, two-hour workouts and lots of walking and water.
Recovery from each show was imperative. I came up with little daily routines—five glasses of hot tea, walking the same route for 60 minutes in Central Park, the same coffee shop for the best cappuccino.
The most profound experience had to be meeting the audience afterward, signing playbills, and taking pictures with strangers who felt they knew me. I was humbled by hearing their own stories of abuse and forgiveness, their tales of hardship and resilience.
After each show, I challenged the audience to think of one person they needed to forgive. When I went out to greet the crowd, many shared who they chose.
One night, a 60-ish woman was on the phone and crying. She asked me to come closer, then whispered, “This is my dad. I haven’t spoken to him for five years. Thank you.”
I hope to do my show many more times. I’m working on a short film of it and in development for a full musical version, hopefully in a theater in 2025. Who knows? It may be in Middleburg or in New York. Or both.
I’m performing “20 Seconds” April 12-14 at the Mars-Schmidt theater at A Place To Be in Leesburg. Stay tuned, and see you at the theater!
Tom Sweitzer is the co-founder of A Place To Be in Middleburg which specializes in music therapy.
