By Richard Marchisotto
Long Island Medium’s Theresa Caputo is making her way to Port Chester for a live reading at The Capitol Theatre.
For famed medium Theresa Caputo, it was a national tragedy that changed her life’s course. “I embraced my gift after 9/11. That was how I really made that decision to do what I do for a living,” says Caputo. “I was struggling at that time, and it was shown to me that people were left with questions; they needed to know that their loved one was safe and at peace and that they were okay.”
The author of four books and star of the long-running reality show Long Island Medium (all 14 seasons of which are now streaming on Discovery+), Caputo also hosts her own podcast, Hey Spirit! “The podcast came about during the pandemic because I felt that my gift was needed more than ever,” she says. “People needed some type of hope and faith, and I truly believe that what I do is so much more than just communicating with those who have died. I feel spirit does restore our faith in ourselves, in life, and in whatever we feel that we have lost.”
According to Caputo, when audiences arrive at The Capitol Theatre on February 9 for her live reading, “they can expect an evening of faith, hope, peace, and comfort.” she says. “Let’s face it: It’s kind of impossible for me to personally give a private reading to each and every person in the theater, but you’ll walk away being able to connect with so many of the messages.”
The live show consists of Caputo first giving a speech about how she communicates with what she calls “spirit.” She is then followed by a cameraman who projects her readings of audience members onto a large screen above, “so, no matter where you are seated, you can see and be a part of this amazing experience and really witness it up close and personal,” she says.
For Caputo, the event is also a way to help people come to terms with loss. “I think that the main thing the experience gives people is almost like permission to grieve in their own way,” says Caputo. “Its almost like it gives people permission to say, ‘Okay, I am going to take it day by day, minute by minute, hour by hour, and I am going to heal and be kinder to myself during the grieving process.’”
“I want them to know that it is real — it’s not just your imagination or wishful thinking or trying to make yourself feel better. It is your loved one’s soul trying to give you that comfort and peace.”
—Theresa Caputo
Yet above all, Caputo believes her work and live show are a way to give people a modicum of solace in a frightening and confusing world. “This is something I want everyone to walk way with that night: that they still have that connection and bond with their departed loved one,” she says. “I want them to know that it is real — its not just your imagination or wishful thinking or trying to make yourself feel better. It is your loved one’s soul trying to give you that comfort and peace.”
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