Six of the best theatre-related TED Talks

Here we look at six of the best TED talks related to theatre including Julie Taymor talking about The Lion King and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the Handspring Puppet Company talking about War Horse, and Wayne McGregor on dance.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED Talks began as a simple attempt to share what happens at the TED Conference with the world. Under the moniker “ideas worth spreading,” talks were released online and rapidly attracted a global audience in the millions. Indeed, the reaction was so enthusiastic that the entire TED website has been reengineered around TED Talks, with the goal of giving everyone on-demand access to the world’s most inspiring voices.

1

Julie Taymor, director of The Lion King and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Julie Taymor: Spider-Man, The Lion King and life on the creative edge
Showing spectacular clips from productions such as Frida, The Tempest and The Lion King, director Julie Taymor describes a life spent immersed in theater and the movies. Filmed right as controversy over her Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark was at its peak, she candidly describes the tensions inherent within her creative process, as she strives both to capture the essence of a story–and produce images and experiences unlike anything else.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN7wO06Yz1E

Link to TED Talk

2

Handspring Puppet Company, the creators of the War Horse puppets

Handspring Puppet Co.: The genius puppetry behind War Horse

“Puppets always have to try to be alive,” says Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company, a gloriously ambitious troupe of human and wooden actors. Beginning with the tale of a hyena’s subtle paw, puppeteers Kohler and Basil Jones build to the story of their latest astonishment: the wonderfully life-like Joey, the War Horse, who trots (and gallops) convincingly onto the TED stage.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7u6N-cSWtY

Link to TED Talk

3

Eve Ensler, creator of Eve Ensler: Happiness in body and soul

Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues, shares how a discussion about menopause with her friends led to talking about all sorts of sexual acts onstage, waging a global campaign to end violence toward women and finding her own happiness.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvMQEB0j_A

Link to TED Talk

4

David Binder, Broadway producer

David Binder: The arts festival revolution

David Binder is a major Broadway producer, but last summer he found himself in a small Australian neighborhood, watching locals dance and perform on their lawns — and loving it. He shows us the new face of arts festivals, which break the boundary between audience and performer and help cities express themselves.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rttG3xyHcw

Link to TED Talk

5

Wayne McGregor, dancer and choreographer

Wayne McGregor: A choreographer’s creative process in real time

We all use our body on a daily basis, and yet few of us think about our physicality the way Wayne McGregor does. He demonstrates how a choreographer communicates ideas to an audience, working with two dancers to build phrases of dance, live and unscripted, on the TEDGlobal stage.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPPxXeoIzRY

Link to TED Talk

6

Patsy Rodenburg, voice coach, author and theatre director

Patsy Rodenburg: Why I do theater

Patsy Rodenburg says the world needs actors more than ever. In this talk at Michael Howard Studios, she tells the story of a profound encounter that reveals the deeper role theater can play in people’s lives.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9jjhGq8pMM

Link to TED Talk