Sunday, January 15, 2012

114. TEDx Broadway

TEDxBROADWAY

Monday, January 23, 2012, 11:00am

New World Stages, New York



I love TED!!! This is my first opportunity to attend a LIVE event. Sooooo exciting! Come with me! I am a HUGE long-time fan of TED and this one is specifically focusing on Broadway. How cool is that!?

I think that exploring ideas for innovation and rethinking the established "norms" of how we approach Broadway is a valuable pursuit to ensure a thriving future for the theatre.

How can we innovate? How can we stay relevant in a culture inundated with sooooo many choices for inexpensive entertainment? What can we do better to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences for generations to come?

If you don't know what TED is...check out the website or read below. This was taken from Seth Godin's Blog. I couldn't think of a better way to re-word it. So I figured it's better just to quote direct. Seth is brilliant.

The TED Imperatives
  • Be interested.
  • Be generous.
  • Be interesting.
  • Connect. 
In that order. If all you can do is repeat cocktail party banalities about yourself, don't come. If all you're hoping for is to get more than you give, the...event is not worth your time. If you're not confident enough to share what you're afraid of and what's not working, you're cheating yourself (and us). 
These aren't just principles for TED, of course. They're valid guidelines for any time you choose to stop hiding and step out into the world. It would be fabulous if people who were willing to commit to these four simple ideas had a special hat or a pin they could wear. Then we wouldn't have to waste our time while looking for those who care about their work and those around them. 
[TED is a conference that started small, got big and then spawned more than a thousand local versions [LIKE TEDx BROADWAY]. Mostly, it's a culture of connecting interesting ideas and the people who have the guts to share them. Sometimes people at TED even follow these imperatives].

Q: How did I hear about this TEDxBROADWAY event?

A: First read about it in a great post on Ken Davenport's Blog, The Producer's Perspective. He's one of the brilliant visionaries helping to produce the event. He's made a name for himself as an innovator and industry leader, here in NY. His blog has become super popular and his passion and vision for the future of Broadway is infectious.

Cannot wait to hear the speakers, participate in the discussions, and see who else shows up at this awesome event! Hope to see you there.

Loves,
V

P.S. Did some extra credit monologue work just for myself today...in my kitchen...whilst doing the dishes. I've been working primarily on my 4 required monologues for grad school auditions, but I've heard many-a-story about other folks getting asked for other alternative pieces. And since I've been doing this monologue-auditioning-thing for a while...I do have several other monologues that I COULD do. So I decided to take the opportunity today to brush up a few alternative monologue options. Such that, if I was asked to pull something else out of the air, I could do it...without freaking out and thinking..."DAMN, what the hell is the first line of this monologue...Or worse...What's the LAST line of this monologue...Yikes!" I mean, honestly, if the auditors are asking you to do something that's outside of the requirements that you've prepared for the audition, then they're definitely going to be giving you some extra brownie-points for going-with-the-flow and being brave enough to just go for it and throw something out there! So I've dusted off 4 other monologues that I could throw-down on a moment's notice. Soooooo that's 8 monologues total. I doubt I'll need more than 2, but if not...I've got 6 others in my back pocket. Now, is that ridiculously over-kill or what? My need for a sense of safety and preparedness knows no bounds. Good thing? Bad thing? Depends on your point of view, I suppose. Me? I think it's a bit much. But, it's how I operate. So I just gotta accept myself and go with it. 8 monologues. Stop there, Wilcox. You don't need any more than that. Don't go crazy.

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