TEDxBroadway to Host Live Streaming Conversation Series

Today, TEDxBroadway organizers announced a new series of online conversations with a central theme in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Broadway community -- “What’s the best WE can be right now?”  

“We’ve tapped a few of our TEDxBroadway alumni with the idea that their topics seem especially meaningful in these tough times, and there’s more to say about them,” says TEDxBroadway Co-Founder, Damian Bazadona of Situation. “Their topics range from service, to facing challenges, to just taking an opportunity to share positivity.” 

Each week at 12:30pm ET, the hour-long series will feature guests who will deliver conversations live online and take questions from the audience. Speakers scheduled thus far include:  

April 29. Facing Challenges & Difficulties featuring Oshoke Pamela Abalu and Benjamin Scheuer 

  • Oshoke Pamela Abalu is the co-founder of Love & Magic Company, a tech-forward consultancy. An architect and Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree, she is reimagining the future of work through ecosystem innovations like “Inclusion & Symphony” and “Smiles Per Square Foot," where people and technology work side by side to improve lived experiences and amplify human potential.

  • Benjamin Scheuer is the writer and star of the autobiographical solo show The Lion, which debuted off-Broadway in 2014 following runs in Edinburgh and London. His debut single, "I Am Samantha," was released March 2020, with more music to come throughout 2020.

May 6. Perspective & Purpose featuring Alton Fitzgerald White and Jennifer Ashley Tepper 

  • Alton Fitzgerald White is a singer, actor and dancer who broke Broadway records with 4,308 performances as King Mufasa in The Lion King. He’s also the author of PRIDE: Mastering Life's Daily Performance and appeared in 2019's The Goldfinch.

  • Jennifer Ashley Tepper is producer of the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Love In Hate Nation. She is also the Creative and Programming Director at Feinstein's/54 Below and the author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series. Tepper was recently named recipient of a 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.

May 13. Just Freakin’ Positivity featuring Natasha Tsakos and Mark Fisher 

  • Natasha Tsakos is known for pioneering ways of integrating technology with live performance. She has created shows for the Discovery Channel, opened the G20 summit, Tribeca Film Festival, and performed at the Super Bowl with Cirque du Soleil. Natasha is currently developing her most epic production to date: a live multi-sensory experience that directly impacts the world in real time. 

  • Mark Fisher is the founder of Mark Fisher Fitness in New York, which has become a de facto fitness destination for Broadway actors. Their tagline, "Ridiculous Humans. Serious Fitness." sums up their style of innovative and fun workouts.

May 20. Adapting & Innovating featuring Sebastian Herscher, Matt Jozwiak, & Emily Simoness 

  • Sebastian Herscher is the CEO and co-founder of Parallux and a PhD Candidate at the NYU Future Reality Lab. Parallux delivers world-class immersive experiences to mass audiences, and its mission is to help people experience breathtaking new worlds together in a powerfully social and immersive way.

  • At only 31, Matt Jozwiak has already been in the food industry almost half his life. His first big break came when he decided to move to France and train under his mentor, Pierre Orsi. By 27, Jozwiak was named a chef de partie at the world-renowned fine dining restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York City. But for Jozwiak, the true recipe for success is less about making a name for himself in the culinary world — and more about giving back to the community. After seeing first-hand the amount of nutritious, high-quality food that goes to waste in restaurants, Jozwiak left Eleven Madison Park to launch the food justice non profit RethinkFood NYC.

  • Emily Simoness is the founder and executive director of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit artist residency program committed to supporting and developing artists and their work. Housed on 130 acres of organic farmland in Brewster, NY, SPACE has quickly become one of the premier centers for new play development in the country.

“There’s so much uncertainty and so many unanswerable questions. We thought this would be a good moment to come together to really ask ourselves as individuals, as a community and as an industry, ‘What’s the best WE can be right now?’” says TEDxBroadway Co-Founder and Goldstar CEO, Jim McCarthy. “And, hopefully, this will help others.” 

To register for these free conversations, go to https://www.tedxbroadway.com/virtual

As for plans for the 9th Annual TEDxBroadway conference scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2020, the event is on hold for the moment. The organizers will make a future announcement soon. 

Patch Canada