Theme: What's the best Broadway can be?

Now in its 6th year, TEDxBroadway returns to tackle one central question posed to academics, economists, entrepreneurs, scientists, theatre professionals and a full house – all dedicated to making Broadway the best it can be.

True to the TED tradition, TEDxBroadway pulls speakers from vast perspectives, varying expertise, some fields you may not even have heard of yet – all with “ideas worth spreading."

New World Stages
340 West 50th Street
New York, New York, 10019
United States

Alex Dinelaris

Screenwriter

Alex Dinelaris is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winner for the screenplay of Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He is the co-creator and executive producer of the upcoming series, The One Percent, for the Starz network, starring Ed Helms, Hilary Swank and Ed Harris. His film The Year of the Monarchs is currently in development with Mandalay Entertainment and he is co-writing an upcoming untitled feature film with director Guillermo Del Toro. Dinelaris is also the author of Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s Broadway musical On Your Feet!. Other recent work includes The Bodyguard musical on the West End and his plays, Red Dog Howls (New York Theater Workshop), Still Life (Manhattan Class Company), The Chaos Theories (Shotgun Theater) and In This, Our Time. Dinelaris is a proud member of the Writer’s Guild and the Dramatists Guild.

Beth Clayton

Beth Clayton is a soul-centered health coach. She has helped hundreds of people to ditch the shame, dieting and deprivation and step into a respectful and loving relationship with their bodies and themselves.

Charlie Rosen

Charlie Rosen is a music director, composer, arranger/orchestrator and performer with success in a wide variety of musical environments. Recent Broadway credits include American Psycho (AMD/Ableton/bass), The Visit (guitar, mandolin, zither), Honeymoon in Vegas (orchestrations), One Man Two Guv'nors (MD, bass) and Cyrano de Bergerac (original music).

Derrick Wang

Composer/ Lyricist/ Librettist

Derrick Wang (@WhatDerrickSaid) is a composer, lyricist, and librettist, creating dramatic music for an interdisciplinary world. He is the creator of the opera Scalia/Ginsburg, which was introduced at the U.S. Supreme Court, published in the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts, and premiered at Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival to international attention from both the musical and legal worlds. The Los Angeles Times wrote: “Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without first having seen Scalia/Ginsburg?”His music has been awarded by ASCAP and BMI, played by groups ranging from the American Modern Ensemble to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and heard in venues from New York to Shanghai. His lyrics, set to his own music, have been performed at venues including the York Theatre, Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub, and Center Stage (Baltimore).

DJ Kurs

Artistic Director, Deaf West Theatre

DJ Kurs is the Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre, a position he has served in since 2012. He shepherded the production of “Spring Awakening” from its beginnings in a 99-seat theatre in Los Angeles to its current revival on Broadway. Prior to his current position, he served as an Artistic Associate and ASL Master at Deaf West Theatre. He is also a freelance producer and filmmaker.

Donald Schupak

Attorney and Managing Partner - the Spirits of St. Louis

Donald Schupak, acting as attorney and managing partner, negotiated the “sports deal of the century” for the Spirits of St. Louis during the ABA-NBA merger in ’76. The deal gave the Spirits’ owners, among other things, a share of the NBA’s TV rights fees going forward, which has earned, as reported in the NYT and various other reports, approximately $800MM to date. Using his expertise in finance, business management and entrepreneurship, Schupak has been a sought-after advisor and manager of troubled businesses in industries ranging from apparel to banking to direct marketing (where he helped pioneer the field of database marketing). Passionate about improving inner-city public education, Schupak founded New York’s Leadership and Public Service High School, which combines the best of the public and private sector in a small school environment, inspiring students and teachers to be actively involved in their community.

Erin Lavik

Professor of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering, UMBC

Erin Lavik is a professor of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Dr. Lavik’s research focuses on engineering polymers to protect and repair the nervous system and treat trauma more broadly. The lab does this through a set of approaches including developing intravenously administered nanoparticles to stop internal bleeding, developing drug delivery systems for traumatic brain injury as well as diseases of the eye, and by developing novel materials that can not only direct stem cells but report on their health and function. Dr. Lavik received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from MIT in Materials Science and Engineering. She has won a number of awards including the TR100 award in 2003 and the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award in 2010. She became at Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers in 2014. She is also an Associate Editor at Bioconjugate Chemistry.

Essam Abadir

CEO of Aspire Ventures

Essam Abadir, CEO of Aspire Ventures, is an inventor, investor, and international expert in technology foundational to the Internet of Things (IoT). His passion lies in applying technology toward basic human needs. A MIT graduate and IP attorney, he founded several of the earliest and fastest-growing technologies and companies in digital advertising, cloud storage, video on demand, music streaming, and mobile app platforms, most recently appMobi, which exited its tools division to Intel in 2013.

Hannah Kohl

Artist/ Writer/ Educator

Hannah Kohl is an artist, writer and educator living in New York City. Her first papercut was a commission for A Dancer’s Dream: Two Works by Stravinsky, co-produced by Giants Are Small and the New York Philharmonic. Her artwork has been profiled in The New Yorker Magazine and hangs in private collections around the world, including those of Brian Selznick, Tom Meehan, Lynn Ahrens, Shirley MacLaine, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, and others. Original musicals have been commissioned by Chicago Children’s Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and La Teatreria (Mexico). Current projects include writing music and co-writing lyrics for a musical with Mexican librettist and director José Manuel López Velarde, writing and illustrating a new book, The Theater At Night, and teaching theater at Bronx Charter School of the Arts. In 2015, she was selected as one of the “everyday visionaries” to help inaugurate One World Observatory.

James Lecesne

Writer / Actor / Storyteller

James Lecesne is the writer of the Academy Award-winning short film TREVOR, which inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention Lifeline for LGBTQ youth. He is also the creator of THE ROAD HOME: Stories of Children of War, presented at the International Peace Initiative at The Hague. Lecesne has written for television's Further Tales of The City (Emmy nom), Will & Grace, and Vicious, is the author of three novels for young adults, and is the executive producer of After The Storm, a documentary film that follows the lives of 12 young people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As an actor, his credits include his most recent Off Broadway solo show, The Boys in The Band, Cloud 9, One Man Band, Word of Mouth, Motherhood Out Loud, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey and the Broadway production of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man.

Jennifer Ashley Tepper

Director of Programming, 54 Below

Jennifer Ashley Tepper is the Director of Programming at 54 Below, and the author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series. As the leader of 54 Below's creative team, Tepper is responsible for programming every show at the Broadway supper club and concert venue. She has curated and overseen the production of over 1400 shows, ranging from musicals in concert, to original solo acts, to theatrical reunions, to songwriter celebrations, and beyond. On Broadway, Tepper has worked on shows in directing, producing, and marketing capacities, including The Performers, the 2011 revival of Godspell, and the 2013 revival of Macbeth. In addition, she is the co-creator of the Bistro Award-winning concert series, If It Only Even Runs A Minute, now in its 5th year.

Katie Sweeney

'Autism Warrior Mom'

Katie Sweeney is an ‘Autism Warrior Mom’ and a musical theater lover (in that order). She has lived in Manhattan since 1989 with her husband, Michael, and their sons, and has seen over 100 Broadway musicals since her first show, Shenandoah, in 1975. Katie has passed her passion for Broadway musicals on to her children. Her younger son, Dustin, is a severely autistic 18-year old. Dusty is ‘low verbal’ – has words but is not conversational -- and has a recorded IQ of 45. But he can sing the score of most any well-known Broadway musical! A seasoned marketing strategist, Katie started her own firm, OutsideIn Strategies, Inc., in 2001 specializing in qualitative research, following 12 years in marketing consulting. She is on the Parent Advisory Board of SNACK (Special Needs Activity Center for Kids) and a volunteer with Achilles, the running club for the disabled.

Kelly Leonard

Creative Advisor, The Second City

Kelly Leonard (President & CEO, Kelly Leonard Productions/Creative Advisor, The Second City) has worked at The Second City for nearly three decades in various creative and leadership positions. He has produced shows with such notable talent as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Keegan Michael Key and Steve Carell. He has created shows with Lyric Opera Chicago, The Kennedy Center, Hubbard Street Dance, La Jolla Playhouse and The Actors Theatre in Louisville. He has made deals and led collaborations with Norwegian Cruise Line, Yoshimoto Kogyo of Japan, The Chicago Tribune and Universal Studios. His book, Yes, And: Lessons From The Second City, was published by HarperCollins in 2015 to critical acclaim. Mr. Leonard speaks frequently on the power of improvisation to transform business and personal life and was a recent guest at The Aspen Ideas Festival, The Wharton School of Business and the Coca Cola CMO Summit.

Lindsey Croop

Performance Artist, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Lindsey Croop is a performance artist with the critically acclaimed ballet company Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she has toured the world with a message of hope. She was born and raised in Texas and studied ballet under Susan Clark, followed by a time at Butler University where she earned degrees in Dance-Arts Administration and Journalism, graduating cum laude in both. She began her professional career with Nashville Ballet until Dance Theatre of Harlem invited her to join for the company's celebrated return in 2010. Lindsey has performed for world leaders in Honduras, Israel, Turkey, and other areas of conflict where she witnessed first-hand the power of art to create change. Spreading the message of unity through diversity has taken Lindsey to Kennedy and Lincoln Center stages, and she was recently honored as one of the One World Trade Center's featured artists.

Marcus Monroe

Juggler/ Comedian

Marcus Monroe is a juggler and comedian. A production of his new one-man show is opening at the end of this year in New York City. Marcus is the recipient of the prestigious Andy Kaufman Award. He has performed at dozens of colleges, comedy festivals, and performing arts centers including Bonnaroo, Summerfest, Outside Lands, SF Sketchfest, Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen, and Monday Night Magic. He starred in the cast of the NYC Off-Broadway and Olivier Award winning London production of La Soirée. On screen, he appeared on: The Tom Green Show, Get Your Act Together, Wisconsin Death Trip, The Late Show with David Letterman, MTV’s TRL, ABC Family’s Switched!, Discovery Kid’s Mad Science, The History Channel’s Pawn Stars, MTVu’s Dean List, and CBS’s Secret Talents of the Stars, and as a juggling consultant in the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

Mark McEwen

Journalist

Mark McEwen, CBS journalist and popular television news personality, served for many years in a variety of high profile positions, including anchoring CBS This Morning and serving as weather and entertainment reporter for The Early Show. He was also a correspondent on the CBS News show, 48 Hours. Mark has interviewed many prominent figures, including five presidents, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Sidney Poitier, Paul McCartney, Jim Carrey, Garth Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Leonardo DiCaprio among others. He has covered almost every imaginable television event including the Oscars, the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe awards, the Grammy awards, and the Country Music Association awards. He covered three Winter Olympics and anchored the morning broadcast from Nagano, Japan. In 2005 Mark suffered a stroke and has written a book, Change in the Weather, about that experience and his recovery.

Meredith (Max) Hodges

Executive Director, Boston Ballet

Meredith (Max) Hodges joined Boston Ballet as Executive Director in 2014, and leads the company in partnership with Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen. Boston Ballet boasts a 52-year history of internationally acclaimed performances, world-class school programs, and ground-breaking community outreach. Hodges has a wide range of experience that combines both the not-for-profit arts and the for-profit management industries. Prior to joinig Boston Ballet, she served as Executive Director of Gallim Dance, a New York-based contemporary dance company dedicated to performing original work by Artistic Director Andrea Miller, a 2014 Guggenheim Fellow. At the Museum of Modern Arts (MoMA), Hodges worked in a variety of roles, most recently as a Project Director leading strategic development, membership, and technology initiatives. Hodges is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School.

Miral Kotb

Creator, iLuminate

Miral Kotb combined her passion for dance and technology to create iLuminate, the entertainment company that combines its patented wirelessly controlled light-suits with exhilarating performers to create the ultimate dance-in-the-dark audience experience. In 2011 iLuminate received international claim as finalists on America’s Got Talent. Miral has directed summer shows for several Six Flags Parks, at Disneyland’s ElecTRONica Festival, and has shows on the luxury cruise line, Crystal Cruises. She directed and produced the Off-Broadway show, Artist of Light, that was in NYC for two years, has since toured in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Mexico, Egypt, around the states, and is premiering in Europe this Summer. Artists, including Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas and Death Cab for Cutie, have used iLuminate in their live performances and tours. iLuminate has been featured on shows including Dancing With The Stars, The AMAs, Mira Quien Baila, The X Factor, & MTV’s VMAs.

Randy Weiner

Producer / Venue Owner / Playwright

Randy Weiner is a producer, venue owner, and playwright. Recipient of two Drama Desk Awards ("Sleep No More" and "Queen of the Night"), he has been hailed as the "leading impresario of non-traditional theater in New York" by the New York Times, and "mad genius of nightlife" by The Wall Street Journal. Weiner is the creator of the theater nightclub, The Box, for which he continues to serve as Managing Partner. He is also the creator of The Act, a nightclub in Dubai, as well as OBERON, a theater nightclub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Weiner is known for producing a variety of performances, including the dinner spectacular "Queen of the Night," and the hit club theater extravaganza "Beacher's Madhouse." Weiner currently serves as the co-creative director of Radio City Music Hall's "New York Summer Spectacular."

Wesley Whatley

Creative Team, Macy's Parade

Wesley Whatley has served for the last decade as a member of the Macy’s Parade and Entertainment Group’s creative team. In this role he is responsible for developing and producing musical scores, creating original music and overseeing performance programs for the company’s iconic national events including Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. In 2008, Wesley composed “I Believe” with lyrics by William Schermerhorn as a featured performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, performed by Kermit the Frog. The song was nominated for a 2008 Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award and got its Carnegie Hall debut in 2009 performed by the New York Pops. In 2010, his song “Yes, Virginia (There Is a Santa Claus)” appeared in the annual Parade and won the Daytime Entertainment Emmy in the Outstanding Original Song category.