Baratunde Thurston and Sara Ramirez to Host First Ever TED TALKS LIVE at Town Hall This Fall

TED, the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and PBS are thrilled to announce the first ever TED TALKS LIVE, a six-night speaker event featuring TED Talks, short films and performances at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street) in New York's famed Theater District.

The series offers an unprecedented opportunity to view a TED event for FREE to students and educators who apply for passes online at ted.com/talkslivefree. Tickets for the general public are $100.

TED TALKS LIVE is a co-production with PBS and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)'s Diversity and Innovation Fund.

Featuring three programs over six nights, November 1 - 6 at 7:30pm, TED TALKS LIVE is hosted by best?selling author, comedian and activist Baratunde Thurston. Speakers will share ideas in quick, powerful talks -- 18 minutes or less, TED's signature format.

TED TALKS LIVE: The Education Revolution (November 1 & 2)

Co-hosted by Sara Ramirez, Tony Award-winning singer, songwriter & actress

Featuring talks from:
Sam Kass, former White House chef, NBC senior food analyst & MIT Media Lab Fellow
Sal Khan, educator & social entrepreneur
Julie Lythcott-Haims, academic & best-selling author of How to Raise an Adult
Andrew Mangino, CEO & co-founder of The Future Project
Victor Rios, sociology professor & author of Punished: Policing the Lives of Black & Latino Boys
Dena Simmons, educator at The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

Why is teaching grit and character so important? What will schools and education look like in the future? The Education Revolution will examine some of the latest innovations and thinking in education with some of the brightest minds in the country. We'll examine how we can control our ability to learn, the education gap, restorative justice for youth, the effects of hunger on kids, bullying, mentoring and just how we keep kids on track to build a better future. The evening will include TED Talks, short films, storytelling, music and performance.

TED TALKS LIVE: War & Peace (November 3 & 4)

Featuring talks from:
Adam Driver, Marine Corps veteran & Emmy-nominated actor
Hector Garcia, clinical psychologist, expert on PTSD & author of Alpha God
Sebastian Junger, journalist, best-selling author & Oscar nominee for Restrepo
Simon Sinek, ethnographer & leadership expert

This program takes a deep dive into the lives of the men and women who have returned to the United States from war zones since 9/11, examining the lives of veterans who return from service and whose lives may never be the same again. What role does journalism and photojournalism play in war? How do veterans benefit from the latest technology and what is the role of women in war? Using TED Talks, short films, storytelling and music we'll also meet the peacemakers, the advocates of human rights, the anti?violence campaigners who are working hard to create a better world.

TED TALKS LIVE: Science & Wonder (November 5 & 6)

Featuring talks from:
Juan Enriquez, leading authority on genomic code & author of Evolving Ourselves
Latif Nasser, reporter & research director for Radiolab

How do we make sense of the universe around us? How will Science help us understand the future of our tiny planet and perhaps our journey to other planets? Through TED Talks, short films and some epic storytelling we will take you on a scientific journey and examine the riddles of the universe that keep leading scientists awake at night.

Each of the TED TALKS LIVE programs will be filmed and broadcast as three one-hour specials to premiere on PBS in Spring 2016.

"We've been dreaming of this for a while," said TED Curator Chris Anderson. "It's one thing to watch a TED Talk online, but quite another to spend a full evening with our speakers. That's not just discovering a single idea, but an additive, powerful experience. Until now, live TED Talks have usually been limited to people willing to come to a four-day conference. It's exciting to be able to offer them to a much broader audience in New York's Theater District. It offers people a night out like they may never have experienced before. One that can give them new mental tools they'll own forever."

"Each evening will feature TED Talks, short films, music and storytelling from some of the most talented brains in the country. As a producer, it's hard to imagine a more exciting opportunity than bringing TED to public television. We're grateful for the tremendous support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS and ITVS. Together we're able to curate a week of great ideas brimming with humanity and passion that will translate into terrific television," said Juliet Blake, producer of TED TALKS LIVE and TED's Curator of Special Projects.

"Public media inspires and educates Americans every day. This partnership builds on the innovative PBS?TED collaboration, sponsored by CPB, called TED Talks Education, which premiered in 2013 as part of the public media's American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen," said Pat Harrison, president and CEO of CPB.

"PBS has always offered a wide range of programming that speaks to individuals looking to not only be informed, but also inspired," said Marie Nelson, Vice President News & Public Affairs at PBS. "We are proud to partner with TED and ITVS to elevate these important conversations and bring them to a nationwide stage through PBS stations, station?branded digital platforms and PBS.org, offering viewers an opportunity to gain new perspective and insight on a variety of topics."

"We are delighted to partner with TED to develop television specials that allow PBS audiences a chance to hear the smartest thinking from TED speakers around major issues facing our society and watch short films made by today's most accomplished and talented independent documentary filmmakers," explains Tamara Gould, Executive Producer for ITVS. "With a shared commitment to spreading powerful ideas, the partnership between TED, ITVS, and public broadcasting is a natural fit."

TED TALKS LIVE LINEUP:

Hosted By BARATUNDE THURSTON, Best-Selling Author, Comedian & Activist
Co-Hosted By SARA RAMIREZ, Tony Award-Winning Singer, Songwriter & Actress

Featuring Talks & Performances By

PAUL CANTELON, Film Composer & Musician
ADAM DRIVER, Marine Corps Veteran & Emmy-Nominated Actor
JUAN ENRIQUEZ, Leading Authority on Genomic Code & Author of Evolving Ourselves
HECTOR GARCIA, Clinical Psychologist, Expert on PTSD & Author of Alpha God
HARLEM SAMBA, Brazilian Percussion Ensemble
SEBASTIAN JUNGER, Journalist, Best-Selling Author & Oscar Nominee for Restrepo
SAM KASS, Former White House Chef, NBC Senior Food Analyst & MIT Media Lab Fellow
SAL KHAN, Educator & Social Entrepreneur
JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS, Academic & Best-Selling Author of How to Raise an Adult
ANDREW MANGINO, CEO & Co-Founder of The Future Project
ANGELA McCLUSKEY, Grammy-Nominated Singer & Songwriter
LATIF NASSER, Reporter & Research Director For Radiolab
VICTOR RIOS, Sociology Professor & Author of Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys DENA SIMMONS, Educator at The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
SIMON SINEK, Ethnographer & Leadership Expert
JOHN "SCRAPPER" SNEIDER, Jazz Trumpet Player & Composer
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, Grammy-Nominated Singer, Songwriter & Composer

Additional co-hosts, speakers and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

TED TALKS LIVE is November 1 - 6, 2015 at 7:00pm at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street). Tickets are $100 and are available online at ticketmaster.com, and in person at The Town Hall Box office (123 West 43rd Street). Students and educators can apply for FREE passes online at ted.com/talkslivefree. Applications are due Sunday, September 27, 2015.

ABOUT TED - TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available, free, on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo?Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman. TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED?Ed; the annual million?dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self?organized TED?style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

The spirit of openness is foundational to TED's mission of spreading ideas. What was once simply a closed?door conference devoted to Technology, Entertainment and Design has become a global platform for spreading ideas across a wide variety of disciplines. Founded in 1984, the first TED conferences were held in Monterey, California. In 2006, TED experimented with putting TED Talk videos online for free - a decision that opened the doors to a radically new model for sharing ideas: today there are nearly 2,000 TED Talks available for free on TED.com, which are viewed close to a million times a day, with more than two and a half billion views total. Thanks to the support of thousands of volunteer translators, there are nearly 70,000 published translations of TED Talks in 107 languages. TEDx, the licensing program that allows communities to produce independently organized TED events, has already seen nearly 12,000 such events held in 166 countries. For more information about TED Talks Live, visit go.ted.com/tedtalkslive. Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at facebook.com/TED or Instagram at instagram.com/ted.

ABOUT CPB - The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org.

ABOUT PBS - PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 109 million people through television and over 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world?class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre?K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing CURIOSITY and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot?org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices.

ABOUT ITVS - Independent Television Service (ITVS) funds, presents, and promotes award-winning documentaries on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web, and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series "Independent Lens" on Monday nights at 10pm on PBS. Mandated by Congress in 1988 and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, ITVS has brought thousands of independently produced programs to American audiences. For more information, visit itvs.org.

ABOUT THE TOWN HALL - Town Hall is a 1,500-seat national historic landmark venue in the heart of New York City, created by suffragists in 1921 and host to countless musical and cultural milestones... Strauss, Stravinsky, and Isaac Stern made their US debuts at Town Hall. Marian Anderson gave her first New York recital there. Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker debuted bebop to the world at Town Hall. Margaret Sanger was arrested for daring to speak to an audience of men and women about birth control. Bob Dylan performed his first major concert at Town Hall. America's Town Meeting of the Air was one of the most CELEBRATED and influential public discussion shows of the twentieth century, and featured guests as diverse as Eleanor Roosevelt, Langston Hughes, Richard Nixon, and Jackie Robinson. In recent history, Jack White, Patti Smith, Larry David, Joan Baez, Stephen Colbert, Tig Notaro, Gilberto Gil, Garrison Keillor, Ray LaMontagne, Ira Glass, and Neil deGrasse Tyson all performed at Town Hall. For more, go to thetownhall.org.