TEDxBroadway Announces Virtual Event for November

TEDxBroadway organizers announced today the 9th annual event will be held online this year. The date is set for the virtual event for Tuesday, November 17 at 1pm Eastern.

"Since 2011, we've been asking all stake-holders of the Broadway ecosystem to question, 'What's the best Broadway can be?' And, while we all wish the answer was just even open, this will be a watershed moment for the community to address this mission-critical question with even greater urgency, immediacy and, well, hope for the future," says TEDxBroadway Co-Founder Damian Bazadona of Situation.

TEDxBroadway will feature a wide variety of topics and talks from speakers with varying perspectives and unique ideas. (Speakers will be announced soon.) This year's virtual program will be packed with powerful talks combined with the music, entertainment and the signature surprises for which it has become known -- all delivered in a two-hour window designed for the best possible virtual experience.

Organizers have tapped members from within the TEDxBroadway community -- from speaker alumni to former Young Professional Program members and longtime supporters who've been involved in the cause since inception -- to help steer all aspects of the event.

"I like to say that a funny thing happened on the way to creating an annual conference," says TEDxBroadway Co-Founder Jim McCarthy of Goldstar. "We built a community. We built a community of like-minded people with so many different talents, skills and ideas for moving our mission forward. We're so grateful to have them on our Leadership Board."

The TEDxBroadway Leadership Board includes:

a-? Oshoke 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.

a-? Zachary Baer is a producer of live and digital entertainment, currently serving as the Associate Producer at Wagner Johnson Productions. He has helped develop and produce Broadway, Off-Broadway, touring, and international productions at Disney Theatrical Group and Roundabout Theatre Company, and he was a co-producer of the Tony Award®-winning Peter and the Starcatcher. Notable productions include: Aladdin, Frozen, Newsies, The Lehman Trilogy, West Side Story, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Zack is a proud graduate of Northwestern University, a recipient of the Broadway League Rising Stars Fellowship, and co-founder of the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals Program.

a-? Arvind Ethan David is a producer and writer of films, television, comics, and theater. On Broadway, David is a lead producer of Jagged Little Pill, one of only a handful of lead producers of color in the 2019-2020 season.

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

a-? Felicia Fitzpatrick is Playbill's social media director and the creator/host of call and response, a podcast that explores the intersection of blackness and performing arts. Her writings and musings have been featured in Teen Vogue, BuzzFeed, Zora, and more. She has moderated and participated in multiple panels for brands such as BroadwayCon, American Theatre Wing, and The Strand Bookstore. She is a TedxBroadway Young Professional Program alum

a-? Osh Ghanimah has the distinct pleasure of serving as the Founder & President of Broadway For All and Director of Content Development for The Frederick Zollo Company. Osh is a Co-Producer of the upcoming Broadway musical, Sing Street, and has worked with The Public Theatre, The Guthrie Theater, American Repertory Theater, and Russia's Moscow Art Theatre.

a-? Laura Heywood is a professional enthusiast: a multi-faceted radio and television host, consultant, performer, pundit, and writer widely recognized for her commitment to positivity. Known online as @BroadwayGirlNYC, Laura has been called "Broadway's most influential fan."

a-? Jim Joseph has worked in the New York City performing arts community for almost 30 years. He's passionate about telling diverse stories and nurturing the next generation of arts leaders

a-? Patricia Ione Lloyd was the 2018 Tow Resident Playwright at The Public Theater where she had her professional playwriting debut with EVE'S SONG. She is a former Fellow at New York Theater Workshop, ThePlaywrights Realm, The Dramatists Guild and the Sundance Theater Lab. She was a part of the 2015 Public Theater Emerging Writers Group. The play she wrote during her time there, Pretty Hunger, led to a Lab Production at The Public. Ione's plays Pretty Hunger and Eve's Song have been included on the Kilroy's List in 2016 and 2017, respectively. She has written for the TV series Hap & Leonard on AMC, The Sinner on USA, Love Is _ on the OWN network, Twenties on BET and currently Evil on CBS. She is currently writing the book and lyrics for a commissioned musical.

a-? Rachelle Pereira is the Co-Founder of EQUALibrium Group, a leadership and communication consulting firm dedicated to nurturing and building powerful modern leaders. In her 15 years as an executive coach, facilitator and educator, she has had the privilege of working with a diverse group of organizations, ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. For all of her clients, she focuses on what she believes are the cornerstones to quality communication: empathy and curiosity.

a-? Eva Price is a three-time Tony Award-winning producer of over 15 Broadway plays, musicals and concerts, a member of The Broadway League's Board of Governors, and on the producing team of Killer Content and Abigail Disney's venture Level Forward. Credits: Oklahoma! (Tony Award for Best Revival); Jagged Little Pill (A.R.T., Broadway); What the Constitution Means to Me (Broadway, National Tour); Angels in America (Tony-winning revival starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield); Dear Evan Hansena??(six Tony Awards including Best Musical);a??On Your Feet!; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on Broadway!;a?? Peter and the Starcatchera??(five Tony Awards); Colin Quinn Long Story Short (directed by Jerry Seinfeld);a??Anniea??(Tony-Nominated Musical Revival); The Merchant of Venice a??starring Al Pacino (Tony-Nominated Play Revival); Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking; The Addams Family; Off-Broadway: Cruel Intentions: The '90s Musical; Drama Desk-nominated Found;a??The Lion (Drama Desk-winner, Off-West End-winner); Small Mouth Sounds. Touring:a??The Hip Hop Nutcracker with Rap icon Kurtis Blow; The Magic School Bus Live!:a??The Climate Challenge;a??Ella, a bio musical about the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald.

a-? Jillian Robbins is a Producer at Wagner Johnson Productions. Broadway credits include: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; West Side Story; Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus; Hillary and Clinton; King Lear; To Kill A Mockingbird; The Waverly Gallery; The Iceman Cometh; Carousel; Three Tall Women; Meteor Shower; and 1984, among others. Additional production credits include the National Tours of Hello, Dolly! and The Humans as well as serving as line producer of The Drama Desk Awards from 2015-2019. Prior to joining WJP, Jillian worked at Joey Parnes Productions and Disney Theatrical Group. Education: MBA, Columbia Business School; BS, Brown University. Co-founder of the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals Program.

a-? 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.

a-? Katie Sweeney is on the Board of Directors of CO/LAB Theater Group whose mission is to provide individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater arts. She is an autism mom, small business owner, musical theater superfan, and accessibility advocate.

a-? 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.

a-? 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.

a-? 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.

a-? Kyle Wright is the Digital Projects Director at The Shubert Organization, where he works on understanding who your audience represents, one of the most important focuses for arts and entertainment. He is responsible for overseeing strategy, data integration, analytics and partnership development for digital marketing and emerging in-venue technologies. Previously, Kyle worked in marketing for Plum Benefits and the Kansas Health Foundation. Kyle serves on the Board of CO/LAB Theater Group, a non-profit organization offering individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater arts.

A general admission ticket for the event is $40. TEDxBroadway Organizers invite those who are able to purchase a $100 ticket to help subsidize others in our community who'd like to attend but are significantly impacted by the shutdown. Those who are impacted can register for the free ticket lottery. All tickets to TEDxBroadway 2020 are available here.

For more information, please visit www.TEDxBroadway.com and follow TEDxBroadway on Twitter: @TEDxBroadway.