TEDxBloomington -- Charlie Todd -- "Causing a Scene with Improv Everywhere" July 6, 2011

Favorite:

Charlie Todd is the founder of Improv Everywhere, producing, directing, performing, and documenting the group's work for over eight years.

The group carries out pranks, which they call "missions" in public places. The stated goal of these missions is to cause scenes of "chaos and joy." Some of the group's missions use hundreds of performers, while other missions utilize only a handful of performers. Importantly, Improv Everywhere has stated that they do not identify their work with the term "flash mob" that is so often spoken about in the media.

Improv Everywhere has been profiled by many national and international media outlets including The New York Times, The Today Show, and ABC's Nightline. Todd was interviewed on an episode of This American Life in 2005. While touching briefly on two missions ("No Pants" and "The Moebius"), the show focused on "Best Gig Ever" and "Ted's Birthday," and how they created unintended reactions. Improv Everywhere was also featured in the pilot episode for This American Life's television show on Showtime. In 2007, Improv Everywhere shot a television pilot for NBC.

Charlie is the author of Causing a Scene, a book about Improv Everywhere published by Harper Collins, as well as a teacher and performer of improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

Charlie's presentation at TEDxBloomington included a number of favorite videos of Improv Everywhere missions. As an actor newly arrived in New York without access to a stage, he described how he created his own in public spaces "causing scenes that are positive experiences for other people."

http://improveverywhere.com/

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