From childhood role-playing to professional stages, theatre taps into a universal instinct: play. Theatre transforms communities, heals divisions, and even saves lives—showing us that the arts are not a luxury, but essential to human health and connection. David Catanzarite is a master stage director and expert educator. He has directed 200 professional and college productions in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Prague, South Africa, Toronto, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Catanzarite began his teaching career at the age of 26 as a theatre instructor at Stanford University. He served as Theatre faculty at California State University, San Bernardino/Palm Desert Campus.
At Green Room Theatre, Mr. Catanzarite has directed The Dresser, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Twelve Angry Men, To Kill A Mockingbird, Pop-up Shakespeare, numerous melodramas, and a holiday production of Gift of the Magi that toured African American Churches across the Coachella Valley. For Green Room Summer Conservatory he directed sold-out productions of Sister Act, Annie Get Your Gun, The Pirates of Penzance, Mary Poppins, Oliver!, and Fiddler on the Roof at the Indian Wells Theatre (and many more shows). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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- 2:37Awakening Festac Town | Benita-Maria Kelechi Opara (rialena_tm) | TEDxFestac TownFestac Town hosted a global Arts and Cultural Festival in 1977 which brought nations together to celebrate culture and diversity. This talk is a reminder of that history and a clarion call to every one affiliated with Festac Town to remember and celebrate their roots and the rich culture they possess. It is a reminder of Festac 1977 and the impact it had in bringing together different cultures and arts, from across nations, which can be done again, in a bigger and better manner. But firstly, the people have to awaken that fire that was once there in 1977.Intro audio: Chillout by AudioCoffee | https://www.audiocoffee.net/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Benita-Maria Kelechi Opara, also known as Rialena, is a first-class graduate of Architecture and an award-winning spoken word artiste with over nine years of experience in poetry and performance. For her, spoken word transcends art - it is a powerful medium for expressing her faith, challenging perspectives and shaping culture. Rialena has performed across diverse platforms and audiences. Her piece “I Have Decided” won the 2024 Ekpebiwo’m Spoken Word Challenge, earning acclaim for its depth and delivery. Beyond poetry, Rialena is a skilled public speaker who has trained over 100 students in the last two years on effective communication and presentation. She is also an experienced event host, an avid reader and researcher, and a contributing writer with a passion for thought-provoking articles. She is currently completing her Master’s degree in Architecture at the prestigious Covenant University. Her growing body of work can be explored at https://linktr.ee/rialenatm. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
