TED Talks
What introverts wish everyone else knew | Shalewa Sharpe
Comedian Shalewa Sharpe recounts the hilarious tale of how capitalism broke her ankle, what’s going on with dive bar bathrooms and why she — a quiet soul who likes to sip chamomile tea — brings a tote bag to a wild night out.
TED Talks
TED: How to find laughter anywhere | Chris Duffy
Why are some people really funny and others ... not so much? Comedian Chris Duffy shows how you can sharpen your sense of humor and start laughing every day — by seeing the world like a kid.
TED Talks
TED: A comedian's take on how to save democracy | Jordan Klepper
Conversation is a battlefield with only one winner. Or is it? Comedian and author Jordan Klepper believes we can get better at talking to each other (and perhaps save democracy) by learning how to lose.
TED Talks
TED: How comedy helps us deal with hard truths | Roy Wood Jr.
There's a saying that comedy is tragedy plus time. Perhaps that's why some of our biggest problems feel easiest to manage with a dose of humor. Comedian, journalist and actor Roy Wood Jr. has spent his career finding the silly in the...
PBS
Elle and Keegan-Michael Key chronicle ‘The History of Sketch Comedy’ in new book
Keegan-Michael Key is a modern master of sketch comedy, starring in hits shows “Mad TV,” “Key and Peele” and “Schmigadoon!” Now, he and his wife, film and TV producer Elle Key, have taken a long look into the history of the art form....
TED Talks
TED: How I found myself -- by impersonating other people | Melissa Villaseñor
Ever think you'd hear Sandra Bullock, Britney Spears and Dolly Parton in one TED Talk? Here they are, courtesy of "Saturday Night Live" star Melissa Villaseñor. She shares the life lessons of a comedian -- complete with celebrity...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How dangerous was it to be a jester? | Beatrice K. Otto
Contrary to common belief, jesters weren't just a medieval European phenomenon but flourished in other times and cultures. The first reliably recorded jester is thought to be You Shi, of 7th century BCE China. Jesters had unique...
TED Talks
TED: The 100 tampons NASA (almost) sent to space -- and other absurd songs | Marcia Belsky
Performing two original songs, stand-up comedian, writer and musician Marcia Belsky shares comical commentary on some peculiar aspects of our culture -- from Instagram-stalking your crush to fending off mansplainers on social media --...
PBS
Jerry Seinfeld On The Science Of Laughter
The one and only Jerry Seinfeld has had a big year with a Netflix special and a new book. Jeffrey Brown caught up with Seinfeld for our ongoing arts and cultural series, "Canvas."
Crash Course
Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte: Crash Course Theater #12
This week, we're going to Italy for a Renaissance. The Middle Ages are over, and it's time to talk about the flourishing of art and humanism across Europe. Painting, sculpture, music, architecture, and plays with fart jokes were all...
TED Talks
Ursus Wehrli: Tidying up art
Ursus Wehrli shares his vision for a cleaner, more organized, tidier form of art -- by deconstructing the paintings of modern masters into their component pieces, sorted by color and size.
Crash Course
Pre-Columbian Theater, Spanish Empire, and Sor Juana: Crash Course Theater #22
This week, we're headed to the Americas to learn about the theater that existed there prior to the arrival of Europeans, how the theater of the Spanish influenced it, and the impact of Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, playwrighting Spanish nun...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How to make your writing funnier - Cheri Steinkellner
Did you ever notice how many jokes start with _Did you ever notice?" And what's the deal with "What's the deal?" There's a lot of funny to be found simply by noticing the ordinary, everyday things you don't ordinarily notice every day....
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read "A Midsummer Night's Dream?" - Iseult Gillespie
By the light of the moon, a group sneaks into the woods, where they take mind-altering substances, switch it up romantically and brush up against creatures from another dimension. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” sees Shakespeare play with...
Crash Course
Comedies, Romances, and Shakespeare's Heroines: Crash Course Theater #16
This week we're continuing our discussion of William Shakespeare and looking at his comedies and romances. As well as something called problem plays. Some of his plays, they had problems. We'll also put on pants, escape to forest, and...
TED Talks
TED: A highly scientific taxonomy of haters | Negin Farsad
TeD Fellow Negin Farsad weaves comedy and social commentary to cleverly undercut stereotypes of her culture. In this uproarious talk/stand-up hybrid, Farsad speaks on her documentary, The Muslims Are Coming!, narrates her fight with the...
TED Talks
TED: The Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour | Jamil Abu-Wardeh
Jamil Abu-Wardeh jump-started the comedy scene in the Arab world by founding the Axis of Evil Middle East Comedy Tour, which brings standup comedians to laughing audiences all over the region. He's found that, by respecting the "three...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is Aristophanes called "The Father of Comedy"? - Mark Robinson
Aristophanes, often referred to as the Father of Comedy, wrote the world's earliest surviving comic dramas. They're stuffed full of parodies, songs, sexual jokes and surreal fantasy -- and they've shaped how comedy's been written and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read Shakespeare's "The Tempest"? - Iseult Gillespie
Explore William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”, a story of shipwreck, magic and a fight for power. -- Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminate a swelling sea, as a ship buckles beneath the waves. It is no ordinary storm,...
TED Talks
Charles Fleischer: All things are Moleeds
In a presentation that can only be described as epic, comedian Charles Fleischer delivers a hysterical send-up of a time-honored TED theme: the map. Geometry, numbers, charts and stamp art also factor in (somehow), as he weaves together...
TED Talks
Chris Bliss: Comedy is translation
Every act of communication is, in some way, an act of translation. Writer Chris Bliss talks about the way that great comedy can translate deep truths for a mass audience.
TED Talks
Robin Ince: Science versus wonder?
Does science ruin the magic of life? In this grumpy but charming monologue, Robin Ince makes the argument against. The more we learn about the astonishing behavior of the universe -- the more we stand in awe.
TED Talks
Ben Katchor: Comics of bygone New York
In this captivating talk from the TED archive, cartoonist Ben Katchor reads from his comic strips. These perceptive, surreal stories find the profound hopes and foibles of history (and modern New York) preserved in objects like light...
TED Talks
Jim Toomey: Learning from Sherman the shark
Cartoonist Jim Toomey created the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, a wry look at underwater life starring Sherman the talking shark. As he sketches some of his favorite sea creatures live onstage, Toomey shares his love of the ocean and the...