Kent, OH – The School of Theatre and Dance congratulates assistant professor Amy Fritsche, assistant professor Gregory King and associate professor William Auld who have been chosen to speak at the inaugural TEDxKentState conference. The conference, sponsored by Kent State University's Undergraduate Student Government, is scheduled for Sat., Feb. 18, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
TEDx is a program of local, self organized events that bring people together to share a TED like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. The theme of the first TEDxKentState is "Rewind, Rethink, React." According to the event's website, "in an ever changing world where people today are forced to tackle problems our parents and grandparents couldn't have imagined, sometimes in order to move forward we need to stop and take a look and where we have been." This year's TEDxKentState will explore this concept, "look[ing] [not only] at where we've been as a human race, but how we react to events today."
Assistant professor Amy Fritsche will present during the session entitled "Respond." Using examples from her recent directing project, "Irena's Vow," Fritsche's talk will focus on how theatre allows people to make ties between the past and the present and influence change in a political environment.
Assistant professor Gregory King will present during the session entitled "Rewind." His talk, titled "Esoteric Dilemmas at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sexuality," is a "conversation aimed at illuminating the roles we play in our journey towards self-empowerment by refocusing the shifting lens of proprietorship over self, versus identity."
Associate professor William Auld will also present during the session entitled "Respond." Auld's talk will explore the difference between the process and the product of a university education and how universities have a responsibility to "steer this new generation into what will work for them."
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 Bills Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nancdan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi OkonjoIweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.
For more information about TEDxKentState please visit www.tedxkentstate.com