ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Charlie Todd - Comedian
Charlie Todd is the creator of Improv Everywhere, a group that creates absurd and joyful public scenes.

Why you should listen

Bored by a temp job, and tired of waiting for someone to give him a stage, comedian Charlie Todd decided to make his own. So he walked into a bar and pretended to be musician Ben Folds. It went so well that it inspired him to create Improv Everywhere, "a New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places." 

Todd has produced, directed, performed, and documented the group’s work for over ten years. In that time they've run over 100 prank missions, some involving hundreds or thousands of agents, and each one creating a wonderful and irreproducible experience.

He's a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, and is the author of Causing a Scene.

Watch our photographer's view of the TED2012 prank ... and see how Improv Everywhere pulled it off with the help of a few willing TEDsters ...

More profile about the speaker
Charlie Todd | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxBloomington

Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity

查理·陶得(Charlie Todd):一起體驗怪誕行為

Filmed:
3,155,979 views

查理·陶得(Charlie Todd)在很多公共場合製造了怪誕、搞笑、又令人難以想像的場景,例如:同時在商場櫥窗中跳舞的七十位舞者;跑過紐約市公共圖書館的“捉鬼特工隊”(魔鬼剋星);一年一度在地鐵上不穿長褲的乘客。在 TEDxBloomington中,他讓大家見到了他的團隊-- Improv Everywhere,是如何透過這些場景讓陌生人之間聯繫起來的。
- Comedian
Charlie Todd is the creator of Improv Everywhere, a group that creates absurd and joyful public scenes. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
I started開始 Improv即興 Everywhere到處 about 10 years年份 ago
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我大約在10年前創立了“Improv Everywhere隨處即興”這個團體
00:18
when I moved移動 to New York紐約 City with an interest利益 in acting演戲 and comedy喜劇.
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那時我剛搬到紐約,希望從事表演和喜劇方面的工作
00:21
Because I was new to the city, I didn't have access訪問 to a stage階段,
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初來乍到的我,在紐約根本沒有表演的機會
00:24
so I decided決定 to create創建 my own擁有 in public上市 places地方.
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所以我決定在公共場所搭建自己的舞臺
00:27
So the first project項目 we're going to take a look at
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我們將要看到的第一個企劃是
00:29
is the very first No Pants褲子 Subway地鐵 Ride.
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首屆的“不穿長褲地鐵之旅”
00:31
Now this took place地點 in January一月 of 2002.
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這是發生在2002年1月
00:33
And this woman女人 is the star of the video視頻.
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而這名女性正是影片的主角
00:35
She doesn't know she's being存在 filmed拍攝.
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她並不知道她正在被拍攝中
00:37
She's being存在 filmed拍攝 with a hidden camera相機.
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角落裡有個隱藏式攝影機正在拍她
00:39
This is on the 6 train培養 in New York紐約 City.
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這是在紐約市地鐵的6號線上
00:41
And this is the first stop along沿 the line.
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這是整條線的第一站
00:43
These are two Danish丹麥 guys
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兩位丹麥小夥子
00:45
who come out and sit down next下一個 to the hidden camera相機.
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正好坐在隱藏的鏡頭旁邊
00:48
And that's me right there in a brown棕色 coat塗層.
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那個戴棕色外套的就是我
00:50
It's about 30 degrees outside.
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外面只有30華氏度(攝氏零下1度)
00:52
I'm wearing穿著 a hat帽子. I'm wearing穿著 a scarf圍巾.
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我戴著帽子和圍巾
00:54
And the girl's女孩 going to notice注意 me right here.
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那女孩很快就要注意到我了
00:59
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:05
And as you'll你會 see now, I'm not wearing穿著 pants褲子.
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正如你們所見,我沒穿褲子
01:07
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:10
So at this point --
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這時候
01:12
at this point she's noticed注意到 me,
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這時候她注意到我了
01:14
but in New York紐約 there's weirdos變態 on any given特定 train培養 car汽車.
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但是紐約地鐵上到處都是奇怪的人
01:16
One person's人的 not that unusual異常.
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一個像我這樣的也不是多稀奇
01:18
She goes back to reading her book, which哪一個 is unfortunately不幸 titled標題 "Rape強姦."
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所以她繼續回頭看她的書,不過很不巧的是她的書名叫“強姦”
01:21
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
01:25
So she's noticed注意到 the unusual異常 thing,
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那麼,即使她注意到了這不尋常的景象
01:27
but she's gone走了 back to her normal正常 life.
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但仍選擇了回歸到她正常的生活裡
01:29
Now in the meantime與此同時, I have six friends朋友
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與此同時,我還有六個沒穿褲子的朋友
01:31
who are waiting等候 at the next下一個 six consecutive連續 stops停止 in their underwear內衣 as well.
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在接下來的六個站等著
01:35
They're going to be entering進入 this car汽車 one by one.
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他們會一個一個地接連上車
01:37
We'll act法案 as though雖然 we don't know each other.
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我們都裝作互相不認識對方的樣子
01:40
And we'll act法案 as if it's just an unfortunate不幸的 mistake錯誤 we've我們已經 made製作,
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好像這只不過是我們碰巧犯下很不幸的錯誤
01:43
forgetting遺忘 our pants褲子 on this cold January一月 day.
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在這個寒冷的一月忘記穿我們的褲子了
01:46
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
02:11
So at this point,
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在這個時候
02:13
she decides決定 to put the rape強姦 book away.
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她終於決定把她的“強姦”放到一邊
02:15
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
02:17
And she decides決定 to be a little bit more aware知道的 of her surroundings環境.
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她不能再對周圍發生的一切表現的毫不在意了
02:21
Now in the meantime與此同時, the two Danish丹麥 guys to the left of the camera相機,
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與此同時,鏡頭左邊的兩個丹麥小夥子
02:23
they're cracking開裂 up.
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已經笑得不行了
02:25
They think this is the funniest最有趣 thing they've他們已經 ever seen看到 before.
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他們覺得從沒見過這麼搞笑的事
02:27
And watch her make eye contact聯繫 with them right about now.
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注意女孩和他們兩個的眼神交流
02:35
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
02:37
And I love that moment時刻 in this video視頻,
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我超喜歡這一幕
02:39
because before it became成為 a shared共享 experience經驗,
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因為在這成為共享的經驗之前
02:42
it was something that was maybe a little bit scary害怕,
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我們的表現可能有點嚇人
02:45
or something that was at least最小 confusing撲朔迷離 to her.
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或是讓她感到困惑
02:47
And then once一旦 it became成為 a shared共享 experience經驗,
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但是一旦這成為共享的經驗
02:49
it was funny滑稽 and something that she could laugh at.
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它就變得很有意思,女孩甚至因此笑出來
02:51
So the train培養 is now pulling into
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現在地鐵進入了
02:53
the third第三 stop along沿 the 6 line.
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6號線的第三站
03:09
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
03:12
So the video視頻 won't慣於 show顯示 everything.
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這段影片並不會把所有的內容都顯示出來
03:14
This goes on for another另一個 four stops停止.
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同樣的事情在接下來的四站都發生了
03:16
A total of seven guys enter輸入 anonymously匿名 in their underwear內衣.
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一共有七位不知名的、沒穿褲子的小夥子
03:20
At the eighth第八 stop, a girl女孩 came來了 in with a giant巨人 duffel一種粗呢 bag
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在第八站,上來一個拖著巨大行李袋的小姑娘
03:22
and announced公佈 she had pants褲子 for sale拍賣 for a dollar美元 --
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兜售她一塊錢一條的褲子
03:25
like you might威力 sell batteries電池 or candy糖果 on the train培養.
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就如同平常會在列車上看到有人推銷電池或糖果一樣
03:28
We all very matter of factly實事求是地 bought a pair of pants褲子, put them on
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我們也就真的一人買了一條褲子穿上
03:31
and said, "Thank you. That's exactly究竟 what I needed需要 today今天,"
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接著說:「謝謝,這褲子來得真及時」
03:34
and then exited退出 without revealing揭示 what had happened發生
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然後裝作什麽也沒發生一樣
03:37
and went in all different不同 directions方向.
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很自然地朝不同方向離開了車站
03:39
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
03:41
Thank you.
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謝謝
03:45
So that's a still from the video視頻 there.
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這也是剛才那個影片裡的一幕
03:47
And I love that girl's女孩 reaction反應 so much.
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我太喜歡那姑娘的反應了
03:49
And watching觀看 that videotape錄影帶 later後來 that day
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那天之後我繼續看這一段
03:51
inspired啟發 me to keep doing what I do.
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我對我要做什麽有了靈感
03:53
And really one of the points of Improv即興 Everywhere到處
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"Improv Everywhere"的目的之一就是
03:56
is to cause原因 a scene現場 in a public上市 place地點
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在公共場合製造一些
03:58
that is a positive experience經驗 for other people.
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給人們帶來正面體驗的情境
04:00
It's a prank惡作劇, but it's a prank惡作劇 that gives somebody a great story故事 to tell.
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這其實是一個惡作劇,但是這惡作劇給了人們一個值得講述的好故事
04:03
And her reaction反應 inspired啟發 me
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姑娘的反應激勵了我
04:05
to do a second第二 annual全年 No Pants褲子 Subway地鐵 Ride.
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進而組織第二屆“年度不穿長褲的地鐵之旅“
04:07
And we've我們已經 continued繼續 to do it every一切 year.
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我們把這個一年一度的傳統保持下來
04:09
This January一月, we did the 10th annual全年 No Pants褲子 Subway地鐵 Ride
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這個一月份將是第十屆“年度不穿長褲的地鐵之旅“了
04:11
where a diverse多種 group of 3,500 people
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這次我們有3500個不同背景的人參與
04:14
rode騎著車 the train培養 in their underwear內衣 in New York紐約 --
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只穿內褲的他們將會出現在
04:16
almost幾乎 every一切 single train培養 line in the city.
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紐約的幾乎每條地鐵線上
04:18
And also in 50 other cities城市 around the world世界,
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另外,在世界上其他50個城市的地鐵裡
04:20
people participated參加.
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也都有人參加
04:22
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
04:24
As I started開始 taking服用 improv即興 class at the Upright直立 Citizens公民 Brigade Theater劇院
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當我開始在"正直公民旅劇院"講授即興表演課程的時候
04:27
and meeting會議 other creative創作的 people and other performers表演者 and comedians喜劇演員,
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遇到了很多其他表演者、喜劇演員和有想像力的人
04:30
I started開始 amassing再再 a mailing郵件 list名單
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我開始把有興趣做這種表演的人
04:32
of people who wanted to do these types類型 of projects項目.
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都加到一個郵件列表裡,
04:34
So I could do more large-scale大規模 projects項目.
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這樣我就可以做一些大企劃了
04:36
Well one day I was walking步行 through通過 Union聯盟 Square廣場,
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有一天我走過聯合廣場的時候
04:38
and I saw this building建造,
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看到這棟
04:40
which哪一個 had just been built內置 in 2005.
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剛在2005年建好的樓
04:42
And there was a girl女孩 in one of the windows視窗 and she was dancing跳舞.
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有一個女孩在一扇窗戶裡跳舞
04:45
And it was very peculiar奇特,
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這看起來非常奇怪
04:47
because it was dark黑暗 out, but she was back-lit背面照明 with florescent熒光 lighting燈光,
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因為外面當時很黑,燦爛的燈光從裡面把她照亮
04:49
and she was very much onstage在舞台上,
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她看起來就像在舞臺上表演
04:51
and I couldn't不能 figure數字 out why she was doing it.
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我想不出來她到底想做什麽
04:53
After about 15 seconds, her friend朋友 appeared出現 --
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15秒後,她的朋友出現了
04:55
she had been hiding behind背後 a display顯示 --
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之前她一直藏在一個陳列品後面
04:57
and they laughed笑了 and hugged擁抱 each other and ran away.
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她們擁抱大笑,然後一起離開了
04:59
So it seemed似乎 like maybe she had been dared to do this.
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看起來像是她們在玩真心話大冒險
05:01
So I got inspired啟發 by that.
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所以我從這個獲得了靈感
05:03
Looking at the entire整個 facade正面 -- there were 70 total windows視窗 --
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我們來看看大樓的這一面,一共有70個窗戶
05:05
and I knew知道 what I had to do.
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我知道我該做啥了
05:07
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
05:09
So this project項目 is called Look Up More. We had 70 actors演員 dress連衣裙 in black黑色.
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這個企劃叫做"多抬頭看一些"。70個演員全身穿黑色的衣服
05:12
This was completely全然 unauthorized擅自.
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完全沒有人授權
05:14
We didn't let the stores商店 know we were coming未來.
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我們也沒有提前通知商場
05:16
And I stood站在 in the park公園 giving signals信號.
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我站在下面向他們發信號
05:18
The first signal信號 was for everybody每個人 to hold保持 up these four-foot四足 tall letters
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第一個信號是讓他們一起舉起這些四英尺高的字母
05:21
that spelled拼寫 out "Look Up More,"
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拼成這個企劃的名字:
05:23
the name名稱 of the project項目.
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"多抬頭看一些"
05:26
The second第二 signal信號 was for everybody每個人 to do Jumping跳躍 jacks千斤頂 together一起.
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第二個信號是讓所有人一起"開合跳"(跳起來雙臂舉起,雙腿向外展開的一個動作)
05:29
You'll你會 see that start開始 right here.
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你們看到的是剛開始的時候
05:32
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
05:34
And then we had dancing跳舞. We had everyone大家 dance舞蹈.
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接下來是跳舞,所有人一起跳
05:36
And then we had dance舞蹈 solos獨奏 where only one person would dance舞蹈
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然後是獨舞,一個人跳
05:38
and everybody每個人 would point to them.
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其他人都指著他
05:40
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
05:47
So then I gave a new hand signal信號,
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然後我手上再發一個信號
05:49
which哪一個 signaled信號 the next下一個 soloist獨奏者 down below下面 in Forever永遠 21,
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告訴"永遠21(Forever 21)"下面的那個獨舞者
05:52
and he danced跳舞.
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讓他開始跳
05:54
There were several一些 other activities活動.
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還有一些其他的動作
05:56
We had people jumping跳躍 up and down,
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有人跳上跳下
05:58
people dropping落下 to the ground地面.
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有人摔倒在地上
06:00
And I was standing常設 just anonymously匿名 in a sweatshirt運動衫,
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我只是穿著運動衫的路人甲
06:02
putting my hand on and off of a trashcan垃圾箱
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把手在垃圾桶拿上拿下
06:04
to signal信號 the advancement進步.
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來指揮表演的進程
06:06
And because it was in Union聯盟 Square廣場 Park公園, right by a subway地鐵 station,
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這是在一個地鐵站旁邊的聯合廣場公園
06:08
there were hundreds數以百計 of people by the end結束
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所以最後有好幾百人
06:10
who stopped停止 and looked看著 up
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停下腳步抬頭看
06:12
and watched看著 what we were doing.
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看我們在做什麽
06:16
There's a better photo照片 of it.
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這是一張更棒的照片
06:18
So that particular特定 event事件
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這一個特別的行動
06:20
was inspired啟發 by a moment時刻
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是我從感到困惑的一幕中
06:22
that I happened發生 to stumble絆倒 upon.
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獲得靈感的
06:24
The next下一個 project項目 I want to show顯示
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下一個我想給大家看的企劃
06:26
was given特定 to me in an email電子郵件 from a stranger陌生人.
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是由一個陌生人發給我的電子郵件而來的
06:28
A high school學校 kid孩子 in Texas德州 wrote me in 2006
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德州的一位高中生在2006年寫信給我
06:31
and said, "You should get as many許多 people as possible可能
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說:「你應該召集盡可能多的人,
06:33
to put on blue藍色 polo馬球 shirts襯衫 and khaki黃褐色 pants褲子
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都穿上藍色短袖開領衫和卡其褲,
06:36
and go into a Best最好 Buy購買 and stand around."
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到百思買(Best Buy)去閒逛。」
06:38
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
06:42
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
06:44
So I wrote this high school學校 kid孩子 back immediately立即,
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於是我立刻回信給這位高中生
06:46
and I said, "Yes, you are correct正確.
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我說:「你說得很對,
06:48
I think I'll try to do that this weekend週末. Thank you."
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我這週末就這麼做,謝謝。」
06:50
So here's這裡的 the video視頻.
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這就是當天的影片
06:52
So again, this is 2005.
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這是2005年(之前說是2006)
06:54
This is the Best最好 Buy購買 in New York紐約 City.
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在紐約市的百思買(Best Buy)
06:57
We had about 80 people show顯示 up to participate參加,
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我們一共80個人左右
06:59
entering進入 one-by-one一個接一個.
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一個接一個地走進店裡
07:01
There was an eight year-old girl女孩, a 10 year-old girl女孩.
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其中有8歲的小女孩、10歲的小女孩
07:03
There was also a 65 year-old man
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還有一個65歲的老頭
07:05
who participated參加.
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一起參加這個活動
07:07
So a very diverse多種 group of people.
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非常多樣化的一群人
07:09
And I told people, "Don't work. Don't actually其實 do work.
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我告訴他們:「別幹活,別真的工作。
07:12
But also, don't shop.
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但是呢,也別買東西。
07:14
Just stand around and don't face面對 products製品."
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就在店裡轉轉,別面對著商品。」
07:16
Now you can see the regular定期 employees僱員
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現在你可以看到的這些真的員工
07:18
by the ones那些 that have the yellow黃色 tags標籤 on their shirt襯衫.
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他們襯衫上有黃色標籤
07:20
Everybody每個人 else其他 is one of our actors演員.
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所有其他人都是我們這些演員
07:22
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
07:24
The lower降低 level水平 employees僱員 thought it was very funny滑稽.
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基層的員工覺得這很好玩
07:26
And in fact事實, several一些 of them went to go get their camera相機 from the break打破 room房間
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以至於有幾個還從休息室拿來他們的相機
07:28
and took photos相片 with us.
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跟我們合影
07:30
A lot of them made製作 jokes笑話 about trying to get us to go to the back
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許多人開玩笑讓我們到後面
07:33
to get heavy television電視 sets for customers顧客.
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去幫顧客搬很重的電視機
07:36
The managers經理 and the security安全 guards衛士, on the other hand,
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可是經理和保安們
07:39
did not find it particularly尤其 funny滑稽.
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就不覺得這有什麽好玩的了
07:41
You can see them in this footage鏡頭.
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你們看到在這個片段裡
07:43
They're wearing穿著 either a yellow黃色 shirt襯衫 or a black黑色 shirt襯衫.
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他們穿著黃色或黑色的襯衫
07:46
And we were there probably大概 10 minutes分鐘
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10分鐘之後
07:48
before the managers經理 decided決定 to dial撥號 911.
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經理就決定打911報警了
07:50
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
07:53
So they started開始 running賽跑 around
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然後他們開始在店裡四處亂竄
07:55
telling告訴 everybody每個人 the cops警察 were coming未來, watch out, the cops警察 were coming未來.
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告訴大家警察就要過來了,注意點,警察馬上就要過來了
07:58
And you can see the cops警察 in this footage鏡頭 right here.
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你們看到這個片段裡,警察真的過來了
08:01
That's a cop警察 wearing穿著 black黑色 right there, being存在 filmed拍攝 with a hidden camera相機.
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有個隱藏的鏡頭正在拍這些穿著黑色制服的警察
08:04
Ultimately最終,, the police警察 had to inform通知 Best最好 Buy購買 management管理
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最後,警察只好告訴經理
08:06
that it was not, in fact事實, illegal非法
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在百思買(Best Buy)裡穿藍襯衫、卡其褲
08:08
to wear穿 a blue藍色 polo馬球 shirt襯衫 and khaki黃褐色 pants褲子.
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事實上,並不犯法
08:10
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
08:12
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
08:16
Thank you.
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謝謝。
08:18
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
08:21
So we had been there for 20 minutes分鐘; we were happy快樂 to exit出口 the store商店.
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我們在那兒待了20分鐘,然後高高興興地出去了
08:24
One thing the managers經理 were trying to do
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期間經理一直想要
08:26
was to track跟踪 down our cameras相機.
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追查到我們的攝影機
08:28
And they caught抓住 a couple一對 of my guys who had hidden cameras相機 in duffel一種粗呢 bags包裝袋.
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他們搜到了好幾個人藏在袋子裡的攝影機
08:31
But the one camera相機 guy they never caught抓住
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但是有一個他們永遠也查不到
08:33
was the guy that went in just with a blank空白 tape膠帶
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因為有個小夥子只帶了一個空白的帶子
08:35
and went over to the Best最好 Buy購買 camera相機 department
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然後徑直走到店裡的攝影機部門
08:37
and just put his tape膠帶 in one of their cameras相機
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把帶子放進其中一台店裡的攝影機裡
08:39
and pretended假裝的 to shop.
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然後假裝在買東西
08:42
So I like that concept概念 of using運用 their own擁有 technology技術 against反對 them.
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我很喜歡這個"以其人之道還治其人之身"的概念
08:45
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
08:47
I think our best最好 projects項目 are ones那些 that are site現場 specific具體
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我想我們那些最好的企劃都需要一些特定的地點
08:49
and happen發生 at a particular特定 place地點 for a reason原因.
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在一些特別的場所發生,並有著明確的原因
08:51
And one morning早上, I was riding騎術 the subway地鐵.
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有天早晨,我搭乘地鐵時
08:53
I had to make a transfer轉讓 at the 53rdRD St. stop
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要在53街站那兒轉車
08:55
where there are these two giant巨人 escalators自動扶梯.
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那兒有兩個巨大的電扶梯
08:57
And it's a very depressing壓抑 place地點 to be in the morning早上, it's very crowded.
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早晨的時候那裡很擠,讓人很沮喪
09:00
So I decided決定 to try and stage階段 something
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所以我決定在試試舉辦一場演出
09:02
that could make it as happy快樂 as possible可能 for one morning早上.
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使那早晨盡可能讓人開心一點
09:06
So this was in the winter冬季 of 2009 --
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所以就有了這個:2009年冬天
09:08
8:30 in the morning早上.
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早上8:30
09:10
It's morning早上 rush hour小時.
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上班的高峰期
09:12
It's very cold outside.
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外面非常寒冷
09:14
People are coming未來 in from Queens皇后,
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從皇后區過來的人們
09:16
transferring轉移 from the E train培養 to the 6 train培養.
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要在這兒從E線轉到6號線
09:19
And they're going up these giant巨人 escalators自動扶梯
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他們乘坐這些巨大的電扶梯
09:21
on their way to their jobs工作.
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準備去工作
09:34
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
09:46
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
09:48
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
09:54
Thank you.
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(謝謝)
09:56
So there's a photograph照片 that illustrates說明 it a little bit better.
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這裡是張更清楚點的照片
09:59
He gave 2,000 high fives五歲以下兒童 that day,
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那天他擊了2000次掌(high five)
10:01
and he washed his hands before and afterward之後
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在這前後他都去洗了手
10:03
and did not get sick生病.
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之後也沒有生病
10:05
And that was doneDONE also without permission允許,
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這個活動也沒有得到相關部門的批准
10:07
although雖然 no one seemed似乎 to care關心.
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雖然似乎沒人在意
10:09
So I'd say over the years年份,
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這麼多年來
10:11
one of the most common共同 criticisms批評 I see of Improv即興 Everywhere到處
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YouTube上的匿名評論裡
10:14
left anonymously匿名 on YouTubeYouTube的 comments註釋
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對Improv Everywhere最多的批評
10:16
is: "These people have too much time on their hands."
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就是:「這些人太閒了。」
10:19
And you know, not everybody's每個人的 going to like everything you do,
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你知道,並不是每個人都會喜歡你做的每件事
10:22
and I've certainly當然 developed發達 a thick skin皮膚 thanks謝謝 to Internet互聯網 comments註釋,
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感謝這些網民的評論,我的臉皮越來越厚了
10:24
but that one's那些 always bothered困擾 me,
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但是這個評價一直讓我很不舒服
10:26
because we don't have too much time on our hands.
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因為我們恰恰缺的就是時間
10:28
The participants參與者 at Improv即興 Everywhere到處 events事件
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Improv Everywhere這些活動的參與者們
10:31
have just as much leisure閒暇 time as any other New Yorkers紐約人,
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並不比其他普通的紐約客來的閒
10:33
they just occasionally偶爾 choose選擇
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他們只是偶爾
10:35
to spend it in an unusual異常 way.
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用不尋常的方式打發這些時間
10:37
You know, every一切 Saturday星期六 and Sunday星期日,
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你們知道,每年秋天
10:39
hundreds數以百計 of thousands數千 of people each fall秋季
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成百上千的人們在週六週日
10:41
gather收集 in football足球 stadiums體育場館 to watch games遊戲.
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聚在體育場看橄欖球
10:43
And I've never seen看到 anybody任何人 comment評論, looking at a football足球 game遊戲,
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我也從沒見到有人看著橄欖球賽
10:46
saying, "All those people in the stands站立, they have too much time on their hands."
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評論說:「這些看球的人都是太閒了。」
10:49
And of course課程 they don't.
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當然他們並不是這樣
10:51
It's a perfectly完美 wonderful精彩 way to spent花費 a weekend週末 afternoon下午,
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到體育場看橄欖球
10:53
watching觀看 a football足球 game遊戲 in a stadium體育場.
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是個非常好的度過週末下午的方式
10:56
But I think it's also a perfectly完美 valid有效 way
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但是我也認為下面這些都是
10:58
to spend an afternoon下午 freezing冷凍 in place地點 with 200 people
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度過週末下午的好方式:在中央車站
11:01
in the Grand盛大 Central中央 terminal終奌站
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與200個其他人一起靜止不動
11:03
or dressing敷料 up like a ghostbuster捉鬼敢死隊
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或者打扮成“捉鬼特工隊”(魔鬼剋星)
11:06
and running賽跑 through通過 the New York紐約 Public上市 Library圖書館.
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跑過紐約公共圖書館
11:08
(Laughter笑聲)
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(笑聲)
11:10
Or listening to the same相同 MPMP3 as 3,000 other people
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或是與其他3000人聽同一首MP3
11:13
and dancing跳舞 silently默默 in a park公園,
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在公園裡一起悄無聲息地跳舞
11:16
or bursting爆破 into song歌曲 in a grocery雜貨 store商店
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或是在雜貨店放聲唱歌
11:18
as part部分 of a spontaneous自發 musical音樂,
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創作即興音樂劇
11:20
or diving潛水 into the ocean海洋 in Coney科尼 Island wearing穿著 formal正式 attire服裝.
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或是穿上正式服裝跳進康尼島(Coney Island)的海裡
11:23
You know, as kids孩子, we're taught to play.
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你看,我們還是孩子時,別人教我們玩
11:26
And we're never given特定 a reason原因 why we should play.
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從來也沒人告訴我們玩需要什麽理由
11:28
It's just acceptable接受 that play is a good thing.
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大家都認為玩是一件很好的事
11:31
And I think that's sort分類 of the point of Improv即興 Everywhere到處.
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我想這正是Improv Everywhere的動機
11:34
It's that there is no point and that there doesn't have to be a point.
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就是沒有目的,也不需要什麽目的
11:36
We don't need a reason原因.
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我們不需要原因
11:38
As long as it's fun開玩笑
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只要有趣
11:40
and it seems似乎 like it's going to be a funny滑稽 idea理念
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看起來像個好玩的主意
11:42
and it seems似乎 like the people who witness見證 it will also have a fun開玩笑 time,
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而且在現場目擊的人們也會覺得這很有意思
11:45
then that's enough足夠 for us.
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那對我們來說就夠了
11:47
And I think, as adults成年人, we need to learn學習
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我也認為,作為成年人,我們要學習認識
11:49
that there's no right or wrong錯誤 way to play.
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在玩這件事上,並沒有什麼對或錯的方式
11:51
Thank you very much.
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非常感謝
11:53
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Jinsheng Zhou
Reviewed by Yen-chung Nora Huang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Charlie Todd - Comedian
Charlie Todd is the creator of Improv Everywhere, a group that creates absurd and joyful public scenes.

Why you should listen

Bored by a temp job, and tired of waiting for someone to give him a stage, comedian Charlie Todd decided to make his own. So he walked into a bar and pretended to be musician Ben Folds. It went so well that it inspired him to create Improv Everywhere, "a New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places." 

Todd has produced, directed, performed, and documented the group’s work for over ten years. In that time they've run over 100 prank missions, some involving hundreds or thousands of agents, and each one creating a wonderful and irreproducible experience.

He's a performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, and is the author of Causing a Scene.

Watch our photographer's view of the TED2012 prank ... and see how Improv Everywhere pulled it off with the help of a few willing TEDsters ...

More profile about the speaker
Charlie Todd | Speaker | TED.com