TEDxBloomington
Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity
Charlie Todd: A experiencia compartida do absurdo
Filmed:
Readability: 3.2
3,155,979 views
Charlie Todd provoca escenas públicas estrañas, graciosas e inesperadas. Setenta bailaríns sincronizados en ventás dun escaparate, "cazapantasmas" correndo pola Biblioteca Pública de Nova Iorque, ademais da Ruta Anual en Metro sen Pantalóns. En TEDxBloomington mostra como o seu grupo, Improv Everywhere, utiliza estas escenas para unir á xente.
Charlie Todd - Comedian
Charlie Todd is the creator of Improv Everywhere, a group that creates absurd and joyful public scenes. Full bio
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 Improv Everywhere about 10 years ago
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Comecei Improv Everywhere hai aproximadamente 10 anos
00:18
when I moved to New York City with an interest in acting and comedy.
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cando me mudei a Nova Iorque con interese no arte dramático e a comedia.
00:21
Because I was new to the city, I didn't have access to a stage,
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Como era novo na cidade, non tiña acceso a un escenario
00:24
so I decided to create my own in public places.
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así que decidín crear o meu nos lugares públicos.
00:27
So the first project we're going to take a look at
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O primeiro proxecto que vos vou mostrar
00:29
is the very first No Pants Subway Ride.
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é a primeira Ruta en Metro sen Pantalóns
00:31
Now this took place in January of 2002.
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que se levou a cabo en xaneiro de 2002.
00:33
And this woman is the star of the video.
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Esta muller é a estrela do vídeo.
00:35
She doesn't know she's being filmed.
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Non sabe que está sendo gravada.
00:37
She's being filmed with a hidden camera.
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Estámola gravando cunha cámara oculta
00:39
This is on the 6 train in New York City.
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no tren nº 6 en Nova Iorque.
00:41
And this is the first stop along the line.
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Esta é a primeira parada da liña.
00:43
These are two Danish guys
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Estes son dous rapaces daneses
00:45
who come out and sit down next to the hidden camera.
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que entran e sentan ao lado da cámara oculta
00:48
And that's me right there in a brown coat.
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e este son eu cun abrigo marrón.
00:50
It's about 30 degrees outside.
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Estamos por debaixo dos 0 graos fóra.
00:52
I'm wearing a hat. I'm wearing a scarf.
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Levo un sombreiro e unha bufanda
00:54
And the girl's going to notice me right here.
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e a rapaza vaime ver agora mesmo.
00:59
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:05
And as you'll see now, I'm not wearing pants.
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E, como veredes agora, non levo pantalóns.
01:07
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:10
So at this point --
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Así que neste momento...
01:12
at this point she's noticed me,
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ela dáse de conta de que estou alí
01:14
but in New York there's weirdos on any given train car.
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pero en Nova Iorque hai frikis en calquera vagón de metro.
01:16
One person's not that unusual.
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Unha persoa non é tan estraño.
01:18
She goes back to reading her book, which is unfortunately titled "Rape."
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Volve poñerse a ler o seu libro, que desafortunadamente se titula "Violación".
01:21
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:25
So she's noticed the unusual thing,
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Decatouse de que hai algo estraño,
01:27
but she's gone back to her normal life.
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pero volveu á súa vida normal.
01:29
Now in the meantime, I have six friends
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Mentres tanto, eu teño seis amigos
01:31
who are waiting at the next six consecutive stops in their underwear as well.
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que están esperando nas seguintes seis paradas, tamén en roupa interior.
01:35
They're going to be entering this car one by one.
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Van empezar a entrar no vagón un por un.
01:37
We'll act as though we don't know each other.
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Actuaremos coma se non nos coñecésemos
01:40
And we'll act as if it's just an unfortunate mistake we've made,
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e coma se simplemente cometéramos un erro desafortunado,
01:43
forgetting our pants on this cold January day.
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o de esquecer os pantalóns neste día tan frío de xaneiro.
01:46
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:11
So at this point,
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Neste momento
02:13
she decides to put the rape book away.
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decide deixar de lado o libro da violación
02:15
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:17
And she decides to be a little bit more aware of her surroundings.
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e estar un pouco máis atenta ao que a rodea.
02:21
Now in the meantime, the two Danish guys to the left of the camera,
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Mentres tanto, os dous rapaces daneses á esquerda da cámara
02:23
they're cracking up.
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morren da risa.
02:25
They think this is the funniest thing they've ever seen before.
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Cren que é o máis gracioso que viron na súa vida
02:27
And watch her make eye contact with them right about now.
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e mirade como ela fai contacto visual con eles agora.
02:35
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
02:37
And I love that moment in this video,
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Encántame este momento do vídeo
02:39
because before it became a shared experience,
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porque antes de que se convertese nunha experiencia compartida
02:42
it was something that was maybe a little bit scary,
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era algo que quizais dese un pouco de medo
02:45
or something that was at least confusing to her.
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ou que polo menos a tiña un pouco confusa.
02:47
And then once it became a shared experience,
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E agora que se converteu nunha experiencia compartida
02:49
it was funny and something that she could laugh at.
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é gracioso e pode rir da experiencia.
02:51
So the train is now pulling into
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Agora o tren está chegando
02:53
the third stop along the 6 line.
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á terceira parada da liña 6.
03:09
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
03:12
So the video won't show everything.
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Non se vai ver todo no vídeo.
03:14
This goes on for another four stops.
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Isto segue durante catro paradas máis
03:16
A total of seven guys enter anonymously in their underwear.
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e un total de sete tíos entran de forma anónima en roupa interior.
03:20
At the eighth stop, a girl came in with a giant duffel bag
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Na oitava parada, entra unha rapaza cunha bolsa enorme
03:22
and announced she had pants for sale for a dollar --
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e anuncia que ten pantalóns á venda por un dólar,
03:25
like you might sell batteries or candy on the train.
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igual que calquera pode vender pilas ou caramelos no metro.
03:28
We all very matter of factly bought a pair of pants, put them on
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Todos, con toda naturalidade, mercamos uns pantalóns, poñémolos
03:31
and said, "Thank you. That's exactly what I needed today,"
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e dicimos: "Grazas, é xusto o que necesitaba hoxe"
03:34
and then exited without revealing what had happened
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saímos sen dicir o que pasa
03:37
and went in all different directions.
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e marchamos cada un na súa dirección.
03:39
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
03:41
Thank you.
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Grazas.
03:45
So that's a still from the video there.
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Este é un fotograma do vídeo.
03:47
And I love that girl's reaction so much.
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Gústame tanto a reacción da rapaza.
03:49
And watching that videotape later that day
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Ver a cinta un pouco máis tarde aquel día
03:51
inspired me to keep doing what I do.
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inspiroume para seguir facendo o que fago.
03:53
And really one of the points of Improv Everywhere
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E realmente unha das razóns de ser de Improv Everywhere
03:56
is to cause a scene in a public place
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é realizar unha escena nun lugar público
03:58
that is a positive experience for other people.
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que sexa unha experiencia positiva para outra xente.
04:00
It's a prank, but it's a prank that gives somebody a great story to tell.
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É unha trasnada, pero consegue que a xente teña boas historias que contar.
04:03
And her reaction inspired me
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A súa reacción inspiroume
04:05
to do a second annual No Pants Subway Ride.
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para facer unha segunda Ruta Anual no Metro sen Pantalóns
04:07
And we've continued to do it every year.
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e seguimos facéndoo todos os anos.
04:09
This January, we did the 10th annual No Pants Subway Ride
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Este xaneiro fixemos a X Ruta no Metro sen Pantalóns
04:11
where a diverse group of 3,500 people
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na que un grupo moi diverso de 3.500 persoas
04:14
rode the train in their underwear in New York --
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foi no metro de Nova Iorque en roupa interior.
04:16
almost every single train line in the city.
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Practicamente todas as liñas de metro na cidade.
04:18
And also in 50 other cities around the world,
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E tamén noutras 50 cidades en todo o mundo
04:20
people participated.
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a xente participou.
04:22
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
04:24
As I started taking improv class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
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Cando empecei a ir a clases de improvisación no Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
04:27
and meeting other creative people and other performers and comedians,
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e comecei a coñecer a outra xente creativa e outros actores e cómicos
04:30
I started amassing a mailing list
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empecei a amasar unha lista de correos
04:32
of people who wanted to do these types of projects.
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da xente que quería facer este tipo de proxectos
04:34
So I could do more large-scale projects.
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para poder facer proxectos máis grandes.
04:36
Well one day I was walking through Union Square,
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Un día ía atravesando Union Square
04:38
and I saw this building,
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e vin este edificio
04:40
which had just been built in 2005.
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que fora construído en 2005.
04:42
And there was a girl in one of the windows and she was dancing.
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Había unha rapaza nunha das ventás que estaba bailando.
04:45
And it was very peculiar,
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Era moi peculiar
04:47
because it was dark out, but she was back-lit with florescent lighting,
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porque estaba escuro fóra, pero ela tiña unha iluminación fluorescente de fondo
04:49
and she was very much onstage,
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estaba moi metida na escena
04:51
and I couldn't figure out why she was doing it.
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e eu non podía imaxinar por que o estaba facendo.
04:53
After about 15 seconds, her friend appeared --
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Despois de máis ou menos 15 segundos apareceu a súa amiga
04:55
she had been hiding behind a display --
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estaba escondida tras unha pancarta
04:57
and they laughed and hugged each other and ran away.
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botáronse a rir, abrazáronse e marcharon correndo.
04:59
So it seemed like maybe she had been dared to do this.
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Parecía que tivesen apostado para ver se era capaz de facelo.
05:01
So I got inspired by that.
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Iso inspiroume.
05:03
Looking at the entire facade -- there were 70 total windows --
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Mirei a fachada enteira (había 70 ventás en total)
05:05
and I knew what I had to do.
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e souben o que tiña que facer.
05:07
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
05:09
So this project is called Look Up More. We had 70 actors dress in black.
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Este proxecto chámase Mira Máis cara Arriba. Tiñamos 70 actores vestidos de negro.
05:12
This was completely unauthorized.
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Non tiñamos autorización.
05:14
We didn't let the stores know we were coming.
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Non informamos aos grandes almacéns de que iamos ir.
05:16
And I stood in the park giving signals.
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Eu quedei no parque dando instrucións.
05:18
The first signal was for everybody to hold up these four-foot tall letters
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A primeira era para que todo o mundo levantase as letras de máis dun metro de alto
05:21
that spelled out "Look Up More,"
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coas que se facía a frase "Mira Máis cara Arriba",
05:23
the name of the project.
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o nome do proxecto.
05:26
The second signal was for everybody to do Jumping jacks together.
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A segunda instrución era para que todos saltasen xuntos.
05:29
You'll see that start right here.
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Aquí podedes ver o comezo.
05:32
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
05:34
And then we had dancing. We had everyone dance.
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E logo bailes. Fixemos que todos bailasen.
05:36
And then we had dance solos where only one person would dance
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E logo fixeron solos de baile, nos que unha única persoa bailaba
05:38
and everybody would point to them.
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e o resto a sinalaba.
05:40
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
05:47
So then I gave a new hand signal,
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Despois din unha nova instrución
05:49
which signaled the next soloist down below in Forever 21,
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que sinalaba ao seguinte bailarín en Forever 21
05:52
and he danced.
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e bailou.
05:54
There were several other activities.
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Houbo varias actividades máis.
05:56
We had people jumping up and down,
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A xente saltaba arriba e abaixo
05:58
people dropping to the ground.
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tirábanse ao chan.
06:00
And I was standing just anonymously in a sweatshirt,
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E eu estaba alí de anónimo cun chándal,
06:02
putting my hand on and off of a trashcan
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metendo e sacando a man dunha papeleira
06:04
to signal the advancement.
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para sinalar os avances.
06:06
And because it was in Union Square Park, right by a subway station,
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E como estabamos en Union Square Park, ao lado dunha estación de metro
06:08
there were hundreds of people by the end
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cara o final había centos de persoas
06:10
who stopped and looked up
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que paraban e miraban cara arriba
06:12
and watched what we were doing.
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para ver o que faciamos.
06:16
There's a better photo of it.
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Aquí vese unha foto mellor.
06:18
So that particular event
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Así que este acontecemento concreto
06:20
was inspired by a moment
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inspirouse nun momento
06:22
that I happened to stumble upon.
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co que me topei de casualidade.
06:24
The next project I want to show
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O seguinte proxecto que quero mostrar
06:26
was given to me in an email from a stranger.
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chegou ao meu e-mail da man dun descoñecido.
06:28
A high school kid in Texas wrote me in 2006
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Un rapaz dun instituto de Texas escribiume en 2006
06:31
and said, "You should get as many people as possible
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e dixo: "Deberías conseguir que tanta xente como sexa posible
06:33
to put on blue polo shirts and khaki pants
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poña polos azuis e pantalóns caqui,
06:36
and go into a Best Buy and stand around."
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vaia a unha tenda Best Buy e pasee por alí".
06:38
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
06:42
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
06:44
So I wrote this high school kid back immediately,
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Así que respondín o correo do rapaz inmediatamente
06:46
and I said, "Yes, you are correct.
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e lle dixen: "Tes toda a razón.
06:48
I think I'll try to do that this weekend. Thank you."
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Creo que vou intentar facelo esta fin de semana. Grazas".
06:50
So here's the video.
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E aquí está o vídeo.
06:52
So again, this is 2005.
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De novo, estamos en 2005.
06:54
This is the Best Buy in New York City.
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Este é o Best Buy de Nova Iorque.
06:57
We had about 80 people show up to participate,
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Unhas 80 persoas achegáronse para participar
06:59
entering one-by-one.
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e entraron unha por unha.
07:01
There was an eight year-old girl, a 10 year-old girl.
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Había unha nena de oito anos, outra de dez,
07:03
There was also a 65 year-old man
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e tamén un home de 65 anos
07:05
who participated.
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entre os participantes.
07:07
So a very diverse group of people.
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Un grupo moi diverso, en definitiva.
07:09
And I told people, "Don't work. Don't actually do work.
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Díxenlle á xente: "Non traballedes, non fagades nada de traballo.
07:12
But also, don't shop.
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Pero tampouco compredes.
07:14
Just stand around and don't face products."
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Só paseade e non fagades caso dos produtos".
07:16
Now you can see the regular employees
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Podedes distinguir os empregados reais
07:18
by the ones that have the yellow tags on their shirt.
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polas etiquetas amarelas que levan na camiseta.
07:20
Everybody else is one of our actors.
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O resto da xente son os nosos actores.
07:22
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:24
The lower level employees thought it was very funny.
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Os empregados pensaron que era divertido.
07:26
And in fact, several of them went to go get their camera from the break room
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E, de feito, algúns deles foron buscar as súas cámaras á sala de descanso
07:28
and took photos with us.
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e sacáronse fotos connosco.
07:30
A lot of them made jokes about trying to get us to go to the back
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Moitos deles dicían de brincadeira que nos ían mandar ao almacén
07:33
to get heavy television sets for customers.
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a coller sets de televisión moi pesados para os clientes.
07:36
The managers and the security guards, on the other hand,
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Aos encargados e aos gardas de seguridade, por outra banda,
07:39
did not find it particularly funny.
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non lles pareceu moi gracioso.
07:41
You can see them in this footage.
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Podedes velos aquí.
07:43
They're wearing either a yellow shirt or a black shirt.
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Levan unha camisa amarela ou negra.
07:46
And we were there probably 10 minutes
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Estivemos alí probablemente dez minutos
07:48
before the managers decided to dial 911.
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antes de que os encargados chamasen o 911.
07:50
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:53
So they started running around
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Empezaron a corricar por todas partes
07:55
telling everybody the cops were coming, watch out, the cops were coming.
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dicíndolle a todo o mundo que viña a poli, que tivesen coidado.
07:58
And you can see the cops in this footage right here.
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E podedes ver os policías nesta secuencia.
08:01
That's a cop wearing black right there, being filmed with a hidden camera.
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Aquí hai un policía vestido de negro que está sendo filmado cunha cámara oculta.
08:04
Ultimately, the police had to inform Best Buy management
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Ao final, o policía tivo que informar os encargados de Best Buy
08:06
that it was not, in fact, illegal
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de que non era ilegal
08:08
to wear a blue polo shirt and khaki pants.
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levar polo azul e pantalóns caqui.
08:10
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
08:12
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
08:16
Thank you.
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Grazas.
08:18
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
08:21
So we had been there for 20 minutes; we were happy to exit the store.
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Levábamos alí 20 minutos, xa podiamos saír da tenda tranquilos.
08:24
One thing the managers were trying to do
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Unha das cousas que os encargados trataban de facer
08:26
was to track down our cameras.
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era localizar as nosas cámaras.
08:28
And they caught a couple of my guys who had hidden cameras in duffel bags.
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Colleron a un par dos meus rapaces que tiñan cámaras ocultas en bolsas de tela.
08:31
But the one camera guy they never caught
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Pero houbo unha cámara que non descubriron
08:33
was the guy that went in just with a blank tape
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e foi a dun rapaz que entrou simplemente cunha cinta
08:35
and went over to the Best Buy camera department
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foi ao departamento de cámaras de Best Buy
08:37
and just put his tape in one of their cameras
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meteu a cinta nunha das cámaras
08:39
and pretended to shop.
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e fixo como que mercaba.
08:42
So I like that concept of using their own technology against them.
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Gustoume a idea de utilizar a súa propia tecnoloxía en contra deles.
08:45
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
08:47
I think our best projects are ones that are site specific
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Creo que os nosos mellores proxectos son os que teñen un lugar específico
08:49
and happen at a particular place for a reason.
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e pasan nun sitio concreto por unha razón.
08:51
And one morning, I was riding the subway.
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Unha mañá ía no metro,
08:53
I had to make a transfer at the 53rd St. stop
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tiña que facer transbordo na parada da rúa 53
08:55
where there are these two giant escalators.
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onde están esas escaleiras mecánicas enormes.
08:57
And it's a very depressing place to be in the morning, it's very crowded.
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É un sitio moi deprimente polas mañás, está ateigado de xente.
09:00
So I decided to try and stage something
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Así que decidín facer algo alí
09:02
that could make it as happy as possible for one morning.
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que puidese facelo o máis alegre posible durante unha mañá.
09:06
So this was in the winter of 2009 --
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Estabamos no inverno de 2009.
09:08
8:30 in the morning.
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Eran as 8:30 da mañá.
09:10
It's morning rush hour.
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Hora punta pola mañá.
09:12
It's very cold outside.
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Facía moito frío fóra.
09:14
People are coming in from Queens,
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A xente chegaba dende Queens
09:16
transferring from the E train to the 6 train.
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facendo transbordo do tren E ao tren 6
09:19
And they're going up these giant escalators
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e ían subindo esas escaleiras xigantes
09:21
on their way to their jobs.
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de camiño ao traballo.
09:34
(Laughter)
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Rob quere chocar a man contigo. (Risas)
09:46
(Laughter)
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Prepárate. (Risas)
09:48
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
09:54
Thank you.
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Grazas.
09:56
So there's a photograph that illustrates it a little bit better.
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Hai unha foto que o ilustra un pouco mellor.
09:59
He gave 2,000 high fives that day,
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Chocou a man 2.000 veces aquel día,
10:01
and he washed his hands before and afterward
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lavou as mans antes e despois
10:03
and did not get sick.
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e non se puxo enfermo.
10:05
And that was done also without permission,
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Isto fíxose tamén sen permiso
10:07
although no one seemed to care.
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pero a ninguén pareceu importarlle.
10:09
So I'd say over the years,
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Diría que co paso dos anos
10:11
one of the most common criticisms I see of Improv Everywhere
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unha das críticas máis comúns que vexo de Improv Everywhere
10:14
left anonymously on YouTube comments
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que aparece de forma anónima nos comentarios de YouTube
10:16
is: "These people have too much time on their hands."
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é: "Esta xente ten demasiado tempo libre".
10:19
And you know, not everybody's going to like everything you do,
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E, por suposto, non a todo o mundo lle vai gustar o que fas
10:22
and I've certainly developed a thick skin thanks to Internet comments,
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e eu xa me fixen máis duro grazas aos comentarios de internet
10:24
but that one's always bothered me,
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pero esta crítica sempre me molesta
10:26
because we don't have too much time on our hands.
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porque non temos moito tempo libre.
10:28
The participants at Improv Everywhere events
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A xente que participa nos eventos de Improv Everywhere
10:31
have just as much leisure time as any other New Yorkers,
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ten o mesmo tempo libre que calquera outro neoiorquino,
10:33
they just occasionally choose
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simplemente escollen
10:35
to spend it in an unusual way.
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utilizalo dunha forma orixinal.
10:37
You know, every Saturday and Sunday,
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Xa sabedes, cada sábado e domingo
10:39
hundreds of thousands of people each fall
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centos de miles de persoas cada outono
10:41
gather in football stadiums to watch games.
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reúnense nos estadios de fútbol para ver os partidos.
10:43
And I've never seen anybody comment, looking at a football game,
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E nunca oín a ninguén comentar, ao ver un partido de fútbol:
10:46
saying, "All those people in the stands, they have too much time on their hands."
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"Esta xente que está nas bancadas ten demasiado tempo libre".
10:49
And of course they don't.
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E por suposto que non o teñen.
10:51
It's a perfectly wonderful way to spent a weekend afternoon,
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E unha forma marabillosa de pasar unha tarde de fin de semana
10:53
watching a football game in a stadium.
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vendo un partido de fútbol nun estadio.
10:56
But I think it's also a perfectly valid way
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Pero na miña opinión tamén é perfectamente válido
10:58
to spend an afternoon freezing in place with 200 people
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pasar unha tarde conxelándose con outras 200 persoas
11:01
in the Grand Central terminal
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na terminal de Grand Central
11:03
or dressing up like a ghostbuster
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ou disfrazándose de cazapantasmas
11:06
and running through the New York Public Library.
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e correndo a través da Biblioteca Pública de Nova Iorque.
11:08
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:10
Or listening to the same MP3 as 3,000 other people
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Ou escoitando a mesma canción que outras 3.000 persoas
11:13
and dancing silently in a park,
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e bailando en silencio nun parque,
11:16
or bursting into song in a grocery store
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ou empezando a cantar nunha tenda de comestibles
11:18
as part of a spontaneous musical,
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como parte dun musical espontáneo
11:20
or diving into the ocean in Coney Island wearing formal attire.
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ou lanzándose ao océano en Coney Island ataviado con roupas formais.
11:23
You know, as kids, we're taught to play.
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Cando eramos nenos ensináronnos a xogar
11:26
And we're never given a reason why we should play.
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e nunca nos deron unha razón pola que debiamos xogar.
11:28
It's just acceptable that play is a good thing.
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Simplemente se acepta que xogar é algo bo.
11:31
And I think that's sort of the point of Improv Everywhere.
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E creo que esa é a razón de ser de Improv Everywhere.
11:34
It's that there is no point and that there doesn't have to be a point.
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Non hai razón e non ten por que haber unha razón.
11:36
We don't need a reason.
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Non necesitamos unha razón.
11:38
As long as it's fun
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Mentres sexa divertido
11:40
and it seems like it's going to be a funny idea
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e pareza que vai ser unha idea divertida
11:42
and it seems like the people who witness it will also have a fun time,
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e pareza que a xente que a vai ver vaia ter un momento divertido tamén
11:45
then that's enough for us.
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iso é suficiente para nós.
11:47
And I think, as adults, we need to learn
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E creo que, como adultos, temos que aprender
11:49
that there's no right or wrong way to play.
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que non hai unha forma correcta ou incorrecta de xogar.
11:51
Thank you very much.
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Moitas grazas
11:53
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Charlie Todd - ComedianCharlie 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 ...
Charlie Todd | Speaker | TED.com