As a solo performer, comic actor Julia Sweeney explores love, cancer, family and faith. Her latest solo show and CD, Letting Go of God, is about the "quest for something I could really believe in" -- which turns out to be no God at all.
Why you should listen to her:
Known for her four-year run on Saturday Night Live and her powerful solo shows, Julia Sweeney is carving out her own territory in entertainment, one that moves between the personal and the political, the controversial and the comical. Her most recent piece, Letting Go of God, traces a spiritual journey that takes an unexpected turn toward science (a turn that, incidentally, also led her to TED) and ends with atheism.
In this, as in all her performances, Sweeney projects a warmth and sincerity on stage that's unmatched in today's theater; you immediately feel you're chatting with an old friend. And this gift of intimacy allows her to achieve the impossible: an utterly disarming show that honestly confronts the most controversial topic of our times. Her earlier shows, God Said “Ha!” and In the Family Way also garnered praise and prizes for their pairings of humor and poignant truth.
"Without breaking her affably conversational tone, in Letting Go of God she inhabits the emotional memory of each step on her path."New York Times
Blog Posts on TED
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"The Jill and Julia Show" on TED.com – February 20, 2008
Two TEDTalks favorites, Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney, team up for a delightful set that mixes witty songwriting with a little bit of social commentary. (Jill and Julia will be in residence next week at TED@Aspen.) (Recorded March 2007 in Monterey, California. Duration: 06:20.)
Watch Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney's performance on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.
Read more about Jill Sobule and Julia Sweeney on TED.com.
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Julia Sweeney: Sold out. But coming to TED – November 23, 2005
Is it bad blogging protocol to blurb a sold-out show? That's the question we've been asking ourselves these past few weeks — knowing that TEDster Julia Sweeney's extraordinary one-woman show has come to New York, and also knowing that you can't get tickets.
Set in a cozy living room, brimming with books, Letting Go of God traces a spiritual journey that takes an unexpected turn toward science (a turn, which, incidentally, also led her to TED). Sweeney — who's well-known for both her 4-year run on Saturday Night Live (where she invented the character "Pat") and her powerful one-woman shows (Her first was "God said Ha!") — projects a warmth and sincerity on stage that's unmatched in today's theater; you immediately feel you're chatting with an old friend. This gift of intimacy allows her to achieve the impossible: An utterly disarming show that honestly confronts the most controversial topic of our times.
Following a triumphant run in Los Angeles last spring, Letting Go of God is playing the Ars Nova Theater through Nov. 26. The run is sold-out, but same-day tickets may be available at the theater. If you miss it, take heart: Julia will perform an excerpt at TED2006.
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The World Science Festival starts tomorrow – May 28, 2008
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 29, begins the World Science Festival: a four-day celebration of scientific exploration and discovery in New York City created by TEDster Brian Greene. Members of the TED team will be liveblogging the event right here on the TED Blog, keeping you updated on the latest from many TEDTalks favorites who will be presenting there. A few events we plan to cover:
Illuminating Genius: Unlocking Creativity: Is creativity innate or learned? Does the innovative brain have distinct structural or chemical features? Can we enhance our creativity? Vilayanur Ramachandran will contribute to this session, along with Nancy Andreasen and David Eagleman.
Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives: Brian Cox will moderate a panel of physicists including Michio Kaku and Max Tegmark as they discuss the possibility of parallel worlds. The panel is to follow a screening of Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives, a film about Hugh Everett, father of the "many-worlds interpretation" of quantum physics and the film's director, Mark Everett.
Science of Morality: Patricia Churchland, Antonio Damasio and Marc Houser join philosopher Dan Dennett in a discussion of the science of right and wrong: Why do we cooperate? Is altruism innate? How does morality arise from interactions among biological and social systems?
Looking for the Laws of Life: The forms that life could take seem endless -- at least in theory. Some scientists are on the verge of creating it in a lab. But are there universal laws of life, much like the fundamental laws of physics? This event features a vibrant discussion with leading astrobiologists Paul Davies, Steven Benner and Maggie Turnbull.
Faith & Science: Many scientists have found a way to accommodate both scientific inquiry and religious teaching in their belief systems. Other scientists are bringing science to bear on religion and spiritual belief. Actress Julia Sweeney contributes to this intimate look at what scientists have to say about their spirituality.For more information about event schedules and to purchase tickets, visit the World Science Festival's website.
