Ideas worth spreading

How modern audiences can talk about aging art

1,011,031 views |

Margaret Hall |

TEDxBroadway

• May 2022

Some works of art stand the test of time; others don't age as well. Using American musical theater as her case study, theater historian Margaret Hall shares a framework of five categories to talk about how art does (and doesn't) remain useful across generations -- encouraging us to address the "growing pains" that all art faces as time and culture moves on.

Some works of art stand the test of time; others don't age as well. Using American musical theater as her case study, theater historian Margaret Hall shares a framework of five categories to talk about how art does (and doesn't) remain useful across generations -- encouraging us to address the "growing pains" that all art faces as time and culture moves on.

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About the speaker

Margaret Hall

Musical theater historian

See speaker profile

Margaret Hall is one of the foremost emerging theater historians of her generation.

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In this video essay by Zach Barr, they explore the role nostalgia plays in the theatrical experience, and the ways in which theatre is inherently a dynamic art form, rather than a static product.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxBroadway, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.