TEDxAsburyPark.com directors Brian Smiga and Leslie Patient in conversation with photographer Doug Dresher. On the new dinner TED Talks at Triumph Brewing Event Space featuring comedy, improv, TED Talks, original music and more.
Welcome to TEDx AsburyPark. My name is Doug Drescher, photographer for TEDxAsburyPark. I'm joined by Brian Smiga:, the longtime director of TEDxAsburyPark.com. Brian, thank you for joining today.
Brian Smiga: My pleasure, Doug. Great. Love collaborating with you.
Douglass Dresher: Absolutely. And welcome to our newest friend, Leslie Patient, who is the English department chair of Ranney School, a professional teacher, writer, proud, happy mother, and professional clown. So between the three of us, there's probably about 259 graduate. For those of you who know TEDxAsburyPark, you're probably used to the larger, longer events where we've had up to 20 TED Talks. We know people love that.
But in 2026, we've launched a two-hour dinner series at the Triumph Brewing Stage in Red Bank. Our Feb 11th dinner event is called Fool's Paradise. And it sold out quickly. So, Brian, why Fool's Paradise?
Brian Smiga: "There's two questions we need to ask about the role of the fool in our world. First, are we living in a fool's paradise? And second, what's the role of the fools?" The late night comics, Kimmel and Stuart and Colbert, who say the things we all think but can't say, and they say it in a way that makes us feel better. That's been the role of the fool, the comic or the clown throughout history. And so really, it's an examination of how important clowning, comics, fools are in society today, yesterday and in the future.
Douglass Dresher:I remember all the Charlie Chaplin movies that I saw growing up. My dad used to bring me to the Museum of Modern Art when they were restoring the old silent films. And is he the fool? But isn't he the smartest one? And poking fun at those who were too stuffy. The Fool's paradise, that idea of the village guy, who's the smartest one, that's found in every culture around the world. Leslie, what brought you to TEDx Asbury Park? And what excites you about the topic of Fool's Paradise?
Leslie Patient: I'm very excited about the idea of fools. I was brought in because I recently directed Brian in a production of King Lear at the Stone Church Players in Navesink. So when Brian mentioned TEDxAsburyPark Fools Paradise, I said, hey, did you know that my husband Steve and I graduated from Ringling Brothers Clown College? And he was like, “we want you to be part of this”. So I was very excited. I've always been interested in clowns, and in Shakespeare as well. "The idea of the jester being the smart one, the one that talks truth to power and speaks for the powerless."
Douglass Dresher:And there's that emperor new clothes, the emperor's new clothes! You said you and your husband Steve met at and graduated from clown school, which I heard you say, was harder to get into than Harvard.Could you share what it would be like to don the clown shoes and flop around? How does one decide to be a clown and how does one end up in clown school?
Leslie Patient:People came from all different like walks of life to go to clown college. There were kids straight out of high school and then there were people like me who like had master's degrees, you know, in theater. But it was a boot camp. But it really was the best training you could get as a performer, as a director, designer. We learned so much. At Clown College we were in classes for 12 hours a day, six days a week. And you made your own costumes, you learned how to put on your makeup, you learned stilt walking, juggling, all of those things. So anybody who was ever interested in theater would definitely have wanted to go to clown college. Unfortunately, it doesn't exist anymore. But it started in 1966 and it went for 30 years.
Leslie Patient:You might know different clown college graduates. Bill Irwin predated me. He went to clown College out of Oberlin. Stevo is of the younger generation. He's famous for being part of the show “Jackass”. It was an amazing training camp for entertainers.
Douglass Dresher:Brian, why the shift to the dinner theater format with more entertainment beyond TED Talks?
Brian Smiga:Well, lots of reasons. First of all, I'm a veteran of the big TED, and I met Chris Anderson in 2002 when he took over TED. It was Chris Anderson’s genius that foresaw the value of making all TED talks free and online. And also to take the TED conference concept and franchise it out. Today, there are 4000 TEDx events around the globe. So in 2012, I found myself a native of and living in Monmouth county, but most of my friends were in New York where I worked. So, I started TEDxAsburyPark as a way to make new friends and it’s become the best club going.
If anybody out there has skills in graphic design, IT web, producing, coaching, theater, we'd love to have you join at TEDxAsburyPark.com. We have about 50 folks that produce TedX Asbury Park. When we did the day-long shows there were about 20 plus acts, performers, musicians and TED Talks of course at each one. Including sometimes dance ensembles, and it was a big production but that's kind of like the big TED, which is four days long. So we took a break during COVID. In 2024, we opened the Bell Theater at Holmdel. Then we asked ourselves: what is the reinvention of TEDx Asbury Park? What’s right for today?
Brian Smiga:We decided it was a two-hour evening at a splendid restaurant with great food including farm to table. That's Triumph brewing in Red Bank. It's across the plaza from the Two River Theater, and Triumph has its own private theater that seats 80 for dinner, a jewel of a performance space. We are lucky to partner with the Triumph owner Adam Recknitz, whose family started the Two River Theater, to be Triumph’s guest production company including producing TEDx Asbury Park. In addition, we are going to produce theater events under the brand, Act 19. Each of these events will be: “Come have dinner, show starts at 7, over at 9, it's on a Monday or Wednesday weeknight.”
At each we'll have like 5 TED talks, we'll have an original music performer every time, we'll have one or more comic hosts. We'll have scenes from comedies and plays. On Wed Feb 11th, Fools Paradise, we have an improv artist and two professional clowns. So that's the kind of two hour variety performance you can expect at TEDxAsburyPark. And it's a great way to meet other people because everyone sits at farm tables and you can mix with your neighbors.
Unfortunately for your listeners, we sold out in 20 days. So next up is May 6th at Triumph. The theme is
Cakes and Ale - Why we drink and party. We're examining the role of the party, the gathering, drinking, fooding, feasting, coming together as a society. Why do we do that? How do we do it? What are all the different facets of it? So since everyone loves food and drink and since we're in a pub, a brew pub, it seemed very appropriate to look at why we drink and party.
Douglass Dresher:What's something special that Leslie's bringing to TEDx?
Brian Smiga:Well, first off, if you are running a theater company, or you want to do something theatrical, or educational theater educational, hire Leslie Patient:. Because Leslie combines the triple threat of having two master's degrees in literature and drama. And then like me she majored in religion as an undergrad. She’s a consummate educator, including being chairman of the English department at Ranney. But she's a phenomenal performer and director. So when Leslie stepped up, it was amazing because she brings her husband Steve. They met at Ringling Brothers Clown College. So they are lifelong professional clowns in addition to everything else they do. And not only that, Leslie will deliver a TED Talk called “In Defense of Clowns”, so Leslie and Steve are threaded throughout the show.
Brian Smiga: They have produced a theatrical narrative that runs end to end with the show. It's genius. And the reason all of us love volunteer to produce TEDx Asbury Park is we meet cool people like Leslie Patient: and Steve Patient.
Douglass Dresher:Oh, I agree. I'm fascinated by them. Leslie, back to you. Literature, religion, drama, performance, these are all pretty heady, serious things. How does that intellectual background, and I am so impressed with people who are literate. How does that inform you as a clown or as a performer? Even in the scope of what you're doing in the TEDx Asbury Park, you're taking some serious thoughts and you're bringing them on the stage to get people to kick back and enjoy themselves and laugh. How does that background inform you as a performer these days?
Leslie Patient:In reality, the best clowns are the best observers of people. Stand-up comedians too, right? The best stand-up comedians are the ones who look at just something regular and see the humor in it. They help us see the humor in it. So in that way, there's been a through line. Because religion is expressive, it's an expression of connection, communication, right? And it's also the heart of who we are as people. If you think about ancient Greek theater, it began because people were celebrating Dionysus.
Leslie Patient:So it began as a religious celebration. The idea of being, expressing ourselves as humans, is part of what comedy is all about, our wholeness, right? Our wholeness as humans.
Douglass Dresher:We'd love for people and creatives to join TEDxAsburyPark. Since Feb 11th is sold out. We'll hope to see you listeners May 6th. Tickets at TEDxAsburyPark.com . May the clown be with you.
Tickets to Cakes & Ale and more at TEDxAsburyPark.com
Member discussion: