Up&Down | Paolo Ruffini | TEDxCoriano

In this talk, Paolo Ruffini, actor, director, and author, discusses his experience with "Up & Down," the theater show starring him and children with Down syndrome. "Since I started working with them," he confesses, "I can't work with normal people anymore." But what is normality? "Normal things," says Paolo, "are deadly boring. Nature isn't normal, there's no such thing as a normal family, the coolest things in life are abnormal. People with Down syndrome have this incredible ability to be on first name terms with life: that's what excites me about them. They're people with many flaws, just like us. Theater evens the score, because on that stage we're all different, and then diversity under the spotlight becomes an opportunity." What does it mean to be controversial these days? "I'm tired of people who always argue. That's why I go around talking about 'goodness.' A word we thought we'd forgotten." Actor, director, and author Paolo Ruffini, actor, director, and author, talks about his experience with "Up & Down," the theater show starring him alongside young people with Down syndrome. "Since I started working with them," he confesses, "I can't work with normal people anymore." But what is normality? "Normal things," says Paolo, "are deadly boring. Nature isn't normal, there's no such thing as a normal family, the coolest things in life are abnormal. People with Down syndrome have this incredible ability to be on first name terms with life: that's what excites me about them. They are people with many flaws, just like us. Theater evens the score, because on that stage we're all different, and then diversity under the spotlight becomes an opportunity." What does it mean to be controversial these days? "I'm tired of people who always argue. That's why I go around talking about 'goodness.' A word we thought we'd forgotten." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx