Exploring her personal connection to humour and how it has not only formed the basis for her career but enabled her to make connections with others, Karen’s talk emphasises our need, as a society, for
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humour.
For many though, humour is a weapon, one to both protect themselves and, at times, attack others. In her early years, Karen used humour as an outlet for unresolved issues and often went too far in the quest for a laugh. When a former fan complained about the hurt her humour had caused, Karen was forced to rethink what she framed as ‘funny’.
When used for ill, humour can have devastating effects. But, when used widely, it can be a powerful tool for good. So before we crack that next joke, Karen will ask us to consider our motives and deliver more than the perfect one-liner. Born in Glasgow and brought up in Ayr, Karen Dunbar is one of Scotland’s best-known and loved comedy actors. Starting off her television career in the sketch show Chewin’ The Fat, she went on to star in four seasons of The Karen Dunbar Show, which received four Rose d’OR nominations, and, most recently, joined the infamous River City cast.
But television is just one string to her bow, Karen has repeatedly appeared in British theatres including London’s West End, the National Theatre, acted in Shakespeare plays, performed Burns poetry, done stand up comedy, recorded her own album and DJ-ed in New York and Australia.
For over 25 years she has charmed audiences with her comedy, music and acting talents and now she brings her unique style of storytelling to our TEDx stage. 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
