Rediscovering playfulness in acting: John Wright at TEDxSquareMile2013

In this video, we explore a powerful idea at the heart of creativity: the moment when the “thinking self” runs out of things to say and the instinctive, impulsive “doing self” steps forward. This doing self is the part of us that wants to slam a shoe on the table, tip out a school bag, or act without overthinking. It is the beginning of play—the very engine of artistic creation.

The speaker reflects on the complex nature of play, noting that even the Oxford English Dictionary dedicates inches of definitions to the word. Here, play is used in the sense of “moonlight playing on water”—something beautiful, fascinating, and alive, yet ultimately without fixed meaning. And this is the great paradox: while society teaches us to value meaning above all else, playfulness is the core of our creativity, and true play cannot hold meaning tightly.
You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

Through a simple observation of children—“their big balloon-shaped heads”—the speaker experiences an epiphany. Children naturally model the playful spontaneity that adults, especially artists, often lose. They remind us of the joy, mischief, and creative experimentation that first draws many of us to theatre and performance-making.

This rediscovery of play becomes not just a personal revelation but a teaching philosophy: helping others reconnect to their own playful impulses, to the creative freedom that exists before judgement, before perfectionism, and before meaning gets in the way.

The video concludes with a guiding quote:

“Let those who think they know tell those who think they don’t.”

This video is ideal for theatre educators, drama students, improvisers, and anyone wanting to understand how to unlock creativity through play.