2025!

TEDxWolverhampton invites you to join us on a journey that celebrates the spark of Curiosity, the transformative power of Chaos, and the beauty of Creation.

Curiosity drives us to explore the unknown, daring us to question, learn, and imagine beyond what we think we know. Chaos challenges us to embrace the messy, unpredictable spaces where disruption gives birth to innovation. Creation is the triumph—the art, the solutions, the new beginnings that rise from the pieces of what was.

At TEDxWolverhampton 2025, we’ll bring together inspiring voices and groundbreaking ideas to illuminate how these forces shape our lives, our communities, and our world. Through powerful talks and shared experiences, we’ll explore how curiosity sparks exploration, chaos fosters transformation, and creation paves the way for bold futures.

Be part of this extraordinary event as we uncover stories, innovations, and perspectives that remind us of the limitless potential of human thought and creativity.

Save the date and join us for TEDxWolverhampton 2025—a celebration of curiosity, chaos, and creation like never before.

Let’s spark something incredible.

SPEAKER APPLICATIONS (2025)

We are excited that our 2025 event, ‘Curiosity, Chaos & Creativity’ is coming up in April next year.

We would like to invite anyone who is interested in speaking at our event to follow the link below and fill out our application form.

(N.B. We will require an outline of your ‘talk idea’ no more than 4000 ‘characters’ not ‘words’.)

THE VENUE

The Arena Theatre is a friendly 150 seat venue in the heart of Wolverhampton, providing innovative theatre experiences for everyone.

HISTORY

The Arena began life in 1976 in a disused gym in the basement of Wolverhampton Polytechnic, as part of the Drama and Performing Arts department. In addition to student performances, the theatre presented shows by local schools and community groups, as well as professional touring theatre companies and musicians.

With support from the Arts Council of England, the theatre was able to put on more events and open its doors to a much wider audience from outside the polytechnic, becoming a much-loved theatre that offered work reflecting Wolverhampton’s rich cultural diversity.

20 years later, however, the theatre had outgrown its cramped and inaccessible home, so with investment from the University of Wolverhampton and a grant from the National Lottery, an ambitious £2 million refurbishment began.

After 18 months of building work, the Arena Theatre re-opened in October 1999. With greatly improved facilities and access, the theatre was able to expand its programme of performances and events. We now host in excess of 200 public performances per year – in addition to a host of other special events. The work of culturally diverse artists continues to feature strongly in our programme of work and we have developed a reputation as one of the leading venues in the country for our support of Deaf and disabled artists.

FUNDING

Arena Theatre is supported using funding by Arts Council England and by the University of Wolverhampton.

Find out more at: www.wlv.ac.uk/arena-theatre

Getting here:

By car

The Arena Theatre is situated in the heart of Wolverhampton City Centre, directly behind the Wolverhampton Art Gallery and next to the University of Wolverhampton’s Wulfruna building. The theatre is completely accessible by road.

The nearby Broad Street car park is open 24 hours a day and costs £4.50 for 24-hour parking. Parking is £2 after 5.30pm.

If you don’t have change available, you can download the RingGo app directly to your smartphone. The code for Broad Street is 8035.

By train

Wolverhampton train station is a just a five-minute walk away from the Arena Theatre. See the map (link above) for directions.

Arena Photos: Drew White

What is TEDx?

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

Our event is called TEDxWolverhampton, where x = independently organized TED event.

At our event, TED Talks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.