Post by Victoria University of Wellington

One of the most powerful things about performing arts is its ability to bring people together, says Dr James Wenley, a senior lecturer in Te Whare Ngangahau—Theatre and Performance Studies. He believes that performing arts help people explore complex questions about themselves, and are essential to the wellbeing of society. Dr Wenley’s research is focused on understanding and articulating the value of performing arts for the general public and the theatre’s ability to spark social transformation. “One of the key functions of the performing arts is to reflect ourselves back to us—theatre reflects what’s happening in society. But it also offers aspiration, that this is what we could also be, that there are other possibilities that exist” he explains. Learn more about Dr Wenley’s research below.