Creating a feeling for change: theatre and the arts in the information society

The Team from Alexander Turnbull Library

A series of free public lectures in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington. Massey’s public lecture series offers you a closer look at a diverse range of fascinating topics of interest to the wider public, offering fresh perspectives and food for thought.

Date: Tuesday, 17 September, 2019
Time: Doors open at 5.45pm. Lecture runs from 6pm to 7pm.
Cost: Free event. Book via the links
Location: Taiwhanaga Kahau — Auditorium (lower ground floor), Corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Wellington. Entrance on Aitken Street.
   
Can theatre and arts change attitudes and behaviour?

In this world of information overload, do we need to make more space for artistic engagements with the issues that matter? Can theatre provoke new thinking on social justice, inequality, poverty, climate change and other big challenges of our time?

Award-winning playwright and researcher in creative communication and creative activism Dr Tilley shares insights from performance-based projects she’s pioneered, including Climate Change Theatre Action, Te Hā Tangata: Human Library on Homelessness, and JustUs (about youth justice).

Dr Tilley will discuss how these projects not only inform but also take audiences and participants on an emotional journey that can lead to profound changes in attitudes and even behaviour.
About the speaker

Associate Professor Elspeth Tilley writes plays and teaches creative activism at Massey University, Wellington. Her short political plays have won festivals worldwide and been published in the USA, UK, Canada and New Zealand. She received the Playwrights’ Association of New Zealand Outstanding Achiever award in 2018.