James - Chairperson When I speak about the importance of theatre I am not speaking about a pastime or a pleasant evening. I am speaking about one of the oldest and most powerful ways that human beings understand one another. Theatre holds up a mirror to society. It shows us who we are, and it allows us to imagine who we could be. ​ Theatre is the meeting place of imagination and reality. It is where words and movement and music combine to stir empathy, to raise questions and