Culture101's launch party with Bret McKenzie, Perlina Lau, Mark Amery, James Wenley a.k.a. Dr Drama, Suzanne Tamaki and the 'Arty A.F.' cake! Photo: RNZ / Liisa McMillan
How do we begin? You’re invited to a launch party for Culture 101 with some arty friends to discuss the year thus far.
There’s been a fair share of both drama and delight: Te Matatini received almost a million viewers in February and got a rather significant state funding boost; after years of lobbying resale royalty rights were confirmed for visual artists, and post Covid there were standing ovations for some knockout theatre work celebrating mana wahine.
But the drama? The James Wallace case has raised big questions about power, money and the arts, university cuts threaten arts education, and there are big questions swirling around the way culture is funded.
Mark Amery and Perlina Lau are joined by composer and actor Bret McKenzie, artist and cultural events organiser extraordinaire Suzanne Tamaki (Maniapoto, Tūhoe, and Te Arawa) and Dr Drama aka theatre critic James Wenley.
Wenley’s Dr Drama Makes a Musical runs at Wellington’s BATS Theatre 19-23 September.
Culture 101's show warming party guests Bret McKenzie, Dr Drama (aka James Wenley) and Suzanne Tamaki Photo: supplied
