In this introductory episode of The Signal Room, theatre director, dramaturg and creative leader Shona Benson joins moderator Michael Frugtniet for a wide-ranging conversation about the arts, human connection and the world in which young people are now growing up.

Drawing on Shona’s decades of experience across theatre and education, the discussion begins with the distinctive power of live performance: the way strangers gather, respond and briefly become a community through a shared story. Theatre, she argues, allows people to encounter difficult experiences, practise empathy and explore unfamiliar emotions within a space that feels real but remains safe.

The conversation then turns to the growing pressures facing the arts. Although culture helps build imagination, identity, confidenc ...