The Ethics of Now with Mike Wiley

Join the Kenan Institute for Ethics and host Adriane Lentz–Smith for a conversation with Mike Wiley how the arts can bridge the past and present — and bring communities together.

Through performances that bring the drama of American history to life — whether escapes from slavery, devastating acts of racial violence, or civil rights struggles and triumphs — actor and playwright Mike Wiley confronts audiences with the persisting legacies of inequality in the United States. But by inviting audiences to walk in the shoes of people very different from them, he also creates avenues for reconciliation.

Mike Wiley is a North Carolina-based actor, playwright and director of multiple one-man documentary dramas and full-cast ensemble plays, including Changing Same: The Cold-Blooded Killing of Booker T. Spicely; The Fire of Freedom; Leaving Eden; The Parchman Hour; Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till; the theatrical adaptation of Blood Done Sign My Name; One Noble Journey; and more. He has over twenty years of experience in providing documentary theatre for young audiences and in schools across North Carolina in addition to his work in film, television and regional theatre.

An Upward Bound alum and Trio Achiever Award recipient, he is an M.F.A. graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and received its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017. He is a former Lehman-Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. He has conducted numerous educational residencies funded through grant programs of the North Carolina Arts Council and his plays have been selected for spotlight showcases by arts industry conferences throughout North America.

Mike Wiley is the Stephen and Janet Bear Assistant Research Professor of Arts, Ethics, and Education in the Program in Education at Duke University. He also co-directs America’s Hallowed Ground, a project of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University that uses the arts to amplify and honor sites of past struggles significant to the American story, particularly its history of racial inequality.

This event is part of the The Ethics of Now, a series of conversations between Duke historian Adriane Lentz-Smith and a range of artists, advocates, and authors whose works explore the moral challenges of our time.

This event is free and open to the public. It takes place at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC. Parking is available on the premises, at Phoenix Square, Heritage Square Shopping Center, and on adjacent streets. An accessible entrance to the premises is available from the parking lot. Please write to Hillary Train at hillary.train@duke.edu if you require the accessible parking and entrance. Please be advised that seating for this event is first come, first served.