Performing arts in New Zealand include

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

and

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

presentations of

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

where it accompanies live performance.

Aotearoa ''Aotearoa'' () is the current Māori-language name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference to only the North Island, with the name of the whole country being ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' ("North Island and South ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

has an active contemporary performing arts culture; many people participate in performing arts activities and most people live near an

arts centre An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for ...

or theatre building.

History

Māori performing arts, ''toi'' and ''whare tapere''

The

Indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

of New Zealand are

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

. The Māori worldview is different to that of the settler colonists and Western perspective, and performing arts was interlinked with aspects of daily life. The closest word for arts in the Māori language is ''toi.''

...'toi' often translates as knowledge, skill, excellence, source, origin, or mastery. (Ranea Aperahama, 2018)

Pre-European Māori culture was oral, passing on knowledge through story, song and genealogy. Knowledge was transferred and preserved in art, including carvings (whakairo), weaving (raranga), song (waiata) and dance (haka). Artefacts were handed down through generations. Artist and scholar Rangihiroa Panaho relates to viewing and understanding Māori art as a meandering river, through the viewpoints of both a 'traditional' and 'contemporary' lens.

Māori art is an idea, not so much a form: it is the flow, not so much where the flow settles. (Rangihiroa Panaho, 2015)

It is known from

mātauranga Māori Mātauranga (literally ''Māori knowledge'') is a modern term for the traditional knowledge of the Māori people of New Zealand. Māori traditional knowledge is multi-disciplinary and holistic, and there is considerable overlap between concepts. ...

(Māori knowledge) that there were Whare Tapere, pre-European places of storytelling and entertainment which included waiata (songs), haka (dance), ngā kōrero (stories),

taonga pūoro Taonga pūoro are the traditional musical instruments of the Māori people of New Zealand. The instruments previously fulfilled many functions within Māori society including a call to arms, dawning of the new day, communications with the gods a ...

(musical instruments), Ngā Taonga-o-Wharawhara (body adornments), karetao (puppets) and tākaro (games and amusements). Academic

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal is a New Zealand musician, academic, and Māori music revivalist. He is of Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tamaterā, and Ngā Puhi descent. He received a Bachelor of Music from Victoria University of Wellin ...

says of Whare Tapere: "They fell into disuse in the 19th century and new ways of performing were subsequently developed by Maori communities." Tinerau and Kae are the Māori ancestors of performing arts. The well-known form of kapa haka is part of the new ways of performing in Aotearoa. Haka is translated into English as dance but as scholar

Tīmoti Kāretu Sir Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu (born 29 April 1937) is a New Zealand academic of Māori language and performing arts. He served as the inaugural head of the Department of Māori at the University of Waikato, and rose to the rank of professor. He w ...

says it is more than a pastime; it is a composition, an expression of disciplined emotion and can hold a variety of roles including as welcome, as entertainment, as challenge, and as defiance and contempt.

The ability to haka and to do so with style, grace, elegance and panache, was extremely important in traditional Māori society. (Tīmoti Kāretu,1993)

Settler colonist performing arts

Late 18th century and 19th century

Sailors, sealers and whalers were the first Europeans to arrive to New Zealand at the end of the 18th century. They sang shanties, mostly of British and American origin, although some were adapted to a New Zealand context such as ''The Sailor's Way''. Settler colonists started arriving in New Zealand at the beginning of the 19th century with trading stations established in the north. The first Christian mission station was established in the Bay of Islands in 1814 by Samuel Marsden. The first ship of settlers from the New Zealand Company arrived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in January 1840. The British upper class brought their culture of poetry recitals, literary reading and music with them. Amongst possessions shipped to New Zealand were instruments such as pianos as fictionalised in the film '' The Piano'' directed by

Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and '' The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for which she has received a tot ...

. Working-class people from England, Ireland and Scotland were the biggest earliest migrant groups and they brought their performing arts traditions of singing, folk dancing and storytelling. Chinese immigrants came to New Zealand during the 1860s gold rush, with over 2,000 Chinese men settled in Otago by 1869. Other groups came to New Zealand too such as Dalmatians in the 1880s. There is very little written about performing arts of non-British migrant groups such as those from China and Europe over this period. Once there were British settlements in New Zealand, touring theatre and music productions with English actors and managers toured through New Zealand and Australia.

J.C. Williamson James Cassius Williamson (26 August 1845 – 6 July 1913) was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company. Born in Pennsylvania, Williamson moved with his fami ...

was one of these companies and Mrs W. H. Foley was a well-known performer of revues that included dramatic sketches and music.

Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company Pollard's Lilliputian Opera Company was series of professional children's troupes, first established in Launceston, Tasmania, in May 1880. Established by James Joseph Pollard, over the next thirty years several members of the Pollard family operate ...

toured in Australia and New Zealand for thirty years from 1880. Entrepreneurial theatre managers built theatre buildings in every town as the settler populations increased. In Wellington the first theatre opened in 1843, only three years after the first settler ship arrived. This first theatre was called the Royal Victoria Theatre, it was a small wooden building with stalls and a gallery, lit by

whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Whale oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tears, tear" or "drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil obtained from the ...

. In

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

the Fitzroy on Shortland Street opened in 1844.

Early 20th century

In the 1920s, performing arts in cities changed with radio and cinema being introduced. Drama and entertainment consisted of touring British or Australian companies, for example English Shakespearean actor

Allan Wilkie Allan Wilkie CBE (9 February 1878 – 7 January 1970) was an English Shakespearean actor of Scottish descent noted for his career in Australia. Biography Born in Toxteth Park, Lancashire, he was educated at Liverpool High School and went to ...

, who toured New Zealand seven times between 1916 and 1930. There were some New Zealand poets, novelists and short story authors but creating original New Zealand-based plays was not common.

Rosemary Rees Rosemary Rees Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, MBE (23 September 1901 – 8 March 1994) was a British aviator who worked for the Air Transport Auxiliary. She was second in command to Margaret Wyndham Gore, Margot Gore at ...

tried to established a theatre company in the 1920s and

Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...

was a member. Marsh also was part of Wilkie's touring company in 1919 and 1920. Charles Cabot was a well known entertainer born in Wellington who travelled in 1912 on horse and cart with circus groups and also worked in Australia. The 1910s and 1920s saw growth of amateur theatre in New Zealand, where people "put on plays for their own recreation and to present to other people". The New Zealand branch of the

British Drama League The All-England Theatre Festival ("AETF") organises the only countrywide eliminating One-Act Play Festival, contest for one-act plays in performance throughout England. It provides an opportunity for Amateurs to compete against like-minded group ...

was established in 1932. There were many writers contributing and three quarters were women.

Violet Targuse Violet Targuse (née Healey, 1884 – 1937) was an early female playwright in New Zealand. She has been described as "probably New Zealand's most successful and least acclaimed one-act playwright," and "the most successful writer in the early yea ...

was one who won several Drama League competitions with her work. New Zealand audiences wanted to see plays and the competition from cinema had mostly stopped the touring companies coming so amateur societies filled the gap. Most of the plays produced apart from the one act plays competition were English stories.

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

musicals and plays were popular in the 1930s. Writer Peter Harcourt in his book ''A Dramatic Appearance: New Zealand theatre 1920-1970'' states that the 1930s although many people were involved in amateur theatre there was a "blinkered concentration on the west End of London" which meant writers and societies through the 1930s and 1940s presented plays about England. Harcourt describes this as "teacups and tennis-courts". Unity Theatre, a theatre company in Wellington founded in 1942 that ran until around 1979, specialised in bringing social, moral and political issues to audiences. Unity Theatre were an exception with most societies presenting only about one New Zealand play a year between 1950-1976. Other exceptions were the Community Arts Service in Auckland and the Māori Musical Society, which presented in 1941 an adaption of ''Hinemoa'' by Arthur Adam with soprano Te Mauri Meihana in the lead role. Dance halls were how many people spent their entertainment time in the 1940s including a media outcry that this was introducing a slipping of morals, compounded by the numerous American soldiers stationed around New Zealand.

Establishment of professional New Zealand performing arts

Development of professional New Zealand performing arts was also the development of a unique voice of New Zealand arts, one that reflected the communities that lived in New Zealand. Early professional theatre companies were

New Zealand Players The New Zealand Players were one of New Zealand's first professional theatre companies, active between 1952 and 1960. The company's director was Richard Campion, who with his wife and co-founder Edith Campion were former members of the New Zeala ...

, active between 1952 and 1960 that toured nationally and the

Southern Comedy Players The Southern Comedy Players, later the Southern Players and the Southern Theatre Trust, were a New Zealand theatre company, active between 1957 and 1971. They were founded by William Menlove and Bernard Esquilant, and based in Dunedin. The com ...

(also called Southern Players) based in Dunedin and touring nationally, 1957–1971. Richard Campion was the founder of the New Zealand Players, influenced by Bruce Mason and Ngaio Marsh. Mason's play ''

The Pohutukawa Tree ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' was written in 1955 and first performed in 1957 by the New Zealand Players. It is well-known in New Zealand and often studied in schools. As director

Colin McColl Sir Colin Hugh Verel McColl, (born 6 September 1932) was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1989 to 1994. Career Educated at Shrewsbury School and at The Queen's College, Oxford, McColl joined the diplomatic service in 1 ...

says, it is an expression of the 'complexities and the misunderstandings of Māori-Pākehā relations at the time'. In 1963 a New Zealand government funding body for the arts was established, the Queen Elizabeth ll Arts Council.

Bill Sheat William Newton Sheat (1 May 1930 – 20 January 2021) was a New Zealand lawyer and arts advocate whose input was instrumental in many arts organisations including as a founding member of the New Zealand Film Commission, Creative New Zealand (f ...

was appointed to the drama panel and he was the chair from 1969 to 1973. New Zealand actors and dancers were only trained by private teachers or learnt from appearing in amateur productions. The British-based

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

’s teaching certificate was first offered in the 1930s. If further training was desired for a professional career, people travelled overseas, usually to Britain. This changed with the opening of the National School of Ballet in 1967 (renamed the New Zealand School of Dance in 1982) and the New Zealand Drama School in 1970 (renamed Toi Whakaari in 1989).

Rawiri Paratene Peter David Broughton , generally known as Rawiri Paratene, is a New Zealand stage and screen actor, director and writer. He is known for his acting roles in ''Whale Rider'' (2002) and '' The Insatiable Moon'' (2010). Biography Paratene was bor ...

was the first Māori graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1972. Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington (1964 to 2013) which occupied the purpose-built

Hannah Playhouse The Hannah Playhouse is a theatre venue situated on the corner of Courtenay Place and Cambridge Terrace in central Wellington, New Zealand. The Hannah Playhouse was given by Sheilah Winn (first cousin of Edith Campion, mother of Jane Campion) an ...

. The Māori Theatre Trust was formed in 1966 after an experience by Māori actors in ''

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', itse ...

'' that had Īnia Te Wīata in the lead and

George Henare George Winiata Henare (born 11 September 1945) is a New Zealand actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life Born in Gisborne on 11 September 1945, the third youngest in a family of ten children, Henare affiliates to the Māori trib ...

and 30 other Māori performers in the chorus. The Māori Theatre Trust supported training for Māori actors and the development and growth of contemporary Māori performance. Members included Don Selwyn and Rowley Habib (Rore Hapipi). They ceased to be active after 1970. Fortune_Theatre_exterior_15

The inaugural New Zealand Polynesian Cultural Festival began in 1972 and with the introduction of

Māori Language Day Māori Language Day is observed annually on 14 September. Ngā Tamatoa presented a petition to parliament on 14 September 1972 calling for Te Reo Māori to be introduced in primary schools throughout New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ...

in the same year, (initiated by Ngā Tama Toa and others including actor Rawiri Paratene), Māori cultural performing arts had more platforms to be performed in settings other than marae. The New Zealand Polynesian Cultural Festival became the Aotearoa Traditional Māori Performing Arts Festival in 1983 and then Te Matatini in 2004, and is a national biennial kapa haka competition and celebration. Contemporary Māori performance company Te Ika a Maui Players started in 1976 with a three-year New Zealand tour of the play ''The death of the land'' by Rowley Habib.

Circa Theatre Circa Theatre is a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that was established in 1976. They present a number of plays each year in their two auditoriums, and have a unique partnership and funding model with incoming shows unde ...

in Wellington was established in 1976.

Te Ohu Whakaari Te Ohu Whakaari was a Māori theatre cooperative formed by Rangimoana Taylor in the early 1980s that created and performed plays across New Zealand. About Rangimoana Taylor was inspired to form Te Ohu Whakaari by his experiences in an Auckland ...

, was a Māori theatre cooperative formed in the early 1980s that created and performed plays across New Zealand, touring for 15 years to schools and marae. It was formed by

Rangimoana Taylor Rangimoana Taylor is an actor, theatre director, storyteller from New Zealand with more than 35 years in the industry. He has performed nationally and internationally and was the lead in the feature film ''Hook Line and Sinker'' (2011). He was a ...

, and playwrights included his siblings

Apirana Taylor Apirana Taylor (born 15 March 1955) is a New Zealand poet, novelist, performer, story-teller, musician and painter. Biography Born in Wellington 15 March 1955, Apirana Taylor is of Pākehā and Māori descent with affiliations to Ngāti Porou, ...

and

Riwia Brown Riwia Brown (née Taylor; born 1957) is a New Zealand playwright. She is the screenwriter of the popular and award-winning New Zealand movie ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994). The ''Once Were Warriors'' screenplay, adapted from the book of the sam ...

. Writer and director

Briar Grace-Smith Briar Grace-Smith is a screenwriter, director, actor, and short story writer from New Zealand. She has worked as an actor and writer with the Maori theatre cooperative Te Ohu Whakaari and Maori theatre company He Ara Hou. Early plays ''Don't Ca ...

was part of this group. The_Depot_Wgtn

Blerta Blerta (''"Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition"'') was a New Zealand musical and theatrical co-operative active from 1971 until 1975. It was the idea of Bruno Lawrence to arrange a group of musicians, actors and fr ...

was a musical and theatrical collective from 1971 until 1975 that travelled around New Zealand.

Red Mole :''See also the International Marxist Group (Germany). The International Marxist Group (IMG) was a Trotskyist group in Britain between 1968 and 1982. It was the British Section of the Fourth International. It had around 1,000 members and supporte ...

was an alternative theatre company established in 1974, who also toured around New Zealand at various times. The

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

in Dunedin, built by Patrick and

Rosalie Carey Rosalie Louise Carey ( Seddon; 18 May 1921 – 29 June 2011) was a New Zealand actor, playwright, director and author who founded the Globe Theatre in Dunedin, the first purpose-built theatre for professional repertory in New Zealand, with the ...

in 1961 supported New Zealand poet and author

James K. Baxter James Keir Baxter (29 June 1926 – 22 October 1972) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. He was also known as an activist for the preservation of Māori culture. He is one of New Zealand's most well-known and controversial literary figures. H ...

to write plays in the 1970s, they also presented

Greek classics Ancient Greek literature is literature written in the Ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. The earliest surviving works of ancient Greek literature, dating back to the early Archaic period, are ...

such as

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful e ...

, the first production of '' Waiting for Godot'' by

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

in New Zealand, and other New Zealand work such as ''A State of Siege'' adapted from

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She was internationally renowned for her work, which included novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous awar ...

. The Fortune Theatre was professional theatre company in Dunedin from 1973 to 2018. In 1981, Downstage Theatre in Wellington opened a small space to showcase New Zealand work, The Depot Theatre with ''The Rose,'' a short play by Roger Hall, a one-act 'political parable' that had premiered at

Theatre Corporate Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

in Auckland. It was directed by Phillip Mann and featured commedia dell'arte masks by designer Raymond Boyce, and a character 'The Leader' based on the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of the time

Robert Muldoon Sir Robert David Muldoon (; 25 September 19215 August 1992) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand, from 1975 to 1984, while leader of the National Party. Serving as a corporal and sergeant in th ...

. Actors in this production included

Kate Harcourt Dame Catherine Winifred Harcourt (née Fulton; born 16 June 1927), known professionally as Kate Harcourt, is a New Zealand actress. Over her long career she has worked in comedy as well as drama in theatre, film, TV and radio. Personal life Ha ...

and

Desmond Kelly Desmond Kelly is a Ceylonese musician who has entertained in Sri Lanka and in Australia. He was born in Colombo in 1936. Songs on Radio Ceylon Kelly was one of a group of musicians who were discovered by Radio Ceylon, now the Sri Lanka Broadcas ...

. It was a statement for the new venue to open with a political commentary in the lead-up to a general election, the following review summarises:

It is a politically chilling statement on life in New Zealand today, a simple warming to us about sitting back and allowing democracy to be trampled underfoot by a power-hungry megalomaniac. (Ralph McAllister, 1981)

The Depot theatre evolved into the current Māori theatre company

Taki Rua Taki Rua is a theatre organisation based in Wellington, Aotearoa / New Zealand that has produced many contemporary Māori theatre productions. Taki Rua has been going since 1983 and has had several name changes over that time including The New Depo ...

. Other theatre companies include the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury also ...

in Auckland, the Court Theatre in Christchurch and Centrepoint Theatre in Palmerston North.

Contemporary performing arts in New Zealand

Arts access

It is increasingly part of performing arts presentations to ensure access for people who experience barriers to participation. The

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

and Deaf communities and various community arts organisations support and promote access through a variety of means.

Arts Access Aotearoa Arts Access Aotearoa was established as a charitable trust in 1995 with funding from Creative New Zealand. It was created primarily to meet a key objective of the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa Act 1994: that is, to support "the availab ...

is a central advocacy body and has an annual awards called

Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards The Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards, formerly called the Big 'A' Awards, are New Zealand arts awards, presented annually by Arts Access Aotearoa. Introduced in 2007, they were initially called the Big 'A' Awards, but were renamed as Te Putanga ...

running since 2008. Companies working in this area include

Equal Voices Arts Equal(s) may refer to: Mathematics * Equality (mathematics). * Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality. Arts and entertainment * ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film * ''Equals'' (game), a board game ...

in the Waikato 'where deaf artists lead their equal voiced performing arts organisation' and

Touch Compass Touch Compass is a professional inclusive dance company in Aotearoa New Zealand established in 1997 that has disabled and non-disabled dancers. They have been at the forefront of inclusive dance in New Zealand and have 'paved the way for many d ...

, a dance company established in 1997. People involved over the years in Touch Compass include Catherine Chappell, Suzanne Cowan, Alisha McLennan Marler, Adus Smith, Sierra Diprose, Julie van Renen,

Rodney Bell Rodney may refer to: People * Rodney (name) * Rodney (wrestler), American professional wrestler Places ;Australia * Electoral district of Rodney, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rodney County, Queensland ;Canada * Rodney, Ontario, a vil ...

and

Lusi Faiva Lusi Faiva (born in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington) is a New Zealand- Sāmoan stage performer and dancer and a founding member of Touch Compass. She was recognised for her work with a 2020 Pacific Toa Artist Award at the Arts Pasifika Awards a ...

Asian theatre

Contemporary performance works by Asian artists in New Zealand include plays by Lynda Chanwai-Earle, Renée Lang, Sarita So and

Ahi Karunaharan Ahilan Karunaharan is writer, director, actor and producer of Sri Lankan descent from New Zealand. He is a recipient of the New Zealand Arts Laureate Award. Background and Education Ahi Karunaharan was born in the United Kingdom and raised i ...

. Lynda Chanwai-Earle's play ''Ka Shue (Letters Home)'' in 1996 is acknowledged as the first Chinese New Zealand play. Indian Ink Theatre Company first presented ''Krishnan's Dairy'' by

Jacob Rajan Jacob Rajan is a Malaysian-born-New Zealand playwright and actor. His highly successful plays include the trilogy ''Krishnan's Dairy'', ''The Candlestick Maker'' and ''The Pickle King''. Another work was ''The Dentist's Chair''. In 2002, he r ...

in 1997. It has won an Edinburgh Fringe First Award and two Production of the Year Awards at the

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards. Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, ...

. Other notable Asian theatre productions include ''The Mooncake and the Kumara'' by Mei-Lin Hansen, the opera ''The Bone Feeder'' by Renee Liang, and ''OTHER hinese' by

Alice Canton Alice Canton (born 1986 or 1987) is a New Zealand theatre-maker and performer of Chinese and Pākehā descent. Early life Canton was born on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand in either . Her mother is ...

. Since these were all presented in the same year, 2017, author Austin Tseng suggested this was about a growth of agency within Chinese New Zealanders.

We were spoken about, but now we ourselves speak. (Austin Tseng, 2017)

In 2022 ''Scenes from a Yellow Peril'' by Nathan Joe was presented by Auckland Theatre Company, SquareSums&Co, and Oriental Maidens. Auckland Theatre Company director Jonathan Bielski described it as: '''Heartbreakingly personal, gloriously queer, furiously political and unexpectedly funny. Other companies include

Prayas Theatre ''Prayas JAC Society'' is a Non-governmental organization based in Delhi, India. It was founded in June 1988 by ex-Delhi DCP Amod Kanth after a fire destroyed makeshift homes and ragged shelters built by children in the slums of Jahangirpuri in ...

lead by Sananda Chatterjeed's which is a

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n theatre and cultural group that started in 2005, and Proudly Asian Theatre, a company formed in 2013 by Chye-Ling Huang and James Roque.

Circus and physical theatre

In the late 19th century the FitzGerald Bothers Circus from Australia presented shows in big tops with animals. Wirth's Circus also from Australia also toured New Zealand including in the 1950s.

The Dust Palace The Dust Palace is a circus theatre company based in Auckland, New Zealand. It was co-founded by actors Eve Gordon (NZ actress), Eve Gordon and Zac Smith (Shortland Street), Mike Edward in 2009. The Dust Palace performs original devised works inco ...

is a circus theatre company based in Auckland since 2009. There is a range of circus training available in New Zealand and the Dust Palace offers adult classes. Zirka Circus has been touring New Zealand since 2011. Circus Aotearoa is a family-owned, New Zealand-based circus. Weber Bros circus has toured New Zealand and internationally since the early 1990s.

Comedy

Well-known New Zealand comedians include

Rose Matafeo Rose Catherine Lettitia Matafeo (; born 25 February 1992) is a New Zealand comedian, actress, and TV presenter. She was a writer and performer on the New Zealand late-night comedy sketch show ''Funny Girls''. In 2018, she won the Edinburgh Comed ...

Billy T James William James Te Wehi Taitoko (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and a ...

The Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...

Dai Henwood Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood (born 7 February 1978) is a New Zealand comedian. He is best known for his hosting of several television shows found on Three but also performs stand-up comedy. Life and career Henwood was born in 1978 to father R ...

, John Clarke, and the Topp Twins. Hens' Teeth Women's Comedy Company is a woman-only comedy troupe based in Wellington, founded in 1988. Comedians

Tofiga Fepulea'i Tofiga Fepulea'i (born February 5, 1974) is a New Zealand-based actor and comedian of Samoan descent best known as a member of the stand-up comedy duo Laughing Samoans. Biography Fepulea'i was born and grew up in Wellington, New Zealand. His mo ...

and

Eteuati Ete Etuate Ete (born ~1962) is a New Zealand-based actor and comedian best known as one half of the Samoan duo Laughing Samoans. Biography Ete was born in Samoa and moved to New Zealand with his parents at the age of 12. He was one of the first Paci ...

formed the

Laughing Samoans The Laughing Samoans were a New Zealand-based duo formed by comedians Eteuati Ete and Tofiga Fepulea'i, both of Samoan descent. The duo have toured in New Zealand in sold-out shows and internationally to Australia, United States, the Cook Island ...

in 2003 and toured a new show annually for many years starting in 2003. There is an annual New Zealand International Comedy Festival that has been running for 25 years. It is produced by the New Zealand Comedy Trust which is a not-for-profit development organisation with three staff. In 2023, the general manager is Lauren Whitney''.'' The Trust also awards the

Billy T Award The Billy T Award is a New Zealand comedy award recognizing up-and-coming New Zealand comedians with outstanding potential. It has been presented annually since its inception in 1997 when Cal Wilson and Ewen Gilmour shared the award. The Billy T ...

to an up-and-coming comedy talent.

Dance

Dance in New Zealand includes cultural dance, ballet, hiphop, contemporary dance, and kapa haka and is participated in by many people around New Zealand.

Dance Aotearoa New Zealand Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) is the national support organisation for dance in New Zealand, founded in 1993. It is a not-for-profit, with a stated mission "to make dance visible" through "the promotion of dance and the provision of service ...

is the national organisation representing dancers of all types.

The dance sector spans performance, education and the community. Professionals may work across all three of these sectors over the course of their career or simultaneously. (DANZ)

Professional dance companies

Atamira dance company Atamira Dance Company is a Māori contemporary dance company in Aotearoa (New Zealand) based at the Corban Estate Arts Centre in Auckland. History In 2000, the company was founded from a vision of Jack Gray's for a collective of young Māori ...

, Māori contemporary dance company based in Auckland, founded 2000 *

Black Grace Black Grace is one of New Zealand's leading contemporary dance companies. Founded by Neil Ieremia in 1995, Ieremia draws from his Samoan and New Zealand roots to create innovative dance works that reach across social, cultural and generational ...

, internationally touring modern dance company, formed in Auckland, in 1995 *

Footnote Dance Footnote New Zealand Dance (founded in 1985) is New Zealand's oldest contemporary dance company. Based in Wellington, it has been described as "New Zealand’s most enduring and influential contemporary dance company." History Footnote was found ...

, founded in 1985 in Wellington, is New Zealand's oldest contemporary dance company *

Limbs Dance Company The Limbs Dance Company was formed in Auckland, New Zealand in May 1977 and disbanded in Wellington in September 1989. Limbs was "the first contemporary dance company in New Zealand to win a general following", and performed alongside notable New Z ...

, formed in Auckland in 1977 and disbanded in Wellington in 1989 *

, established in 1997 with disabled and non-disabled dancers *

The New Zealand Dance Company The New Zealand Dance Company (incorporated as The New Zealand Dance Advancement Trust) is an Auckland based, nationally focused contemporary dance company. Established in 2012, by co-founders Chief Executive/Artistic Director (and Arts Lau ...

based, nationally focused contemporary dance company, founded in 2012 * The Royal New Zealand Ballet, based in Wellington, founded in 1953

Indigenous performing arts in New Zealand

The

Kia Mau Festival The Kia Mau Festival, previously called Ahi Kaa Festival, is a biennial performing arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand. In te reo Māori, kia mau is "a call to stay - an invitation to join us". The festival covers Māori, Pasifika and in ...

is a regular festival that programmes contemporary performing arts from Māori, Pasifika and Indigenous artists.

Māori

Traditional Māori performing arts is often framed as kapa haka, haka is 'dance' in

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. The biennial event for kapa haka is the competition Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata that in 2023 received more than 1.8 million viewers to the televised event. Traditional instruments include

and the there has been research on ancient Māori puppets, ''karetao'' held by museums. Haka Theatre has been used as a term for a hybrid form since the later 1980s with the performance ''Autaia'' presented by

Auckland Live Auckland Live and Auckland Conventions, Venues & Events (ALAC), (formerly known as The Edge) presents live arts performances and events at venues across Auckland, New Zealand. ALAC presents live arts performances and events at several prominent ve ...

and Hawaiki TŪ in 2023, featuring performances from 400 school-age young people. Notable Māori theatre and dance people and companies include

, founded in 2000.

Pasifika

There are many

Indigenous Peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

from different Pacific Islands who are resident in New Zealand, and an annual celebration of cultural arts is the

Pasifika Festival The Pasifika Festival is a Pacific Islands-themed festival held annually in Western Springs Reserve, Auckland, New Zealand. Celebrated since 1993, it is the largest festival of its type in the world and attracts over 200,000 visitors every year ...

. Pasifika artists known for their comedy work include the

Naked Samoans The Naked Samoans is a New Zealand comedy group made up of Polynesian entertainers, most of whom are Samoan. The group performs social humour and satire that attracts a broad audience, especially among white New Zealanders, without sacrificing th ...

who's first stage production in 1998 was ''Naked Samoans Talk about Their Knives,'' and Tofiga Fepulea'i and Eteuati Ete who made up the duo the Laughing Samoans (first performed in 2003)''.'' An early company was

Pacific Underground Pacific Underground is a New Zealand performing arts collective, founded in 1993 in Christchurch, New Zealand, to produce contemporary performing art that reflects the group's Pacific Island heritage. In 2016 they received a Lifetime Achievement ...

, who started in Christchurch in 1992 and is New Zealand 'longest running Pasifika performing arts group'. Plays they have developed and presented include ''Fresh Off The Boat'' by Oscar Kightley and Simon Small first staged in 1993, and more recently in 2019 at the Court Theatre. They won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the

Pacific Music Awards The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...

in 2016.

and Lemi Ponifasio's company MAU are two well-known Pasifika contemporary dance companies. Le Moana founded by Tupe Lualua is a dance theatre company that also produces the annual Measina Festival. A Pacific theatre company that has been presenting and touring work since 2003 is The Conch founded by

Nina Nawalowalo Nina Nawalowalo is a New Zealand theatre director and co-founder of the contemporary Pacific theatre company The Conch. She is known for directing the stage plays ''Vula'' and ''The White Guitar.'' The first film she directed ''A Boy Called Pi ...

and Tom McCrory.

Magic

One of the earliest magicians in New Zealand would have been

Jane Whiteside Jane Whiteside (5 February 1855 – 17 January 1875) was a notable New Zealand tightrope dancer, gymnast and magician. She was born in Tullylish, County Down, Ireland in 1855, to John Whiteside (a weaver) and Jane Whiteside. When she was you ...

, a tightrope dancer, gymnast and magician, who performed under a number of aliases in the 1870s. Whiteside took up magic after seeing American magician Cora de Lamond, billed as 'the only female magician in the world' perform in 1873. Touring magic shows occurred. Edgar Wilson Benyon was a magician, juggler and entertainer who started in Christchurch and went on to have a successful career in Australia and the UK. The New Zealand

Benny Award The Benny Award is bestowed on a New Zealand variety entertainer. It is presented annually by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand, a non-for-profit organisation and showbusiness club, founded in 1966 and awarded to a variety performer who ha ...

is named after him. The Auckland Brotherhood of Magicians, a chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Ring 160) was formed in 1945. They held a conference in 2021 for the first time in 24 years. The chapter awards the

Grand Master of Magic Award The Grand Master of Magic Award is a lifetime achievement award presented by the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians Incorporated on behalf of the magicians of New Zealand. It was first awarded in 1969 and to date it has been awarded on nineteen ...

, on behalf of all magicians in New Zealand, for a lifetime of excellence in the magical arts. Notable magicians in New Zealand, past and present:

, Richard Webster, the

Wizard of New Zealand The Wizard of New Zealand (born Ian Brackenbury Channell; 4 December 1932) is a British-born New Zealand educator, comedian, illusionist, and politician. He is also known by his shorter name, The Wizard. Life and career England The Wizard ...

, Mick Peck, Edgar Wilson Benyon,

Timothy Hyde Timothy Hyde is an Australian-based magician, born in New Zealand. Biography Timothy was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1955. While training as a primary school teacher at Wellington Teachers College (1974–1976), he also appeared in nu ...

Paul Romhany Paul Romhany (born 25 October 1968) is a New Zealand-born magician best known for his Charlie Chaplin magic act. He has been awarded many industry awards including the PCAM Gold Medal and the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Top Variety Act ...

, Ross Skiffington, Alan Watson.

Musical theatre

Notable New Zealand musicals include the ''Rocky Horror Picture Show'', and '' That Bloody Woman''. The Kila Kokonut Krew produced the Pasifika musical ''

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

'' with an original score by Poulima Salima that had a sold out premiere season in Mangere Arts Centre, Auckland and toured to Australia in 2014. The Wellington based theatre company Red Scare Theatre Company have produced new musicals including ''M'Lady: A Meninist Musical'' (2018), book and lyrics by Cassandra Tse and James Cain, music and additional lyrics Michael John Stebbings, and ''The Bone Thief'' (2020), lyrics by Cassandra Tse, music by Bruno Shirley.

Musical Theatre New Zealand

Musical Theatre New Zealand is the umbrella organisation for approximately 100 musical theatre societies in New Zealand. There are about 60 of these amateur theatre groups in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

and about 40 in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. They are an incorporated society since 1961 with a president, vice president, five zone representatives, a part time general manager and a young person representative. They are a registered charity. *

Taieri Musical Taieri may refer to several features in the Otago Region of New Zealand: *Taieri River *Strath Taieri, a glacial valley and river plateau *Taieri Gorge *Taieri Plain *Taieri Island / Moturata, an island in the river mouth *Taieri Mouth, a village at ...

, founded in 1968 as the Outram Musical Society, then moved to Mosgiel, and adopted the Coronation Hall as its home. *

Musical Theatre Dunedin Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

(formerly Dunedin Operatic) *

Musikmakers Hamilton Musical Theatre is an amateur musical theatre organisation based in Hamilton, New Zealand. It was formerly known as Musikmakers. Brief history Musikmakers was registered as an Incorporated Society in 1978, but the society did not find a ...

, amateur musical theatre organisation based in Hamilton, since 1976 *

Nambassa Winter Show with Mahana The Nambassa Winter Show with Mahana was all about a bunch of aspiring young hippie entertainers who moved into a youth camp in West Auckland, out of which this community of 60 people produced and directed two musical theatrical productions an ...

, 1970s touring production of musicals *

Napier Operatic Society ''Napier Operatic Society'' (often abbreviated as NOS) is an amateur theatre society based in Napier, New Zealand. Established in 1887, Napier Operatic Society is the second oldest-existing theatrical society in New Zealand, and is nationally r ...

, amateur theatre society based in Napier, established in 1887

Opera

Opera companies

Canterbury Opera Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of the ...

, based in Christchurch, last performance in 2006 * The New Zealand Opera Company defunct 1971 * New Zealand Opera, formed in 2000, New Zealand's only full-time professional opera company * Opera Factory, based in Auckland, *

Opera New Zealand Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

based in Auckland, merged into New Zealand Opera * Southern Opera, based in Canterbury, merged into New Zealand Opera in 2012 * Wellington City Opera was a professional opera company based in Wellington. It originated in 1982 as the De La Tour Regional Opera Trust, rebranded as The National Opera of Wellington, and then merged with Auckland-based Opera New Zealand to form New Zealand Opera.

Theatre

Theatre in New Zealand is theatre presented in New Zealand created by New Zealand companies and organisation. There is no national theatre company unlike some other countries. There are a number of organisations invested in by the New Zealand government through the agency Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa, including producing companies such as Court Theatre in Christchurch, Auckland Theatre Company in Auckland and

in Wellington, and also arts festivals such as Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival in Gisborne and the New Zealand Festival in Wellington.

Auckland

Theatre companies in Auckland include the Auckland Theatre Company, Indian Ink Theatre Company, theatre company founded in 1996, Kila Kokonut Krew, theatre company and music producer in Auckland since 2002,

Massive Theatre Company Massive Theatre Company, also called Massive or Massive Company, is a professional theatre company in Auckland, New Zealand. The company was formed in 1990 by Samantha Scott, out of what had previously been Maidment Youth Theatre at the Unive ...

, professional theatre company in Auckland that formed from the Maidment Youth Theatre at the University of Auckland in 1990.

, performing arts collective, founded in 1993 in Christchurch based in Auckland, produces contemporary performing art that reflects a Pacific Island heritage. The company

Silo Theatre Silo Theatre is a theatre production company based in Auckland, and was established in 1997. Background Silo Theatre started out as a 'boutique underground theatre' in a venue off Queen Street in central Auckland in 1997. Silo moved out in 2 ...

led by

Sophie Roberts Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

decided at the end of 2022 to only do development and not presentation in 2023 due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Red Leap Theatre Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

describe their work as women led visual theatre, the artistic director is

Ella Becroft Ella may refer to: * Ella (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Places United States * Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincorporate ...

, it was founded in 2008 by Kate Parker and Julie Nolan to present '' The Arrival'' adapted from Shaun Tan’s graphic novel. Te Pou Theatre co-founded by Amber Cureen and

Tainui Tukiwaho Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are oth ...

was established in 2015, and in 2023 reopened a refurbished theatre at the

Corban Estate Arts Centre Corban Estate Arts Centre is an arts precinct in West Auckland, New Zealand. Established in 2002 at the site of the Mt Lebanon Vineyard and Winery, the arts centre provides creative production, theatre and gallery space to New Zealand artists. ...

in Henderson, West Auckland.

FAFSWAG FAFSWAG is an arts collective of Māori and Pacific LGBTQI+ artists and activists founded in Auckland, New Zealand in 2013. They explore and celebrate the unique identity of gender fluid Pacific people and LGBTQI+ communities in multi-discipli ...

is a Queer Pacific Arts Collective awarded an Arts Foundation Laureate in 2020. In 2017 they were resident at the Basement Theatre creating three shows speaking to their 'contexts as Queer Indigenous arts practitioners'. The collective includes Jermaine Dean, Falencie Filipo,

Tanu Gago Tanu Gago is a visual artist, film maker and co-founder of arts collective FAFSWAG. He received a New Zealand Queens Birthday honour in 2019 for services to art and the LGBTIQ+ community. Biography Gago was born in 1983 in Sāmoa and grew ...

, Tapuaki Helu, Elyssia Wilson Heti, Nahora Ioane, Hōhua Ropate Kurene, Moe Laga-Toleafoa, Ilalio Loau, Tim Swann, Pati Tyrell and James Waititi.

Black Creatives Aotearoa Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

(BCA) is an arts organisation supporting and promoting creatives of African and Afro-Caribbean heritage in

New Zealand based in Auckland. Their activities have included presentation of plays with ''Po’ Boys and Oysters'' by Estelle Chout at the Basement Theatre and a regular Playwrights' Lab. In 2022 a Playwrights’ Lab Showcase with scripts from Alex de Vries, Alvie McKree, Ayo Becksley-Adesanya,

Dione Joseph Dione Joseph is an artistic director, theatre director, theatre critic, essayist, and motivational speaker based in New Zealand. She founded Black Creatives Aotearoa. She also co-founded JK Productions Ltd: He Kōrero Ngā Tahi (Telling Our Stori ...

, Estelle Chout, Kauthar Eckstein, Keagan Carr Fransch and Tawanda Manyimo. In 2023 they ran some events as part of Africa Month in Auckland including the Black to the Future zine, the Rituals art exhibition, and at the Auckland Central Library, the Black Ink bookstand.

The BCA Playwrights Showcase was an exceptional example of the diversity of Black Kiwi plays waiting for an audience in the New Zealand theatre scene. (Vira Paky, 2022)

Wellington

BATS Theatre BATS Theatre is a theatre venue in Wellington, New Zealand. Initially founded as the Bats Theatre Company in 1976, then established in its current form in 1989. BATS Theatre has seen the development of many performing arts talents of New Zeala ...

, theatre venue and producer in Wellington, initially founded as the Bats Theatre Company in 1976 * Bard Productions, theatre company in Wellington, established 2007 * Capital E's National Theatre for Children, based in Wellington but touring nationally with productions aimed at primary-aged children. *

, professional theatre company in Wellington, established 1976 * The Conch, co-founded by

and Tom McCrory * Red Scare Theatre Company *

, also known as The New Depot and Depot Theatre; theatre organisation based in Wellington, since 1983, contemporary Māori productions *

Tawata Productions Tawata Productions is contemporary Māori and Pasifika performing arts company established in 2004 based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), New Zealand. They produce theatre, screen and digital work as well as the festivals: Kia Mau, Breaking G ...

* Tikapa Productions who produce Cohen Holloway, Jamie McCaskill,

Rob Mokaraka Rob Mokaraka is a New Zealand playwright and actor. He affiliates to Nga Puhi and Ngai Tuhoe. He has been part of the performing group The Māori Sidesteps. In 2006 he played Taneatua in the Taki Rua production of Hone Kouka's '' Nga Tanga ...

, Jerome Leota and Erroll Anderson in

The Māori Sidesteps The Māori Sidesteps are a New Zealand musical and performance group founded by Jamie McCaskill in 2016, based in Wellington. The band reinterprets the musical tradition of Māori showbands such as The Quin Tikis, the Hi Fives, and the Howard Morr ...

. * Young and Hungry Arts Trust

Christchurch

* Court Theatre, professional theatre company based in Christchurch, founded in 1971 * Free Theatre Christchurch, New Zealand's longest running producer of avant-garde

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

, established 1979 * Two Productions * University of Canterbury Drama Society, student performing-arts club at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

, Christchurch, beginning in 1921; was one of New Zealand's leading theatre groups from the 1920s to the 1960s

Dunedin

Globe Theatre, Dunedin Globe Theatre is a theatre located in Dunedin, New Zealand, and the amateur theatre company that runs it. The theatre was built in 1961 by Patric and Rosalie Carey as an extension of their house. The building to which it is attached, at 104 Lond ...

, theatre and theatre company in Dunedin, opened 1961 *

Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin The Playhouse Theatre is a theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand. It was converted from a lodge into a 100-seat theatre by the Southern Comedy Players in 1962. Since the late 1960s it has been home to the Dunedin Repertory Society, who regularly per ...

Suitcase Theatre Suitcase Theatre is a theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand. In 2014 the company's production ''Mental Notes'' was awarded best community event at the Dunedin Theatre Awards. In 2017 Suitcase Theatre produced a flash-mob style perfor ...

, theatre company in Dunedin, formed in 2014 * Arcade * Ake Ake Productions *

Prospect Park Productions NZ Prospect Park is a theatre production company in New Zealand. It was formed in 2016 by Emily Duncan and H-J Kilkelly to foster new professional theatre-based work in the region. Duncan is a playwright and director and Kilkelly is a producer, b ...

Wow! Productions Wow! Productions is a professional theatre co-operative based in Dunedin, New Zealand. It performs in non-theatre spaces, described by one reviewer as "weird and wonderful venues". The co-operative began in 1996 and is run by a charitable tr ...

Music and sound

Live performance often includes music and musicians accompanying the performance. A New Zealand example is the 2023 season by the Royal New Zealand Ballet of ''Romeo and Juliet'' presented in association with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (Wellington), Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Auckland) and the

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is the largest professional orchestra in the South Island of New Zealand, based in the city of Christchurch. It was established in 1958 as the John Ritchie String Orchestra, due to the vision and encourag ...

(Christchurch) and conducted by Hamish McKeich. Another example is 2021 performance of the play ''The Mourning After w''ritten and directed by

, produced by Agaram Productions with music direction by Karnan Saba and live musicians of Isaac Smith, Tristian Carter, Senuka Sudusinghe and Deeksha Vijayakumar performing on-stage. Many sound designers have started work in performing arts and have gone onto have successful film composition and sound design careers including

Steve Gallagher ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve A ...

. Gallagher won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for his sound editing work on '' The Beatles: Get Back''. He was in the theatre company afterburner formed in 2001 by lighting designer and director

Martyn Roberts Martyn Roberts (born 1965 or 1966) is a New Zealand lighting and set designer and photographer, and founder of the arts collective afterburner theatre productions. Roberts has won 14 theatre awards. The afterburner production ''Dark Matter,'' c ...

, and also designed sound for other stage plays including ''

Nga Tangata Toa ''Nga Tangata Toa'' (''The Warrior People'') is a 1994 play by New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka. The play has themes of revenge, family honour, and long-held secrets. ''Nga Tangata Toa'' was heralded as a masterpiece in New Zealand theatre. ...

'' by

Hone Kouka Hone Vivian Kouka is a New Zealand playwright. He has written 13 plays, which have been staged in New Zealand and worldwide including Canada, South Africa, New Caledonia and Britain. Kouka's plays have won multiple awards at the Chapman Tripp T ...

Young people theatre

Capital E Capital E is an organisation in Wellington, New Zealand, that creates theatre, events and activities for children. It was established in the 1992 and formerly named the Capital Discovery Place. Capital E is a council controlled organisation and ...

has the National Theatre for Children which creates and tours quality productions for children aged 2 – 12 years, and in the past the Capital E National Arts Festival with New Zealand and international performances. Performing Arts & Young People Aotearoa (PAYPA) is a national organisation of people working in performing arts 'for, by and with children and young people' in New Zealand.

Young and Hungry ''Young & Hungry'' is an American Romantic sitcom created by David Holden. The multi-camera series stars Emily Osment, Jonathan Sadowski, Aimee Carrero, Kym Whitley and Rex Lee, and premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) on June 25, 2014. On Ma ...

was a festival (1995 and 2017) and a schools tour (2015–2022) that had many notable alumni including playwrights Eli Kent and

Whiti Hereaka Whiti Hereaka (born 1978) is a New Zealand playwright, novelist and screenwriter and a barrister and solicitor. She has held a number of writing residencies and appeared at literary festivals in New Zealand and overseas, and several of her books ...

. Part of their goal was to train actors, designers, stage managers and other production people. Companies that work with or for young people include the

National Youth Theatre The National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT) is a youth theatre and registered charity in London. Its aim is to develop and nurture young people through creative arts and theatrical productions. Founded in 1956 as the world's first youth th ...

, Auckland, a musical theatre training programme established in 20225 that puts on two shows a year, and Calico Young People's Theatre (Napier). Theatre companies that have a youth programme include Auckland Theatre Company. Tim Bray Productions is a children's theatre company in Auckland who run workshops for children and present work. National Youth Drama School Taiohi Whakaari Ā-Motu (NYDS) is an annual week-long performing arts school for young people in Hawke's Bay that has been running since the 1990s. They have workshops that include film, design, technical theatre, songwriting, editing, dance, circus skills and podcasting.

Government New Zealand support for performing arts

Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage is the New Zealand Government ministry that includes performing arts in its mandate. They fund two non-governmental performing arts organisations, The Royal New Zealand Ballet and Te Matatini. They also fund the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra which is a

Crown Entity A Crown entity (from the Commonwealth term ''Crown'') is an organisation that forms part of New Zealand's state sector established under the Crown Entities Act 2004, a unique umbrella governance and accountability statute. The Crown Entities Act i ...

. Manatū Taonga also fund the Crown Entity Creative New Zealand that manages funding for arts across Aotearoa including city council's Creative Communities fund. Creative New Zealand received in 2022 NZ$16.68m, 0.01% of the Government's core expenses.

Performing arts festivals

* Te Matatini, a biennial nation-wide Māori performing arts festival and competition for ''kapa haka'' performers * Kerikeri Arts Festival *

Auckland Arts Festival Formerly known as Auckland Festival, Auckland Arts Festival or is an annual arts and cultural festival held in Auckland, New Zealand. The Festival features works from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond, including world premieres of new wor ...

, annual arts and cultural festival held in Auckland * Auckland Fringe Festival *

InterAct Disability Arts Festival The InterACT Disability Arts Festival is an annual three-day event which showcases the talents of disabled performers, authors, artists, and artisans in Auckland, New Zealand. The event has been described by the Minister for Disability Issues, T ...

annual three-day event in Auckland *

, a Pacific Islands-themed festival held annually in Western Springs, Auckland City * Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival * Bay of Islands Arts Festival UPSURGE * Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival – Gisborne * Hawkes Bay Arts Festival * Tauranga Festival of the Arts * Taranaki International Arts Festival *

New Zealand Festival of the Arts Aotearoa New Zealand Festival is a multi-arts biennial festival based in Wellington New Zealand that started in 1986. Previous names are the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, New Zealand International Arts Festival, New Zealand Arts ...

, multi-arts biennial festival based in Wellington *

New Zealand Fringe Festival The New Zealand Fringe Festival is an open access arts festival in Wellington, New Zealand held over several weeks in February and March each year. The 2020 programme marked the festival's 30th anniversary. Background The festival was establish ...

(held annually in Wellington) *

in Wellington is a biennial event highlighting Māori and Pasifika *

CubaDupa CubaDupa is New Zealand's largest outdoor arts and music festival, celebrating the unique character of Cuba Street, Wellington, Cuba Street, Wellington. It attracts up to 100,000 people. The festival is managed and produced by the non-profit ...

, outdoor arts and music festival on Cuba Street in Wellington * Nelson Arts Festival * Nelson Fringe Festival * Christchurch Arts Festival * Festival Of Colour – Wanaka * Dunedin Arts Festival, biennial festival in Dunedin *

Dunedin Fringe Festival The Dunedin Fringe Festival, or Dunedin Fringe, is an 11-day fringe arts festival held each March in Dunedin, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main la ...

, annual festival in Dunedin * Southland Arts Festival * Performance Arcade Wellington waterfront * Tahi Festival - festival of solo theatre

Single genre

* New Zealand International Comedy Festival, annual event held simultaneously over three weeks during April/May in Auckland and Wellington * New Zealand Improv Festival, annual improvisational theatre festival held in Wellington

Music festivals

See

Music festivals in New Zealand Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

Performing arts venues

There are many performing arts venues in New Zealand, most are custom built as venues for theatre, dance and concerts. There was a building period early in the 20th century, many of these large scale proscenium arch theatres still exist. Some have the same names such as the

Civic Theatre, Auckland The Civic Theatre is a large heritage combination performing-arts theatre, live-music venue, and cinema seating 2,378 people in Auckland, New Zealand. First opened on 20 December 1929, it underwent a major renovation and two-year conservation e ...

(built in 1929), the Civic Theatre, Invercargill (built in 1906), The Regent Theatre,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

(opened in 1930) and the Regent Theatre, Greymouth (opened in 1935). Some performing arts venues are retrofits to make them suitable for performing arts such as the former Fortune Theatre in Dunedin which in 1978 took over the Trinity Methodist Church building, and The Meteor Theatre,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

which was built in 1900 as a water bottling factory and then in 1970s and 1980s was Skateworld, a skating rink and music venue before becoming The Meteor.

Awards and competitions

* Lexus Song Quest *

Aria Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

Dame Malvina Major Foundation The Dame Malvina Major Foundation, named after New Zealand soprano Malvina Major was established in 1991. The foundation fundraises as a charitable trust and offers a range of support and scholarships and prizes to emerging New Zealanders in perfo ...

* Arts Pasifika Awards *

Te Waka Toi Awards The Te Waka Toi awards are the premier awards in the field of ''ngā toi Māori'' (Māori arts). They have been awarded by Creative New Zealand and predecessors since 1986. The awards recognise ''tohunga'' (skilled people), artists and community ...

Auckland Theatre Awards The Annual Auckland Theatre Awards (colloquially The Hackmans, and not to be confused with the Auckland Community Theatre Awards) are annual performing arts awards presented by in Auckland New Zealand. The awards are normally presented at the ...

annual theatre awards in Auckland, from 2008 *

annual theatre awards in Wellington (1992–2014) * Ngā Whakarākei O Whātaitai / Wellington Theatre Awards annual theatre awards in Wellington established in 2015 to replace Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards *

Awards *

, awarded by Variety Artists Club of New Zealand for a lifetime of excellence in their field of the performing arts *

, awarded by the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians, for a lifetime of excellence in the magical arts *

Adam NZ Play Award The Adam NZ Play Award is an annual award in New Zealand given to new plays. There are a range of categories and submitted plays are read blind by a panel of industry professionals. History The award started in 2008 and was initially called ...

(etc.) * Arts Foundation awards

Industry bodies

Tightrope_performance_at_Circus_Aotearoa_in_2020

* Aotearoa New Zealand Circus Association (ANZCA) - since 2015 *

– advocacy network * Entertainment Technology New Zealand (ETNZ) * Entertainment Venues Association Of New Zealand (EVANZ) * Skills Active – manage vocational training for technicians and stage managers *

Musical Theatre New Zealand Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

(MTNZ) *

Playmarket Playmarket is a not-for-profit organisation providing script advisory services, representation for playwrights in New Zealand and access to New Zealand plays. Playmarket was founded in 1973 to encourage the professional production of New Zealand p ...

– playwright agent and publisher of plays * Women's Play Press – publisher of plays * Theatre New Zealand – umbrella for amateur community theatre

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Performing arts in New Zealand Performing arts in New Zealand