The ‘Walkabout’ coffee bar

The Downstage Theatre Company was formed in May 1964 by Peter Bland, Martyn Sanderson and Tim Eliott. They had two seasons before leasing a corner of the Walkabout coffee bar to put on shows. The audience grew to like the atmosphere of dining while watching a performance and the Downstage Theatre Company bought the building, converting the entire top floor into a theatre restaurant. Renowned cafe owner Harry Seresin helped set up and manage the restaurant side of the business. Downstage Theatre Company ran for a time in the original building, before shifting to the Star Boating Club (located next door to the St Johns ambulance station on the waterfront) while the Hannah Playhouse was built on the site. They took with them the idea of theatre dining which became synonymous with a night out at Downstage.

Building the Hannah Playhouse

The Hannah Playhouse Trust was formed in 1968 to build a theatre on the corner of Courtenay Place and Cambridge Terrace. With a very generous gift from Sheilah Winn of $300,000 and a further $100,000 in public fundraising, construction started in 1971. The Hannah Playhouse was named after Sheilah’s family; the Hannahs, founders of the Hannah's Shoe Company, still in existence today. The new playhouse was designed with theatre dining in mind and maintained the tradition of being a flexible space to be reconfigured for every production.

The building was designed by James Beard and Co. Raymond Boyce MBE Arts Foundation Icon, New Zealand’s living treasure theatre designer was on the board of Downstage and introduced Sheilah Winn to the company and the idea of building a new theatre for them. He acted as the theatre consultant to the architects, Ron Parker and James Beard. The design has won a number of awards including The New Zealand Institution of Architects Award in 1978, and the Award for Enduring Architecture in 2006.

Opening Night

The Hannah Playhouse opened on October 16th 1973, with Downstage’s performance of As You Like It. The evening was a resounding success, with only one hiccup in the preparation: the leading lady, Janice Finn was hit by a motorcycle as she left the premises after dress rehearsal. As she broke her wrist, teeth and her hips were injured, the understudy had to step in.  The Post reported that she gave a fine performance. Further information on that performance, click here. Shakespeare devotee Winn was thrilled on opening night.

Downstage Theatre was based in the Hannah Playhouse until 2013 when the company folded. The building was then taken on by Capital E National Theatre for Children who had been forced out of their venue earlier in 2013 by a major earthquake. They ran the Playhouse also as a place for hire until early 2020.

The Hannah Playhouse has hosted hundreds of New Zealand works, with some of New Zealand’s most prolific theatre practitioners, and countless audience members coming through our doors.

Bruce Mason's Bust

At the top of this page is a photo of the bust of Bruce Mason CBE (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982), which sits in the box office foyer of the Hannah Playhouse. Bruce was a significant New Zealand playwright, writing 34 plays and influencing the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. His most well known play is The End of the Golden Weather, a classic work in New Zealand theatre, which was made into a feature film directed by Ian Mune in 1991. Wellington born, Bruce became this city’s most acclaimed theatre critic writing in the Evening Post from the 1950s to 1980s.

New Beginnings

Today the Hannah is managed by the Creative Capital unit of the Wellington City Council in partnership with the Hannah Playhouse Trust as a home for development of new works, new practice and presentation by the exciting practitioners of the capital city’s performing arts sector.