As The Hannah’s General Manager Eleanor Strathern marks the milestone of a year in the job, we reflect on the year that’s been, the progress that’s been made, and everything still to come. One thing’s for sure:  The Hannah isn’t just open; it’s alive, generous, and essential. A place where art is made, remade, and made possible.

When Untitled Warehouse Project take over The Hannah with their new work OMNIA, it won’t look or sound like your average night at the theatre. The Wellington-based collective are flipping expectations — drawing rave culture into the architecture of our brutalist theatre, and in the process challenging how we value creativity in a world that prizes business models over artistic risk. As we understand it, this is the first rave ever to happen at The Hannah!

Laughter is a lifeblood of Wellington’s arts scene, and in August, The Hannah hosted the Raw Comedy Quest Wellington Final, a night where the next generation of comics step into the spotlight. The nationwide competition has launched countless careers, and in Wellington it has been nurtured for 15 years by producer Jerome Chandrahasen, who knows just how transformative stand-up can be.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Sameena Zehra and Helen Vivienne Fletcher, the creative duo behind The Magnificent Weirdos, to learn more about their bold and brilliant approach to access-led theatre-making.

To celebrate launching a new look, we threw ourselves a gala! A three-tier stage plus an immersive experience and music in the Halfway Up Bar and The Tasting Room showcased performances from more than 20 independent artists across the evening and exciting ways to use our iconic whare. Photography by Maeve O’Connell

It’s been all excitement and blue paint at Hannah Playhouse as we have worked behind the scenes to re-emerge with a new look. The Hannah: Theatre & Performance Lab, is a creative engine room dedicated to performance, experimentation, and professional development for Aotearoa’s boldest and most independent theatremakers.

EBKM is a force in contemporary performance. Their work is cinematic, literary, visceral, and deeply invested in the possibilities of live performance as both a storytelling and social influencer.

The Hannah is proud to be hosting EBKM as residents in 2025, giving them access to the space as a theatre and performance lab; allowing them to work on new and existing projects and affording them the time and space to develop their practice.

Murray Lynch’s life has been shaped by stories on the stage, behind the scenes, in rehearsal rooms, and by those who’ve worked alongside him. As a director, educator, mentor and now Chair of the Hannah Playhouse Trust, Murray's career spans five decades and countless productions, venues, and artists. And through it all Hannah Playhouse has been a main character.