For decades audiences have known the Royal New Zealand Ballet for grand productions staged in large theatres across Aotearoa. But this month the company will step into a very different kind of space right here at The Hannah.

Voyages will offer something intimate, exploratory, and deeply human; a programme of new choreographic works created by dancers within the company themselves.

We ventured into RNZB headquarters to interview Kat and Shaun, two of the company’s more senior dancers, and learn more about how classical ballet has made its way into a nontraditional ballet performance space, offering ‘pay what you feel’ performances. Yes, free!

OK, we stole it. James Mustapic’s signature surname-driven show title pun. It’s possible he didn’t fully approve of us doing this, but we’re rolling with it because it just… works, right?!

We love the way James names his shows. A simple twist on his surname, and suddenly you’re in his world. Self-aware, a little bit silly, and very personal.

For the 2026 New Zealand International Comedy Festival, that world expands again. This time, it’s a little more revealing, a little more reflective… and, unsurprisingly, still very funny.

There’s a certain ‘je nais se quoi’ when the NZ International Comedy Fest rolls into town. A loosening of the collar, a sparkle of mischief, a sense that anything might happen once the lights go down. For a few glorious weeks, The Hannah will be buzzing. The usual rhythms give way to something faster, looser, and a little more playful – and we love that the audience shifts with it.

Need help figuring out which shows to get along to? Here is The Hannah’s ultimate comedy fest gig guide, depending on what personal circumstance(s) you find yourself in…

There’s a particular kind of pride in coming home when you know you’ve got something cool in the bag. Hometown heroes Laser Kiwi have returned to Wellington, with a show strong and sharp, ready to show off to those who matter to them most – you.

After six months abroad, living, performing, and refining their newest work, Everybody Knows, they return to Aotearoa as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival. It’s a show that began not on the world stage, but right here at The Hannah! Developed over eight months in residence at Hannah Playhouse, with support from Auckland Live.

It was an absolute delight to interview Imogen – one third of this clever three-piece – about the trio’s journey from local development to international touring, and how the way their latest work was made, really matters.

There’s something mysteriously revealing about a karaoke bar. It’s a place where people step into the spotlight, take the mic, and let something of themselves slip through.

That element of mystery sits at the heart of The Old Cold Hearts Club – the latest original work from Silver Noodle Soup — brought to life by 11 performers, including Callum (he/him), Aurora (she/her), Caitlyn (she/her) and Nick (he/him), who we had the pleasure of interviewing alongside directors Stevie Hancox-Monk (they/them) and Hannah Kelly (she/her).

Together with the rest of the cast and creative team, they have shaped a work that blends mystery, music, and a deeply collaborative creative process into something that feels both playful and profound.

At its heart, Bleed Out is a meeting of formidable creative forces. Created and directed by Miranda Manasiadis, the work brings together two of Aotearoa’s most compelling contemporary dancers, Georgia Beechey and Luke Hanna, alongside the evocative music of acclaimed composer David Long and lighting design by Grace O’Brien.

Following a striking first outing at Lōemis Festival in 2025, the work returns in a new iteration at Hannah Playhouse; a fitting space for a piece that lives somewhere between performance, experiment, and ritual.

Drawing on the primal archetypes of hunter and huntress, Bleed Out explores the complicated tensions between protection and destruction. The fragile line between what we cherish and what we consume. It is a dance work that sits inside the body as much as it unfolds on stage, built not from rigid narrative but from instinct, responsiveness, and trust between collaborators. We had the pleasure of peeling back the layers of Bleed Out with Miranda.

There is something resonant happening in Aotearoa’s musical landscape. Deep, grounded, and expansive. It is a project that reflects an evolution in how we are invited to see ourselves musically, culturally, and collectively. TNT!, part of the 2026 Fringe lineup at the Hannah Playhouse, is a project from Capital City Big Band (CCBB) led by Vaughn Roberts - fronted by Lisa Tomlins, Greg Crayford, and special guest Jeremy Hantler – combining to do something creative and new, where big band meets te ao Māori. 

We had a chat with longtime CCBB stalwart and Wellington jazz musician Greg Crayford, and legendary vocalist Lisa Tomlins about this intriguing new emulsification of sound.

Wellington comedians Megan (Mog) Connolly and Nina Hogg, better known on stage as the messy, provocative sketch duo Ginge & Minge, first met in a sketch writing class back in 2020. We had the absolute pleasure of asking them a bunch of serious questions for this blog, all about the upcoming show A Welly Full of Laughs – a community-driven show that emerged as an idea at a workshop which was co-producer Nina’s idea: gathering local comedians to talk about how they could do more, right here in Welly.

Click through to view a specially curated highlights reel, revealing some of our most memorable moments at The Hannah in 2025!

When you talk to Nino Raphael about The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate – The Musical, you don’t just hear about a show he has created. You hear about a lifelong tangle of music, theatre, family, sea shanties, Margaret Mahy (of course), and a very strong belief that art should belong to everybody — especially the people brave enough to sing along.

We had the absolute pleasure of talking to Ben Tucker-Emerson, Production Designer and Creative Producer on Amélie the Musical.

The Australasian premiere of this musical was all about purposeful and intricate design across set, costume, lighting and props, seemingly endless collaborations between production departments, the thrill of making magic, and the energy of WITCH Music Theatre – whose producers went all the way to Broadway to sell their enthusiasm for this show to the rights holders themselves.

Call the family photographers, we’ve started putting pictures up in the Hannah Hall of Fame! The Hannah has been home to countless artists, technicians, designers, directors, and dreamers whose work has shaped the course of Aotearoa theatre. Some made their debut on our stage; others returned here time and again, each leaving an imprint on the building’s spirit and history. The Hall of Fame is our way of honouring them, with short profiles which hero their involvement and connection to The Hannah.

Somewhere between a fever dream, a house party, and a maths lesson gone wrong lives Buck Scourge: Living Nightmare — a techno clown show that could only have been born in Wellington. The show pairs performer and clown conjurer Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin with sonic shapeshifter Billsy (Will), two comedic pals who also happen to be high school teachers vying for their students’ appreciation.

For more than a decade, Trick of the Light has been creating magical, handcrafted theatre and taking it to the world. Led by Wellington-based duo Hannah and Ralph, their work blends intimate storytelling with inventive stagecraft, earning accolades including Director of the Year, Outstanding New Playwright, and multiple Wellington Theatre Awards.

Their latest presentation, The Griegol, is a haunting, wordless tale about love, loss, and the smoke-creature of a child’s imagination — brought to life through silhouettes, puppetry, and live sound. As with all Trick of the Light’s work, the beauty lies not just in the story, but in seeing the magic being made before your eyes.

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.