Established in 1992, Auckland Theatre Company is Auckland's premier professional theatre company. We present a season of main stage plays each year, created and performed by some of Aotearoa’s leading artists. In addition to our Tāmaki Makaurau seasons, we tour both nationally and internationally.

To ensure the arts thrive in our city and beyond we are committed to nurturing both theatre-makers and theatre-lovers. To invest in our talent we run artists workshops and programmes including the Engine Room Director’s paid internship, playwrighting workshops, play readings, dramaturg support for developing playwrights and summer school workshops for secondary school students.

We also run a highly regarded creative learning programme which includes subsidised workshops and school matinee performances, as well as HERE & NOW, an annual youth theatre festival, nurturing young talent, stories, ideas and audiences.

Auckland Theatre Company was founded by Simon Prast who was its first Artistic Director. Ten years later, in 2003, Colin McColl took over the reins to became Artistic Director and has led the company every since.

ATC’s first production opened at the Watershed Theatre in 1993, the world premiere of Lovelock’s Dream Run, directed by Raymond Hawthorne. ATC has since gone on to present over 180 main stage productions.

ATC have performed in numerous venues round the city including the Kenneth Maidment Theatre, Q Theatre, The Watershed, Sky City Theatre, Civic Theatre, Herald Theatre and Basement Theatre but we always dreamt of having a place to call our own.

After seven years of fundraising, in 2016 we opened the doors of our new home, ASB Waterfront Theatre. Located in the heart of Wynyard Quarter’s new innovation precinct, ASB Waterfront Theatre is now a thriving hub of arts and culture. Auckland Theatre Company’s season plays at the theatre for up to 24 weeks of the year; this is complimented with the very best of both national and international dance, film and theatre.

Photo credit: The Haka Party Incident by Katie Wolfe, photographed by Andi Crown