Backstage Pass

A lively and entertaining look at the Auckland Theatre Company - its people, its shows, the backstage crew, the theatre, and the company's ups and downs over the years.

Auckland Theatre Company has presented a huge range of plays to enthusiastic audiences since its first show in 1993 - Lovelock's Dream Run. From Shakespeare and Chekhov to Nathan Joe and Oscar Kightley, variety has been key with a strong Kiwi sensibility throughout.

Rising from the ashes of the Mercury Theatre after its abrupt closure in 1992, the fledgling company struggled to find venues and moved around the city using spaces as they found them, until setting up home in the fabulous purpose-built ASB Waterfront Theatre.

The many personalities, shifting fashions and cultural expectations, artistic disagreements, talented contributors and wildly successful shows through changing times lead to a colourful patchwork of stories that make a thoroughly enjoyable read.