National Theatre for Children wraps up after 25 years

Nōku te Ao Capital E’s National Theatre for Children, 2023

A message from Experience Wellington:

After 25 years, Experience Wellington is stepping away from delivering Capital E’s National Theatre for Children programme at the end of the year to better focus on delivering remarkable experiences for the people of Pōneke.  

The National Theatre for Children has played a significant role in giving tamariki and ākonga around Aotearoa their first taste of stage magic, and Experience Wellington celebrates its legacy of supporting the creation and delivery of high-quality live theatre designed for children. The programme has been heavily subsidised for many years to make theatre accessible and this model is no longer sustainable in the post-pandemic environment.  

Experience Wellington thanks our principal funder Creative New Zealand and our other stakeholders, funders, creative teams, the Theatre for Young Audiences sector and of course audiences across the years for supporting the National Theatre for Children.   

The National Theatre for Children’s final show The Grumpiest Child in the World will play to school audiences in Wellington, Hutt City, Porirua, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Whangārei and the West Coast along with public audiences in Wellington, Kāpiti, Upper Hutt, Hawkes Bay and Westport from September to November this year.