Our History

The Court Theatre company was founded in 1971 by Yvette Bromley QSM (1913–2014) and Mervyn Thompson (1936–1992) who served as co-Artistic Directors for the first three years of the company.

During the first eighteen months of its existence, The Court Theatre had three homes. The first was The Stone Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Council Chambers (April – May 1971), where the theatre’s début production, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was staged.

From June to August 1972, The Court Theatre was housed in the Beggs Theatrette and staged two productions in the space.

The next four years (September 1972 – February 1976) were a period of relative stability. The Court Theatre was housed at The Orange Hall on Worcester Street. In 1974, Mervyn Thompson stood down leaving Yvette Bromley as sole Artistic Director until 1975 when Randall Wackrow (who had joined the company as Business Manager in 1973) joined her as co-Artistic Director.

In 1976, the company moved to the Christchurch Arts Centre complex, in the buildings which were formerly the Engineering School of Canterbury College. From 1977 to 1978, Randall Wackrow served as sole Artistic Director, standing down in 1979 followed by the appointment of Elric Hooper.

Hooper served as Artistic Director for more than two decades. Hooper declared his intent to balance the theatre’s repertoire with “three main thrusts — the classic, the contemporary and the indigenous”.

Economic pressure saw a fledgling second auditorium, Court Two, closed as a regular venue following the economic slump of the mid-eighties (although it was to be later revived as The Forge), overall this philosophy was rewarded.

As the new millennium approached, The Court Theatre saw growth across the board — in audiences, income and acclaim- and expanded its company with the introduction of Theatresports™ to Australasia in the late 1980s and the formation of professional improvisation troupe, The Court Jesters.

In 1990, Hooper was awarded the MBE and the 1990 Commemoration medal by the Queen. He retired as Artistic Director in 1999 and Catherine Downes served as Artistic Director of The Court Theatre from 2000 – 2005.

Ross Gumbley had been the Associate Director of the company and became the Artistic Director in 2006.

The Court Theatre operated two auditoria at the Arts Centre. Court One seated 291 in a broad ‘semi-thrust’ stage, staging at least eight productions each season totalling approximately 270 performances annually. Each season contained a mix of New Zealand works, modern international theatre and classics.

The Forge (formerly known as Court Two) seated 123 in a small studio space with the audience seated on two sides. It was then used as a hosting venue by touring or independent productions, but since 2007 The Forge was used by The Court Theatre for staging challenging international, local and devised works, with an aim of attracting a different audience demographic from its Court One patronage.

The Christchurch Earthquakes in 2011 saw The Court Theatre company out of their home of 30 years at the Arts Centre and looking for a new space, which was found in an old grain store in Addington and fondly became known as The Shed.

While only a short-term performance space, The Shed became a beloved part of the theatre’s history. The Shed was a superb place for the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch and Waitaha Canterbury to join together to create, share, enjoy, and participate in theatre in all its many forms. This space was a temporary solution to ensure theatre remained alive in the city, and while only intended to be for six years, The Shed ended up being the company’s lifeboat for thirteen years while plans were developed for a permanent home in back in the central city.

Philip Aldridge (Chief Executive 2005-2018), Ross Gumbley (Artistic Director 2006-2019), Mandy Perry, and the Trustees of The Court Theatre were tenacious in championing the vision for a permanent new home for The Court Theatre, and in May 2025 that long-held dream came true when the company opened the doors to it’s first purpose-built home in the centre of Ōtautahi Christchurch.

The Gough Family Foyer of the new Court Theatre space exemplifies the building’s commitment to sustainability and the use of locally sourced materials; the laminated timber is from Rotorua, the Blackwood floors from the West Coast and the steel is from Bromley. Both auditoria – the Stewart Family Theatre and the Wakefield Family Front Room – have been designed to maximise an audiences’ engagement with the work.

Supporting the twin stages are a series of spaces rich with natural light where all the disciplines of a producing theatre can live; costume construction, the Rātā Foundation Studio, home to the many and varied educational programmes that are offered by The Court Theatre, props construction, a workshop for set construction, rehearsal spaces, space for administration and marketing. The Court Theatre building is finished off with a series of flexible spaces, all decked out and ready for performance, that can adapt to the requirements of the company, and the city, for many years to come.

Today, The Court Theatre employs professionals from around the country and internationally. It sustains a full-time professional staff and is administered by The Court Theatre Trust. At any one time there can be up to 100 people working full-time at the theatre.

In addition to being a full-time professional theatre company, The Court Theatre operates numerous other activities in the community. The Education and Engagement department provides training for school-age students and adults, regularly liaising with high school and tertiary institutions as well as other community groups. The company also produces children’s shows and an annual touring primary school show.

Furthermore, The Court Theatre still employs a troupe of professional improvisers and corporate entertainers, The Court Jesters. The most public face of their work is the improv comedy show Scared Scriptless which is staged every Friday night at The Court Theatre.