Basement Theatre is a home to an artistic mixtape of theatre makers, dancers, visual artists, poets, musicians and comedians, and chocka block full of original, local, responsive content. A bar. A theatre. A community. We are the home for Auckland’s mo...

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A bar, a theatre, a community

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Reviews

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The basement always delivers unique and interesting theatre that will make you think, laugh and be inspired. A real platform for local talent set in a cosy and intimate space. The bar offers a great selection of drinks with friendly staff that makes you feel at home. Always affordable and different

In my mind, the Basement is the heart of the thriving arts culture in Auckland city. I've seen some amazing plays, hilarious comedic stand-ups and awesome bands here over the years and every visit has been a good one. It's always affordable and some of the best fresh faces in the city's performing arts scene are always coming through. The place is exciting and will make you excited about Auckland's eclectic talent too.

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The great people who work, live, play and rest here. Great Auckland watering hole.

Over the last few years Basement has supported the Auckland theatre scene and helped it blossom into what it is today. The new look is amazing and classy. I love having a drink there. The staff are impossibly friendly!

What a versatile venue! They hold a variety of plays but I’ve left each one of them with a different perspective.

let your imagination wander for a few hours

I've been to a few shows at Basement Theatre lately, and thoroughly enjoy it as a venue. Their two stages are both small, making shows even more powerful and intimate, no matter what you're seeing. The staff are also really friendly and helpful - I've had friends cancel on tickets at the last minute and they've let me use them on other nights. Also, the bar's relatively well priced, with generous pours! 

Shakespeare ripped to shreds (in a very good way) in this hilarious and intelligent production as part of The Comedy Fest. Playing until Saturday May 4. THEATRE IS GOOD FOR YOU.

Trust The Basement to be so topical as to have a play in residence about being young and gay right when the vote for Marriage Equality is being drafted! I recently saw Queen by Sam Brooks in the intimate studio theatre and, in with moments of tears & many of laughter, were some real revelations about what it is like growing up gay today. Brooks won the Playmarket Playwright’s B4-25 Award in 2012 and Queen is a brave and honest piece of work. Enjoyable & thought-provoking, it sparked a long conversation afterwards about the themes. ****On 16-25 April @ 7pm**** When I went to see Queen, there was a sign behind the bar: “We are nice! You have the options of: 1. Being nice back 2. Going away! x” and it’s true! One time, the staff here found the last remaining seat in the house to squeeze me into at the last minute when I was on stand-by & desperate to see a popular show, saying “We can just fit you in! Quick! You can pay at the interval!” They are good guys. Basement are now a risk-share theatre too, so they take a cut of ticket sales, rather than charging to book the theatre. This means that new theatre companies have the opportunity to put on a production based on the merit of their work alone, rather than whether they have the capital up-front to book a performance space. Therefore, Basement takes bookings for plays they believe in and they help market them too, because they are invested in the play’s success. This is an important shift and has changed the landscape of Auckland’s theatre repertoire. Love love love for The Basement. :)