The Court Theatre

About this place

The Court Theatre is Christchurch's professional theatre company, now housed in a purpose-built playhouse at 129 Gloucester Street in the central city, on the corner of Colombo and Gloucester streets. Alongside its performance programme, the building is available for commercial and community hire, giving event organisers access to a professionally staffed theatre in the heart of Ōtautahi.

History

The company was founded in 1971 and was based at the Christchurch Arts Centre from 1976 until the February 2011 Canterbury earthquake. It operated from temporary premises in Addington from December 2011 while a permanent home was planned. The new central-city building opened in May 2025 and forms part of the Performing Arts Precinct — Te Whare Tapere, the block bounded by Armagh, Gloucester, Colombo and New Regent streets, which also takes in the Isaac Theatre Royal and The Piano. The building was designed by Athfield Architects with UK practice Haworth Tompkins.

Spaces and facilities

• Stewart Family Theatre — the main auditorium, seating 377 across three levels wrapped around the stage. The seating can be removed and the stage repositioned, so the room can be reconfigured for different formats rather than being locked into a single end-on layout.
• A second, smaller auditorium seating in the region of 120 to 150, used for children's theatre, improvised comedy and other studio-scale work.
• Ravenscar Lounge — a function space within the building.
• Supporting areas including an education studio, rehearsal rooms, wardrobe and set-construction workshops.

The venue lists flexible spaces, professional AV and lighting, full wheelchair accessibility and on-site catering options for hirers.

Meeting and event capability

The combination of a reconfigurable main auditorium and a smaller studio room makes the theatre suitable for conference plenaries, product launches, award presentations, AGMs, film screenings and staff briefings, with a separate space available for breakouts or pre-event drinks. In-house technical staff and rigged AV are a practical advantage for organisers who would otherwise hire in production for a hotel ballroom.

Suitability for MICE

The Court Theatre works best where the format is presentation-led and the audience needs good sightlines and sound — keynote sessions, launches and ceremonies — with the lounge handling catered elements. Its central-city location within the Performing Arts Precinct puts it within walking distance of accommodation and other Christchurch venues, which suits multi-venue conference programmes.