Stephen Blackburn, General Manager of Capital E National Theatre for Children in Wellington, New Zealand presents a brief overview of the New Zealand sector that is producing and supporting theatre for young people.

I have been asked to write a little about the theatre sector for young people in New Zealand. My first response was that to call it a ‘sector’ may be to overstate its significance in the overall theatrical landscape of Aotearoa.

I am constantly amazed on my visits to Australia at the level of investment, commitment and rigour brought to the creation of work that speaks to, and about, young people on your continent. The respect given to artists and companies that specialise in delivering work to this section of the community is heart-warming.

Sadly the same cannot be said about New Zealand. This might partly be due to the fact that the entire country has a smaller population than Sydney, but it also may be linked to the lack of investment, over many decades, for this crucial area of the arts.

There are, of course, bastions of dedicated people that pursue the dream and inspire others to take up the torch. People like Sally Markham in Auckland, Jenny Wake in the Hawke’s Bay and Tim Bray Productions. Also in Wellington is Deirdre Tarrant with Footnote Dance and of course Capital E, a not-for-profit organisation with the sole focus on children and their creativity, and also where I work as General Manager of the National Theatre for Child…