Plays on the journey to full production. THE NEXT STAGE is Auckland Theatre Company's annual festival of new scripts in development and a vital part of our planning for future seasons.

Participate in our annual festival of semi-staged readings, where three new scripts are showcased by some of New Zealand's best actors, and you get the chance to see new plays in development.

THE NEXT STAGE is a vital part of Auckland Theatre Company's mission to bring utterly original, fervently New Zealand stories to the stage. After each performance we welcome comments from the audience in a discussion with the author and director.

Previous NEXT STAGE seasons have taken the audience by surprise, showcasing new plays from remarkable talents that are entertaining, challenging and enthralling.

2013

Submissions are now being sought for The Next Stage 2013. Deadline: 5pm, July 15, 2013. Download information.

2012

PANIORA!
By Briar Grace-Smith

THE TREES BENEATH THE LAKE
By Arthur Meek

NATIVE AFFAIRS
By Alice Miller

2011

BLACK CONFETTI                                                                                        
by Eli Kent.                                                                                             
Produced by Auckland Theatre Company in June, 2012.

AT THE WAKE                                                                                             
by Victor Rodger.

PITCAIRN                                                                                                    
by Christina Stachurski.

2010

OUR MAORIS
by Arthur Meek.                                                                                     
Produced (as ON THE UPSIDE-DOWN OF THE WORLD) by Auckland Theatre Company, 2011.

VILLAGE PEOPLE
by Victor Rodger.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT DAD
by Stephen Sinclair.

2009

LEN
by Brian Hannam.

GHOST TRAIN
by Fiona Samuel.

DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH
by Lisa Chappell.

2008

SILENT NIGHT
by Yvette Parsons.

LE SUD
by Dave Armstrong.                                                                           
Produced by Auckland Theatre Company, 2010.

THE TRUTH GAME
by Simon Cunliffe.

2007

WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED by Sia Figiel, adapted for the stage by Dave Armstrong. Produced by Auckland Theatre Company and New Zealand International Arts Festival, 2008.

MIKE AND VIRGINIA
by Kathryn Burnett and Nick Ward.

STATION TO STATION
by Michael Galvin.

2006

MY NAME IS GARY COOPER                                                                           
by Victor Rodger.
Produced by Auckland Theatre Company, 2007.

FINDING MURDOCH                                                                                       
by Margot McRae.
Produced by Downstage Theatre, Wellington, 2007.

THE OIL FACTOR                                                                                          
by Geoff Chapple.                                                                                
Produced (as HATCH OR THE PLIGHT OF THE PENGUINS) by Auckland Theatre Company, 2007.

"ATC Literary workshop process greatly helped my new play Hatch. As someone who'd previously done only film scripts and radio drama, it helped define and refine for me that new dimension of live performance when the play's success literally hangs in the air between actor and audience."
Geoff Chapple