Hagley Theatre School is excited to invite you to its Taster Day on Friday, 22 August, from 3–5 pm at Auripo Auditorium, Hagley College.
This is your chance to experience our school’s new format and discover two exciting study options for adults (18+):
· One-Year Acting Training Course
· Six-Month Theatre Creation Course
The Taster Day is a practical workshop offering a taste of our teaching style, learning culture, and the core elements of acting training. You’ll explore:
· Principles of acting technique
· Mask performance
· Theatre creation
It’s the perfect opportunity to experience what Hagley Theatre School has to offer, ask questions, and learn more about our audition process.
We can’t wait to welcome you and share what makes HTS a rigorous, embodied, immersive, and transformative theatre training programme—right here in the heart of Ōtautahi.
RSVP HERE now to secure your place.
Studying with Hagley Theatre Company:
Are you looking for a special place to study theatre and launch a professional career in the performing arts? How about a school that offers world-class theatre training right here in Ōtautahi Christchurch?
The reimagined Hagley Theatre School was relaunched in 2025 with a revitalised curriculum designed for students who want to immerse themselves in concentrated, embodied, and transformative theatre training. We offer two programmes: the One-Year Acting Training and the Six-Month Theatre Creation courses.
Our teaching is on par with tertiary drama schools in Aotearoa and is focused on developing actors and theatre makers through a laboratory-style approach. Students investigate methodologies such as Stanislavski’s method of physical actions and Lecoq’s poetic body, alongside popular theatre forms including mask work, Commedia dell’Arte, clown, bouffon, melodrama, tragedy, street theatre, improvisation, dramatic acrobatics, kapa haka, and the actor’s game as a foundation for theatre creation.
This year alone, our Six-Month Theatre Creation projects premiered at the Isaac Theatre Royal, will represent HTS at an international Commedia dell’Arte festival in Italy, and are set to tour nationally in 2026.
In today’s rapidly shifting theatre landscape, Hagley Theatre School is one of the few places in Australasia where students can engage in fully embodied theatre training with a curriculum that is integrated, practice-based, and dedicated entirely to the art of the actor and popular theatre.
Don’t miss the opportunity to join a theatre school with a point of difference. Auditions for the 2026 intake will be held on 1 November.
Find out more at www.hagleytheatreschool.nz.