Often funny, but also heartfelt and poignant, the unpretentiousness and rawness of the presentation is refreshingly wonderful to see and should not be missed.

— Dominion Post

Hobson Street Theatre Company

Hobson Street Theatre Company is an award-winning theatre company created in partnership with the Auckland City Mission, with an aim to tell stories that are full of manawa (heart), wairua (soul) and whakakata (humour).

With all work devised by company members, the rōpū (group) has banned 'sob stories' but instead explores ideas and stories of interest to them - from racism to friendship to haunted op shops.

The work can be raw, authentic, and riotous, but always aims to leave the audience feeling enlightened and uplifted.

Hobson Street Theatre Company's kaupapa centres around the principles of manaakitanga (to look after one another), and also that our whanaungatanga (kinship) relationships mean we are responsible to each other and the group as a whole.

All significant decisions are made collectively, during hui. Decisions around artistic direction are made as a rōpū (group) and then guided to reality by show directors or writers, with the support of the wider production team. We work from a strength based kaupapa; believing we all have skills and abilities to share with each other.

This project has the wow factor, giving a voice to the homeless community through theatre. By providing a platform for people who have experienced homelessness to tell their stories, this project is a powerful tool to foster understanding and conversations with the public.

— Arts Access Aotearoa Community Arts Award Judges

Hobson Street Theatre Company were the proud winners of Best Directed Chaos at the 2018 Wellington Fringe Festival.

In 2019 the company was awarded the Arts Access Aotearoa Community Arts Award at the 2019 Te Putanga Toi Arts Access Awards and was invited to perform in the International Community Arts Festival in Rotterdam in March 2020, which was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

The company has toured to Wellington and Dunedin for successive Fringe Festival seasons and received awards including "Best Directed Chaos" (Wellington Fringe) and "Spirit of the Fringe" (Auckland)

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Performances

Starting in 2010, HSTC has regularly presented seasons of work, in site-specific venues and professional theatres, and has also toured shows to Wellington and Dunedin.