In conjunction with Circa’s 50th birthday year, we are pleased to offer a series of rehearsed play readings on select Saturdays throughout the year. These gems have been selected from over 1,149 submissions (* up to 23 April 26), spanning from 1977 to 2012 and four of these plays are from New Zealand/Aotearoa. We are also proud to introduce two new additional plays for 2026.

‘Peninsula‘
Written and directed by Gary Henderson

Image: Michelle Amas and Laura Hill

First performed in Circa One in 2012, starring Michele Amas, Laura Hill, Paul McLaughlin, Phil Vaughan and Jason Whyte.

Michael Hope is ten years old and sleeps on a volcano. But not all volcanoes are extinct. Not everything is above ground.

2pm Saturday 8 August  

Two new plays for 2026:

‘Dirty Minded Little Girls’
Written and directed by Lori Leigh

Fact blurs with fiction in this imagined reunion of two estranged women, once infamous.  As death nears, a reclusive hermit confronts a celebrated crime novelist, unearthing truths, myths and the price of reinvention.  Inspired by one of Aotearoa’s most sensational crimes – the Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme case.

2pm Saturday 10 October

Tickets go on sale Thursday 13 August.

‘Significant Others‘
By Evangelina Telfar, directed by Lia Kelly

Queer best friends, Freddie, Lennon & Connolly, have never had any interest in dating.  When one of them unexpectedly dives into a romantic relationship, they are forced to ask if they will be able to hold onto their Significant Others, or will this pull them apart?

2pm Saturday 14 November

Tickets go on sale Thursday 17 September.