Bats Theatre

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Bats Theatre is New Zealand's leading venue for the development of new theatre practitioners and plays. Bats, established in its present form by Simon Bennett and Simon Elson in 1989, is located at 1 Kent Terrace, Wellington.

Bats is a small theatre seating around 100 people, and has minimal backstage areas. The theatre, traditionally closed on Sundays and Mondays, frequently puts on two or three different plays in one night. It has been home to much of Wellington's young and experimental theatrical talent, and runs the Young and Hungry and STAB seasons annually. It is also billed as the 'heart' of Wellington's annual Fringe Festival. Despite its small size it has a significant effect and complements the work of the nearby much larger Circa and Downstage theatres.

Bats is largely funded by Creative New Zealand and ticket sales.