BATS Celebrates 35 Years With 35 Of Wellington’s Coolest

Pōneke’s iconic BATS Theatre is turning 35 and you’re invited to the party!

To make this milestone truly memorable, BATS has enlisted the help of 35 of Wellington’s coolest and most influential people. The 35 coolest are some of Wellington’s most successful and celebrated business people, sportspeople, artists and media personalities.

They include Dame Gaylene Preston, Sir Richard Taylor and Dame Patsy Reddy, Dame Winnie Laban, 2022 Ockham winner Whiti Hereaka, 2024 Ockham nominee Emily Perkins and business stars Rachel Taulelei and Kirsten Patterson.

Also part of the 35 is sports star White Fern Milie Kerr. The 35 will be participating in fun nights out at BATS and the celebratory events. The 35 coolest Wellingtonians according to BATS are a representation of a city where we punch above our weight in all fields including the arts.

Another highlight of the 35th festivities in early April is a birthday week with The Tīwhas and Ruff as Gutz. Both of these artists are donating 35% of their box office to BATS.

“What makes these performances even more extraordinary is the commitment of the artists, who have pledged to contribute 35% of their box office profits to BATS. This generosity reflects the deep connection and appreciation the artistic community has for BATS,” says BATS CEO Jonty Hendry.

The Tīwhas, is one of Wellington’s favourite girl groups and is made up of Wellington based takatāpui drag queens. You can join The Tīwhas X BATS for the BATS' 35th Birthday Lipsync The House Down Boots Extravaganza Bonanza Battle Party Celebration Event!

Celebrate BATS’ birthday as these divas weave together musical theatre, drag hits and waiata Māori to present an evening of fun, costumes, choreography, stunning vocals and high-octane theatrics, it's a party you won't want to miss!

After the smash hit MILKOWEEN in October 2023, Ruff as Gutz is back at BATS with Milly Monka’s Milk Factory, and their latest MILK installment is set to be just as milky, silly, soggy and delightful.

The audience is armed with water balloons and the actors can't change anything unless somebody throws a water balloon at them and then something MUST change. Milly Monka invites the audience into her Milk Factory in this latest chapter of Wellington’s wettest improv show, a place where imagination will flow as freely as the milk itself.

The 35% profit donation reflects the artists' commitment to giving back to the Wellington arts community that has nurtured and supported them throughout the years.
 

In addition to the events planned with Wellington’s 35 coolest and the week of The Tīwhas and Ruff as Gutz, BATS will be holding a major fundraiser celebration in the second half of the year.

The celebration will be an opportunity to raise much needed funds after a difficult time for the arts, but it will also be a time to raise our glasses to BATS Theatre – an integral Wellington icon that continues to inspire and energise our city and light up lives with live art.

Happy 35th birthday, BATS!

Tickets to The Tīwhas X BATS and Milly Monka's Milk Factory can be found on the BATS website bats.co.nz

BATS Theatre:

Since 1989 BATS Theatre has hosted thousands of independent theatre productions from emerging through to established artists and is known as a home of new ideas, live art and dynamic risk taking performances. The theatre has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of some of New Zealand’s most celebrated creatives. It is iconic in the realm of theatre in Aotearoa New Zealand and it is an absolute icon of the Wellington arts scene.

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