The Playground NZ (Ltd) is a New Zealand performing arts company formed in 2004 and led by director/designer Sam Trubridge with various regular collaborators and partners. The company now plays a leading role in the field of performance design practise in New Zealand, producing highly innovative, award-winning theatre productions and public events. To date the company has presented five works: The Restaurant of Many Orders (London, Wellington, Florence, Prato, Rome), Sleep/Wake (Wellington, Auckland) Ecology in Fifths (Wellington), The Performance Arcade (Wellington, Auckland) and The StageSpace (Wellington). The success of these productions have established them in a network of international presenters across Australasia, North America, Asia, and Europe. The company focuses on creating performance spectacles in a playground of science, history, dance, performance, innovation, and design. This diverse range of outlooks and disciplines is unified by a commitment to maintaining and investigating the liveness of the theatrical experience. Productions by The Playground are uniquely theatrical and well-known for their strong visual elements. Performances are also adapted to suit each new venue and community that they encounter, thus creating an integrated experience with the specifics of architecture, local history, language, and culture.
