Tracy Grant Lord on Auckland’s best theatres – and where to debrief after a show
Published: Wednesday 8 April 2026
Created in partnership with Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, The Spinoff’s Nocturnalists series explores the hidden nighttime gems of the Auckland city centre – through the eyes of the people who live, work and play there. As part of this series, Emma Gleason spoke to & Juliet costume designer Tracy Grant Lord – read an excerpt below, and check out the full story on The Spinoff.
Emma Gleason: What do you enjoy about Auckland after dark?
Tracy Grant Lord: There’s something magical about dawn and dusk in the city. I just love light. Because we do a lot of storytelling with light on stage, I’m very aware of where light is coming from – the angles of light, colours, the time, what different weather patterns do to light. And because there’s so much glass in the city, mirror glass, dawn and dusk are reflected and go a completely different colour in those moments… And then, of course, we get the illumination of the city… At pavement level, it’s fabulous.
“I never thought I’d be embracing city life” (Photo: Sophie Miya-Smith for the Spinoff)
Let’s talk about the Auckland Town Hall. You’re very familiar with that venue. What’s your personal history with it?
We had a photograph of my mother on the stage of the Town Hall with the organ behind her, that’s my earliest memory. I was taken there as a child to hear the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) for the first time. I just fell in love with the orchestra and the sound they were making in a space like that. I must have been 10 or 11. And now, my husband and I have been going to the Auckland Town Hall to listen to the NZSO for around 28 years. It’s sort of my regular.
What are some of your other favourite venues around the city?
I adore The Civic. And I’ve done a few shows there. The musical I’m doing at the moment, & Juliet, is the biggest show I’ve done in there. My other shows are generally in the KTK – the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre – which is the main stage of the Aotea Centre. The ASB Waterfront Theatre is also really fabulous… I think the relationship between the audience and the format there is really, really good, and as a designer, you can do some really big, epic looks – it’s got a really big stage. The Q Theatre is great too, it’s also sort of that horseshoe shape and a really flexible space… I did my apprenticeship at the Mercury Theatre. So I have incredibly fond memories of that too.
Town Hall, “it’s a special place” (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith for the Spinoff)
Do you think that the performing arts industry, particularly at night, influences or changes the fabric of Auckland’s central city?
Of course! It brings people into the city that would never normally come in. They have a reason to come to the city and they are excited about that. And as the city gets more and more attractive, and transport gets so much easier, they’ll be able to get off that train on Queen Street outside those venues.
