...is Sam Berkley, Ben Van Lier, Kura Forrester and Jonathan Hodge who all studied Acting together at UNITEC under Murray Hutchinson. In 2007 we started looking for a play to perform together but while we connected with much of what we read we decided we wanted something that spoke more closely for us. Thus Catalyst Theatre was born.

When we formed Catalyst Theatre Company we set some goals: We want to create cool new plays, cause we love theatre and we're all for supporting New Zealand made; We want to create and portray real, recognisble characters that tell us stuff about ourselves; And we want those characters to be relevant, which is why we explore all of those human experiences that play a part in making us who we are, past, present, real or imagined.

We also figure that we want to contribute to the future of New Zealand theatre. We want you to want to come, we want you to be able to afford it and when you get here we want to hit you like a blast of energy and hold your attention so you can't look away. And while we love and respect those who have gone before us and the patrons who support them ... We want to create work primarily for Gen X, Y and dotcom.

Lastly we're looking for a challenge so simply doing the same old stuff we always do isn't good enough for us. We want to push ourselves and our shows to new levels, expanding our skills and widening our experience so we can bring you the best work. We want to be adventurous in every way we can. No boundaries and no excuses!

In October 2008 Catalyst opened with it's début production of A City of Souls at the Basement Theatre to great success. Since then Catalyst Theatre has produced, Slow Train, a film, Primary School and the critically praised TWACAS (The West Auckland Cardigan Appreciation Society).

Catalyst is run by its founders who are all passionate about theatre and its future in New Zealand and continues to generate new work. Catalyst will announce its 2011 season later this year.