ABSTRACT
A quick look at a map will indicate a relatively short distance between Australia and New Zealand: indeed, they are part of the same continent of Oceania. What the map does not suggest, however, is the patterns of initial settlement. Australia's first settlers came from Melanesia. Early Pacific exploration started in 50,000 bce, but it was not until 1200 bce that people arrived in Micronesia and Polynesia. In 1300 ce Polynesian settlers discovered New Zealand and settled there. As with many of the places, the history of theatre in Australia and New Zealand is often presented as starting with European colonization in the relatively recent past. Unlike many of the other locations, theatre is not a traditionally privileged form in either Australia or New Zealand. Indeed, New Zealand's government-approved encyclopedia refers to theatre as being treated like the step-sister of the arts, implying that it has not attained the status of film, television, novels, or poetry.
