Covert Theatre

Wade Jackson began improvising at university in Auckland in 1994. He founded the Improv Bandits in 1997 as New Zealand's first non-Theatresports improv group, performing Friday nights at the SiLO Theatre. In 2000 Jackson toured internationally, attending Keith Johnstone's Loose Moose Summer School in Calgary (where he won the International Maestro title) and attending shows at the UCB Theatre in New York. The UCB model inspired him to create a dedicated improv venue in Auckland.

Jackson and fellow Improv Bandit Mark Scott found a venue at 84 Karangahape Road. The first Covert Theatre opened on 26 April 2001 at the NZ International Comedy Festival, winning Jackson the Most Courageous Producer Award. After the original lease ended, the theatre moved through several Auckland venues including the Classic Studio on Queen Street and the Maidment Theatre at the University of Auckland. After the Maidment's demolition, shows moved across various venues.

In 2016, Jackson co-created The Yes And Trust and donated the Covert Theatre brand to it. In September 2019, Covert Theatre reopened at 51 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby. Performances commenced in June 2020 following COVID delays.

Covert Theatre is Auckland's primary dedicated improv venue, providing a permanent home for New Zealand's long-form improv community. The space programs performances and a structured multi-level training curriculum, built on the models Jackson encountered at UCB Theatre, iO, and the Annoyance Theatre during his 2000 international research tour.

Covert Theatre created and sustained the infrastructure for Auckland's improv scene over more than two decades, providing a dedicated performance and training home where none previously existed. The venue's 2001 founding marked the emergence of a dedicated improv venue in New Zealand, distinct from the broader theatre circuit.