When Wellington's Downstage Theatre Company closed in 2013, many feared that was the end of the road for its long-time home, the Hannah Playhouse. After all, the 49-year-old concrete building stands on prime real estate, opposite Bats Theatre and the Embassy Cinema. But the charitable trust that owns the Hannah has made a three-year pilot scheme with Wellington City Council to invest $200,000 a year in it. It will be used primarily as an arts incubation space for top performers to develop their work. There may occasionally be public performances there too. First to benefit from the opportunity is Footnote Dance Company - rehearsals are under way for a new show to premiere later this month. Lynn Freeman talks with Stephen Blackburn, the council's city events manager, who's known the building since childhood. His father Ken was involved with Downstage Theatre right from the start: The Footnote Theatre production ChoreoCo 2022: Mea Uma opens at the Hannah Playhouse on 16 November.