Dust Palace

theatre — Ellerslie · Auckland

About Dust Palace

Dust Palace is a circus arts theatre and training centre at 134/138 Main Highway in Ellerslie, Auckland. It is run by the Dust Palace Charitable Trust, which was founded in 2013 by Andrew Clements and Eve Gordon. The venue offers subsidised shows, artist scholarships, and rehearsal and training space for professional artists. It is also home to Te Kura Maninirau, Aotearoa's first kaupapa Māori circus school, which was founded in 2023 in partnership with Te Pou Theatre. The Ellerslie Arts community space, opened in 2025, is also based here, and it runs multi-use circus and community arts.

The Trust's programmes include a school that welcomes girls, the rainbow community and people with neurodivergence, and its Scholarship Program began in 2014. Support for the Trust comes through monthly donations from "Pals of the Palace", and donations of about $20 to $30 per month are asked for. Enquiries about support can be sent to the Trust's chair through the website.