The Hannah Playhouse was built to house Downstage Theatre Company with funds from a bequest provided by the late Sheilah Winn OBE (1917–2001). The auditorium, into the design of which Downstage Theatre designer Raymond Boyce (MBE Hon LitD) had substantial input, is unique in its capacity for transformation. Featuring a modular lighting grid, removable auditorium floor, as well as a flytower, the undressed concrete of the exterior continues to the interior, leading one elderly patron to say, "Very nice. Shame they ran out of money to finish it." Written by Simon Taylor.

The Hannah Playhouse building was home to the Downstage Theater until it was closed in 2013 due to insufficient funding. The building was then taken on by Capital E National Theatre for Children who had been forced out of their venue earlier in 2013 by a major earthquake. They also ran the Playhouse as a place for hire until early 2020. After a period of closure, Wellington City Council took over the management in 2022 in partnership with the Hannah Playhouse Trust. Today it is used as a creative hub and performance laboratory. 

The building has won a number of awards over the years including The New Zealand Institution of Architects Award in 1978, and the Award for Enduring Architecture in 2006.

In October 2023, it was officially announced that the Hannah Playhouse as a significant example of Brutalist architecture has been listed as a Category 1 historic place on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero. In 2024, Wellington City Council also recognized the heritage value of the Hannah Playhouse and decided to protect it in its District Plan, which includes protection from demolition.

This building was included in the red list, published in our exhibition catalog SOS Brutalism: A Global Survey (September 2017). After a status review on December 12, 2024, it was reclassified in the online database from red (endangered) to blue (saved).