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Story: Plays and playwrights

Poster for Purapurawhetu, 1997

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Poster for <em>Purapurawhetu</em>, 1997

Purapurawhetu, by Briar Grace-Smith, was the first play performed at Wellington's Downstage Theatre by the Māori theatre company Taki Rua, in 1997. This is the poster from that production. It shows cast member Jim Moriarty holding a baby in front of a starry sky, the 'purapurawhetu' of the play's title.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Eph-D-TAKI-RUA-1997-03

Courtesy of Taki Rua Productions

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Murray Edmond, Plays and playwrights – Māori and Pacific theatre, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/43961/poster-for-purapurawhetu-1997 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Murray Edmond, published 16 January 2014.