Te Rakau Hua o te Wao Tapu Trust is a theatre company that has performed in prisons, schools, marae, and even in the lounges of homes. Ngāti Toa actor Jim Moriarty has worked in film, television and theatre for the last forty years.
The trust has performed the play, The Battalion since 2002, the stories main characters Georgia, Rimene and World War II veteran Paora. There are secrets that bubble to the surface, and Paora (played by Moriarty) is haunted by his past where he left his brother, thought to be dead, in Crete.
The highly charged play uses dance, kapahaka, and waiata to tell the story.
Written by Helen Pearse-Otene, Jim explains the story and the importance of honouring māori men who served overseas.
