11/07/2026
Seven years ago, I stood on the Darwin Fringe stage with a deeply personal story and no idea where it would lead.
Purple Plastic Māori has been both life-changing and, in many ways, has bookended my journey through addiction. There have been extraordinary highs and devastating lows. Looking back now, I can see that the show wasn't simply documenting my life—it was quietly asking me to confront it.
When I premiered the show in 2019, I thought I was telling the audience who I was. In reality, I was only just beginning to discover that for myself. That year marked the beginning of a journey that forced me to see both the beauty and the brokenness within me, and to stop running from either.
Over the past seven years, Purple Plastic Māori has travelled from Darwin Fringe to Adelaide Fringe, the Darwin Entertainment Centre, inspired its companion piece A Song For You, reached Sydney Fringe, and ultimately returned home to Darwin Festival. Every performance reflected a different version of me. Some were triumphant. Some happened while I was living through methamphetamine addiction. None of them were perfect—but every one of them was honest.
Of all the shows I've ever created, this is the one that has demanded the most of me. It has asked me to be introspective. To practise forgiveness. To honour the little boy inside me who simply wanted to belong, to be seen and to know he was enough.
Today, eight months into recovery, celebrating this show's seventh anniversary at Darwin Fringe feels wonderfully full circle.
These seven years have held joy, addiction, trauma, music, laughter, heartbreak, healing and love. They've taught me that redemption isn't a destination or a straight line. It's a choice we make, over and over again, to keep showing up with honesty, compassion and hope.
To everyone who has shared this journey with me—thank you. Thank you for believing in this story, and for reminding me that our most personal truths often become the ones that connect us most deeply.
For those that are coming to the show next Sunday, I look forward to celebrating with you. If you haven't booked yet, there's a handful of tickets left (https://lnkd.in/gMHH6u_n)
Here's to seven years of Purple Plastic Māori. I can't wait to see where the next chapter leads.
Kia ora.
