Karl Chitham

None of your favourite artists emerged fully-formed. Behind every award-winning book, every sell-out show, every artist profile, every cover story are the untold stories of what it took to get there. Years of training, years of work, restless nights, unpaid hours. There is also the mahi of development spaces.

John Broughton, a cherished leader in Aotearoa theatre and influential storyteller who helped pave the way for generations of Māori playwrights, died last week. Moe mai rā, okioki mai e te rakatira. This tribute was originally published on Playmarket. John Renata Broughton was of Ngāi Tahu, and Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga descent. He attended Hastings Boys High School and Massey University, where he wrote for Capping revues and gained a BSc in Microbiology.

To many artists, creation is innate. Our art comes from within, a core part of ourselves. But taking our art to the public means we must consider which parts become the artist that others see. Where is the line between private and public identity, and how do we establish healthy lives for ourselves when we share so much with the world? When I started performing as a child, I only knew how to be me on stage.