The Play

From Michael Galvin, actor of Shortland Street fame and celebrated playwright, comes War Hero, a powerful new stage adaptation of Archibald Baxter’s extraordinary memoir We Will Not Cease.

In 1916, Baxter stood firm against conscription into the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Great War. His refusal led to eighteen harrowing months of torture and persecution—suffering inflicted with the complicity of his own government. Through Galvin’s adaptation, Baxter’s story is brought vividly to life, revealing the courage of a man who chose conscience over compliance.

This world premiere is more than a play: it is a vital retelling of New Zealand’s hidden history. War Hero confronts the brutality of war while celebrating the resilience of the human spirit. It asks us to remember the cost of silence, and honours Baxter’s legacy as one of the nation’s most remarkable voices of resistance.