Arts
Writer S.Shkathidharan, Director Eamon Flack, and Cultural and Costume Advisor Anandavalli describe the mammoth undertaking that is COUNTING AND CRACKING, and the pressing need for theatre that speaks to the multiplicity of Australian and Sri-Lankan Australian life. * * * On the banks of the Georges River, Radha and her son Siddhartha release the ashes of Radha’s mother – their final connection to the past, to Sri Lanka and its struggles. Now they are free to embrace their lives in Australia. Then a phone call from Colombo brings the past spinning back to life, and we are plunged into an epic story of love and political strife, of home and exile, of parents and children. Counting and Cracking is a big new play about Australia like none we’ve seen before. This is life on a large canvas, so we are leaving Belvoir St and building a Sri Lankan town hall inside Sydney Town Hall. Sixteen actors play four generations of a family, from Colombo to Pendle Hill, in a story about Australia as a land of refuge, about Sri Lanka’s efforts to remain united, about reconciliation within families, across countries, across generations. We’ve done some big shows before – Cloudstreet, Angels in America. This is big too, but in a different way: it’s a new kind of Australian story. What makes it magnificent is its grand theatrical sweep, and its vision – deeply moving, compelling – necessary, of why we must never flag in the pursuit of an open society. Co-produced with Co-Curious Sri Lankan Meal provided by Dish Dining & Events. COUNTING AND CRACKING SYDNEY TOWN HALL JAN 11 - FEB 2 TICKETS: https://belvoir.com.au/productions/counting-and-cracking/