19 – 27 August
Birmingham 2022 Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival will present one of Australia’s most ambitious and ground-breaking theatrical works of recent times, Counting and Cracking from leading Sydney-based theatre company, Belvoir. The production will show from 8th to 14th August at The Lyceum Theatre as part of Edinburgh International Festival and Birmingham Rep as part of Birmingham 2022 Festival from 19th to 27th August.
Led by Eamon Flack and S. Shakthidharan, Counting and Cracking follows the journey of one Sri Lankan-Australian family over four generations, from 1956 to 2004. In the course of telling this family’s epic story of break up and reunion, the narrative also tells the tale of two countries: Sri Lanka post-independence and Australia as an immigrant nation.
An epic ensemble theatre work featuring a world-class cast of 19 performers hailing from six different countries, Counting and Cracking was the winner of 14 major awards including Helpmann Awards for Best Production and Best Direction. It now tours to the UK presented as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.
On the banks of a suburban Sydney 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. But a phone call from Colombo brings the past spinning back to life, and we’re plunged into an epic story of love and political strife, of home and exile, of parents and children.
Written by S. Shakthidharan, a Sri Lankan-Australian who researched and developed the work over the course of ten years, with Eamon Flack, the play tells the tale of two countries: Sri Lanka post-independence and Australia as an immigrant nation. It is directed by Eamon Flack, an award-winning director and the Artistic Director of Belvoir, one of Australia’s most celebrated theatre companies, with S. Shakthidharan.
Performed in English, Tamil and Sinhalese, with live translation into English.
BIRMINGHAM 2022 FESTIVAL
Dates: 19th to 27th August, 2022
Venue: Birmingham Rep
Tickets: From £12.50
Bookings: https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/counting-and-cracking/
Photo credit: Belvoir
