Yani wants to go to the Easter Show, Kai wants a sense of home, Shanika wants her Mum back, and Lachlan wants his noodles. How do young people grow when the system keeps cutting them down?

After premiering at Rebel Theatre for Sydney Festival in 2024 and winning Sydney Theatre Award’s Best Production for Young People, Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and Kalkadoon director Abbie-lee Lewis brings Saplings to the stage once again. This collection of hilarious, heartbreaking stories born from workshops with young people will leave you asking: who’s really to blame?

Set to a soundtrack of rap, hip-hop music made by young people in the youth justice system, Saplings gives an honest, raw look into the adult consequences faced by some of our most vulnerable. Expect a night of laughter, tears, and celebration of survival instincts.

Winner of Best Production for Young People at the 2024 Sydney Theatre Awards.