When Benjamin Law’s debut play, Torch The Place, premiered at Melbourne Theatre Company in 2020, Limelight reviewer Patricia Maunder described it as “a tragicomic tale about a dysfunctional Asian-Australian family . . . written with wit and warmth.” When Mum turns 60, her children arrive with a birthday cake, presents and a skip bin. Mum may believe her Gold Coast home is full of irreplaceable treasures, but the truth is she is a hoarder. The play is inspired by Law’s own family experience and Australia’s fast-growing problem with compulsive hoarding. Ngo.c Phan makes her mainstage solo directing debut. Expect to laugh and cry.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

It’s Mum’s 60th. The kids have brought cake, presents… and a skip bin.

From Queensland born-and-bred TV writer and author Benjamin Law (The Family Law), comes his breakout comedy Torch the Place – a hilarious and deeply moving exploration of family, legacy, and the things we hold onto — literally.

Teresa’s mum can’t let go of anything — from grudges to Princess Di’s ash trays to late 90s Disney VHS. She sees her ordinary Gold Coast home as a museum of irreplaceable treasures. But she’s not a curator… she’s a hoarder.

When her children return to celebrate her 60th birthday, she’s thrilled to have them home. But this isn’t just a reunion — it’s an intervention. Armed with a skip bin and good intentions, the siblings attempt to help their mother confront decades of detritus, rusted-on emotions and long-buried memories.

Inspired by Law’s own family experience and Australia’s fast-growing problem with compulsive hoarding, Torch the Place balances sharp wit with a deeply emotional reckoning around trauma, identity, and the meaning of “stuff.”

Directed by Queensland’s own Ngọc Phan (Vietgone, Boy Swallows Universe) in her mainstage solo-directing debut and starring an ensemble you’re going to fall head-over-heels for, Torch the Place is a “poignant modern comedy” (Arts Review) about a modern family that “will make you laugh, cry, and call your mum” (ArtsHub).