Melbourne’s RISING Festival of new art, music and performance has revealed the first of the tentpole productions of its 2024 program: Belvoir and Kurinji‘s co-production of S. Shakthidharan’s Sri Lankan-Australian saga Counting and Cracking.

Directed by Belvoir’s Artistic Director Eamon Flack, the award-winning production has its Victorian premiere at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne’s main campus from 31 May to 23 June.

Counting and Cracking. Photo © Brett Boardman

“Counting and Cracking is an extraordinary theatrical journey that weaves together the rich tapestry of Sri Lanka’s history and the universal complexities of family love,” said RISING co-artistic director Gideon Obarzanek. “A runaway hit wherever it plays, it’s one of the most relevant and remarkable theatre productions about the universal immigration experience that continues to shape this nation.”

Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Literature, the NSW Premier’s Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting, Helpmann Awards for Best Production and Best Direction and 10 other major arts awards, Counting and Cracking follows four generations of a family over five decades from Sri Lanka to Sydney.

A cast of 19 from six countries play 50...