Counting and Cracking is a modern-day theatre epic. A saga reecounting four generations and five decades of family history, interwoven with the story of both Australia and Sri Lanka.

After a premiere season and a world-traveling production tour in the UK and in New York; Counting and Cracking finally makes its way to Melbourne as part of RISING festival.

Richard spoke with writer and associate director S. Shakthidhidharan about the play, the joy of performing it in a more intimate venue and the challenges of wrangling a production with a cast of nineteen actors from six different countries.

“It is a love letter for me to my community and a true love letter in the sense of it being as celebratory as it is challenging…. There’s a story of a young man who loves his mum and whose mum loves him, but the way that they show that to each other is almost constantly arguing. It’s very true to my own life experience”.

Photo credit: supplied.