Counting and Cracking

The play concerns four generations of the one Tamil family across Sri Lanka and Australia,{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-stage-show/counting-and-cracking-an-epic-new-australian-play/11251820|title=Counting and Cracking — an epic new Australian play|date=2019-06-27|website=Radio National|language=en|access-date=2019-08-27}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/17/counting-and-cracking-the-story-behind-belvoir-street-theatres-most-ambitious-play-to-date|title=Counting and Cracking: the story behind Belvoir Street theatre's most ambitious play to date|last=Dow|first=Steve|date=2019-01-16|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-08-27|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/counting-and-cracking-review|title=Counting and Cracking review |website=Time Out Sydney|language=en|access-date=2019-08-27}} from 1956 to 2004.

It was inspired by the playwright's own family story, and is based half on their experiences, and half from interviews undertaken by the playwright S. Shakthidharan (better known as Shakthi{{cite web | title=What is Counting and Cracking all about? | website=Edinburgh International Festival | date=11 August 2022 | url=https://www.eif.co.uk/news-and-blogs/what-is-counting-and-cracking-all-about | access-date=19 January 2025}}). Shakthi said "It's a story about reconciliation: between parents and children, between neighbours and enemies, between your new home and your old home, between society and its institutions".

The first lines of the play are spoken in Tamil and Sinhala, and translated into English by actors not participating in the action in that scene. there are additional short lines in Tamil and Sinhalese, translated as it moves on.

The cast in Sydney and Adelaide included Vaishnavi Suryaprakash and Kalieaswari Srinivasan (both as Radha); Jay Emmanuel and Antonythasan Jesuthasan (as Thirru); Shiv Palekar (as Sid/Siddhartha); Rarriwuy Hick (Lily).

Other cast members were Prakash Belawadi, Arky Michael, Nicholas Brown, Ahi Karunaharan, Monica Kumar, Gandhi MacIntyre, Monroe Reimers, Nipuni Sharada, Rajan Velu, and Sukania Venugopal. Sixteen of the actors take on many roles throughout the performance.

The musicians in Sydney were Janakan Raj, Kranthi Kiran Mudigonda, and Venkhatesh Sritharan.

Anandavalli, Shakthi's mother, an internationally renowned dancer, choreographer, and teacher, was costume and cultural advisor, and choreographed the production.{{cite web | title=‘Counting and Cracking’ – a tale of generational healing | website=ABC News | date=18 July 2024 |first=Rhiana |last= Whitson |format=audio | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-18/%E2%80%98counting-and-cracking%E2%80%99-%E2%80%93-a-tale-of-generational/104116380 | access-date=19 January 2025}}

Stefan Gregory was composer and sound designer. Dale Ferguson designed the sets and Damien Cooper was responsible for the lighting.

The play was first produced by Belvoir and Co-Curious at the Sydney Town Hall in January 2019 for the Sydney Festival in Sydney,{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking | website=Sydney Festival | url=https://2019.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/counting-and-cracking | access-date=6 September 2023}} with artistic director of the Belvoir, Eamon Flack as director.{{cite web | last=Dow | first=Steve | title=Counting and Cracking: the story behind Belvoir Street theatre's most ambitious play to date | website=The Guardian | date=16 January 2019 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/17/counting-and-cracking-the-story-behind-belvoir-street-theatres-most-ambitious-play-to-date | access-date=6 September 2023}}{{cite web | last=Tongue | first=Cassie | title=Counting and Cracking review Theatre in Sydney | website=Time Out Sydney | date=16 January 2019 | url=https://www.timeout.com/sydney/theatre/counting-and-cracking-review | access-date=6 September 2023}} It has a cast of 19 and runs for three and a half hours. The same production was then staged at the Adelaide Festival in Adelaide in March 2019.{{cite web | last=Simmonds | first=Diana | title=Counting And Cracking - Adelaide Festival | website=Stage Noise | date=9 March 2019 | url=http://www.stagenoise.com/review/2019/counting-and-cracking-adelaide-festival | access-date=6 September 2023}}{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking| first1=Anthony |last1=Vawser| first2= Tony | last2 =Knight | website=Stage Whispers | date=9 March 2019 | url=https://www.stagewhispers.com.au/reviews/counting-and-cracking-0 | access-date=6 September 2023}}{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking | website=Adelaide Festival | url=https://2019.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/counting-and-cracking/ | access-date=6 September 2023}} Both seasons sold out.{{cite web | last=Jefferson | first=Dee | title=Belvoir 2024 season goes big with Sri Lankan Australian epic Counting and Cracking, American family drama August: Osage County | website=ABC News (Australia) | date=4 September 2023 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-04/belvoir-2024-counting-and-cracking-august-osage-county/102813244 | access-date=6 September 2023}}

In August 2022, as part of the "UK/Australia Season", a collaboration between the British Council and the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Counting and Cracking toured to the UK,{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking (UK/Australia Season) 19 | website=Australia - United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce | date=1 September 2022 | url=https://www.australiachamber.co.uk/event/counting-and-cracking-uk-australia-season-19-27-august/ | access-date=6 September 2023}} first at the Royal Lyceum as part of the Edinburgh Festival and then Birmingham Rep, as part of the Birmingham Festival.{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking review — epic family drama plays out against Sri Lankan political strife | website=Financial Times | date=10 August 2022 | url=https://www.ft.com/content/d4b8eb8b-369a-45ad-8203-4159d7dbac1d | access-date=6 September 2023}} The cast featured 19 performers.{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking | website=Birmingham Rep | url=https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/counting-and-cracking/ | access-date=6 September 2023}} The Times gave it a five-star review,{{cite web | last=Radcliffe | first=Allan | title=Counting and Cracking at Edinburgh festival review — a gripping Sri Lankan epic | website=The Times & The Sunday Times | date=10 August 2022 | url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/asia/article/counting-and-cracking-at-edinburgh-festival-review-a-gripping-sri-lankan-epic-8fsk7nzft | access-date=6 September 2023}} while The Guardian and the Financial Times both gave four out of five.{{cite web | last=Fisher | first=Mark | title=Counting and Cracking review – an absorbing Sri Lankan family odyssey | website=the Guardian | date=10 August 2022 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/aug/10/counting-and-cracking-review-royal-lyceum-edinburgh | access-date=6 September 2023}}

From 31 May to 23 June 2024, the show was presented as part of the RISING: festival in Melbourne, at the University of Melbourne's Union Theatre, with 19 performers from six countries playing 50 different characters. It was a Belvoir and Kurinji co-production.{{cite web | title=Counting and Cracking | website=RISING: Melbourne 01 | date=16 June 2024 | url=https://2024.rising.melbourne/program/counting-and-cracking | access-date=19 January 2025}} It then played a return Sydney season at Carriageworks.

In September 2024, a production by The Public Theater was performed at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan, New York City.{{cite web | last=Wertheimer | first=Lorin | title=Review: Counting and Cracking at NYU Skirball Center | website=Exeunt Magazine NYC | date=15 September 2024 | url=https://exeuntnyc.com/reviews/review-counting-and-cracking-at-nyu-skirball-center/ | access-date=19 January 2025}}

Shakthidharan's script was originally titled A Counting and Cracking of Heads, and was the joint winner of the 2015 NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights.{{cite web | title=2016 Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights | website=Theatre Network NSW | date=20 October 2016 | url=https://tnn.org.au/2016/10/2016-philip-parsons-fellowship-for-emerging-playwrights/ | access-date=25 April 2022}}

Counting and Cracking received seven 2019 Helpmann Awards including Best Play and Best New Australian Work{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-16/helpmann-awards-hannah-gadsby-new-comedy-wins/11310632|title=Helpmann Awards show theatre is winning diversity race in Australian entertainment| last=Borland| first=Michaela| last2=|date=2019-07-16| website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-08-27|last3=|first3=|last4=|first4=}} and won best mainstage production at the 2019 Sydney Theatre Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/news/2019-sydney-theatre-awards-announced/|title=2019 Sydney Theatre Awards announced|website=Limelight|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-01-21}}

It won both the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Victorian Premier's Prize for Drama at the 2020 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, with theatre director Eamon Flack credited as associate writer.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jan/30/counting-and-cracking-belvoir-streets-standout-hit-wins-australias-richest-literary-prize|title=Counting and Cracking: Belvoir Street's standout hit wins Australia’s richest literary prize| last=Delaney| first=Brigid| date=2020-01-30| work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-31|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}

In April 2020 Counting and Cracking won the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/tara-june-winch-the-yield-wins-nsw-premiers-literary-awards/12187480|title=Novel celebrating Wiradjuri language wins Book of the Year at major literary awards|last=Evans|first=Kate Evans|date=2020-04-26|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426213225/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-26/tara-june-winch-the-yield-wins-nsw-premiers-literary-awards/12187480 |archive-date=2020-04-26 |access-date=2020-04-26}}

Shakthi, who is co-founder and co-director of Kurinji theatre company in Sydney, has written other plays, written for film, and created video installations. Shakthi was co-founder and lead artistic consultant at Co-Curious From 2018 to 2021, sister company to CuriousWorks.{{cite web | title=S.Shakthidharan | website=Cameron's | url=https://www.cameronsmanagement.com.au/sshakthidharan | access-date=19 January 2025| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241016230558/https://www.cameronsmanagement.com.au/sshakthidharan| archive-date=16 Oct 2024| url-status= live}}{{cite web | title=Author: S. SHAKTHIDHARAN | website=Australian Plays Transform | date=19 January 2025 | url=https://apt.org.au/author/?authorinfoid=1194 | access-date=19 January 2025}} CuriousWorks is a Western Sydney community arts organisation established as a start-up "committed to telling diverse community stories" in 2005 by S. Shakthidharan,{{cite web | title=Our History| website=CuriousWorks | url=https://curiousworks.com.au/ | access-date=20 January 2025}} where he was artistic director until 2018.

He wrote and directed Stay, which premiered at the 2022 Sydney Festival. His 2023 play The Jungle and the Sea, also co-written and directed with Eamon Flack, was produced by Belvoir to good reviews and won several awards. He adapted Zana Fraillon's novel The Bone Sparrow for stage, which as toured UK in 2022 with Pilot Theatre.

Screen work includes the feature film Riz (2015), which he co-wrote, directed, and produced, with Guido Gonzalez.{{cite web | title=Riz| series=The Screen Guide | website=Screen Australia | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/riz-2015/34172 | access-date=19 January 2025}} He co-executive produced, with CuriousWorks and Cine Esperanza, the documentary Heart of the Fight: The Story of Dick Blair, a 30-minute documentary about Aboriginal pastor Richard Phillips, aka Dick Blair, Australian middleweight champion. Blair was a key figure in the establishment of Aboriginal-run social housing development The Block in Redfern, Sydney.{{cite web | title=Heart of the Fight: The Story of Dick Blair (2016) | website=Screen Australia | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/heart-of-the-fight--the-story-of-dick-blair-2016/35680 | access-date=19 January 2025}} He was also co-executive producer, with Lyn Norfor and Blake Ayshford, the 2022 anthology film Here Out West.{{cite web | title=Here Out West (2022) | website=Screen Australia | date=4 February 2022 | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/here-out-west-2021/38892 | access-date=19 January 2025}} He was a co-writer, with Nicole Reddy and Mithila Gupta, of the 2024 TV romance drama series Four Years Later.{{cite web | title=Four Years Later (2024) | website=Screen Australia | url=https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/t/four-years-later-2024/41707 | access-date=19 January 2025}}

Other work includes VR project Laka (2018, Casula Powerhouse); AV experience The Other Journey (2011, 2013); dance/documentary work Zameen (2013); and hybrid theatre/dance work The Migrant Project (from 2005).

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/the-screen-guide/p/s-shakthidharan/40907/ S Shakthidharan] on Screen Australia
• [https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/514562 S Shakthidharan] on AusStage

{{Victorian Prize for Literature}}

Category:2010s Australian plays

Category:2019 plays