A Counting & Cracking of Heads

This extraordinary first play tells the story of four generations of the one family caught in the Tamil diaspora. Sid is its youngest member and he’s a wild twenty-something. After meeting Lily, a Yolngu girl, Sid gradually opens his eyes, and his heart, to the importance of his Sri Lankan family, music and politics. He begins to explore a deep, urgent connection to a society and culture that feels entirely foreign, and yet distinctly like home.

Presented in association with CuriousWorks

S. Shakthidharan

Playwright and Director

Rodney Afif

Kane Felsinger

Menik Gooneratne

Carissa Lee

Simon Maiden

Rani Pramesti

Raj Sidhu

Leah Vandenberg

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S. Shakthidharan

Playwright and Director

Shakthi is founding director of CuriousWorks. Its first initiative was The Migrant Project – 40 Sydneysiders, with cultural and artistic ancestries from across the globe, came together to craft a series of live performances, forums and ultimately a feature film. Shakthi initiated, led and directed The Migrant Project. It is now used by other artists and companies as an artistic model for bringing together disparate groups that call the same place home. Shakthi’s second initiative was to develop a best-practice model for using digital media in a simple, positive, lasting manner in marginalised communities, that’s led to long-term community and professional arts projects in Western Sydney and remote Western Australia. These art works are multi-platform, combining text, performance, film, media and music. This model has now become the core business of CuriousWorks. Shakthi’s latest initiative is The Lanka Project, a collection of contemporary theatre, film, audiovisual and community projects showcasing stories from the Sri Lankan – Australian community. In 2011 The Other Journey, commissioned by Parramasala, Australian Festival of South Asian Arts and presented as part of Parramasala 2011, was the first work to premiere from The Lanka Project, to great acclaim. Shakthi also writes and produces music with the band Asi, whose sounds have featured in The Lanka Project. All of Shakthi’s work has focused on respectful collaboration with some of Australia’s most marginalised communities and the ongoing sharing of contemporary, untold, Australian stories through both traditional and innovative distribution methods.