Counting and Cracking to receive London premiere

Counting and Cracking will receive its London debut at Soho Theatre Walthamstow.

Featuring 19 performers from six different countries, speaking five different languages and performing more than 50 characters, the Australian-Sri Lankan play is set on the banks of a Sydney river where a mother and her son gather to release the ashes of a loved one. A phone call from Colombo brings a remarkable family story to life. The multi-award-winning episodic piece moves between Sri Lanka and Australia, from 1956 to 2004.

It has previously played in Sydney, Edinburgh, Birmingham and New York, where it will return in 2027.

The London run will take place at Soho Theatre Walthamstow from 15 June 2027 to 10 July 2027, with a press performance on 18 June 2027.

Written by S. Shakthidharan and directed by Eamon Flack, the creative team also includes choreographer, costume and cultural advisor Anandavalli, set and costume designer Dale Ferguson, lighting designer Damien Cooper, and composer and sound designer Stefan Gregory. Shakthidharan is associate director and Flack is associate writer. The show was commissioned by Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and Belvoir St Theatre. Originally co-produced with Co-Curious, the work was developed with the support of CuriousWorks and the philanthropic support of the Gamechangers.

The production is presented by Belvoir St Theatre and Kurinji, with House of Oz.

Shakthidharan said: “At this moment in our world’s history, we need stories like Counting and Cracking more than ever. Stories that remind us of our capacity to love across difference, to listen to each other’s truths and to keep our democracies alive. For the story of my family and my community to be part of that conversation, and to share it with audiences in London, is something truly extraordinary.”

Flack added: “Counting and Cracking is a ridiculous undertaking, it’s a huge and hugely complex show, and every time it gets up it’s because everyone involved is defying reality and common sense to make it happen. That’s what’s so wonderful about it. Georgie Black and House of Oz have been doing outsize things for Australian performance in the UK for a while now, and Georgie’s been a tireless UK ambassador for Counting and Cracking. The new Soho Theatre Walthamstow is the perfect place for it – a big, brassy new venue in the middle of one of London’s great South Asian communities. I love that this Sri Lankan-Australian show is part of something new in London. Bringing new kinds of connection to life has always been the spirit of this show.”

Counting and Cracking is performed in English, Tamil and Sinhalese, with live translation into English. The run time is three hours 30 minutes, including two 20-minute intervals.