COUNTING AND CRACKING எண்ணிக்கை, இல்லையேல் கையோங்குගණන් නොගන්නේ නම් ගණන් කරන්න TO MAKE LONDON DEBUT
HOUSE OF OZ IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOHO THEATRE PRESENTS A BELVOIR ST THEATRE AND KURINJI CO-PRODUCTION:
COUNTING AND CRACKING எண்ணிக்கை, இல்லையேல் கையோங்குගණන් නොගන්නේ නම් ගණන් කරන්නTO MAKE LONDON DEBUT
PRESENTED AS PART OF LIFT (LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THEATRE)WRITTEN BY S. SHAKTHIDHARAN WITH EAMON FLACKDIRECTED BY EAMON FLACK WITH S. SHAKTHIDHARAN
SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW15 JUNE 2027 – 10 JULY 2027
PRESS NIGHT – 18 JUNE 2027
PREVIOUS PRODUCTION IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE
PRESS IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE
FULL PRESS RELEASE WITH LISTINGS HERE
[London, 5 November 2026] House of Oz, in association with Soho Theatre, is delighted to announce the London debut of the extraordinary Australian Sri Lankan epic Counting and Cracking, a Belvoir St Theatre and Kurinji co-production presented as part of LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) at Soho Theatre Walthamstow from 15 June 2027 – 10 July 2027, with a press performance on 18 June 2027.
After sell-out seasons in Sydney, and following its acclaimed international journey through Edinburgh and Birmingham in 2022 and a celebrated New York season in 2024, Counting and Cracking now comes to London for a strictly limited season.
The play's critical accolades include, "a gripping dramatization” (The Times), "a crucial work for our times" (The Arts Desk), "a marvel" (Time Out Melbourne) and, "one of the great Australian plays" (The Guardian).'
On the banks of a suburban Sydney river, Radha and her son Siddhartha gather to release the ashes of Radha’s mother. When a phone call arrives from Colombo, a remarkable family story comes vividly to life. Moving between Sri Lanka and Australia, from 1956 to 2004, Counting and Cracking follows one Sri Lankan-Australian family across generations. Told with warmth, humour and breathtaking theatricality, it is a story of family, identity, love and the ties that connect us.
Featuring 19 performers from six different countries, speaking five different languages and performing more than 50 characters, Counting and Cracking is a monumental theatrical experience that brings together generations, cultures and histories on one stage. Its scale is matched by its intimacy, placing the personal stories of one family against the vast political and social changes that shape their lives.
First presented in Australia, the production became a landmark piece of Australian theatre, winning 14 major awards, including Helpmann Awards for Best Production and Best Direction. It has since travelled internationally, reaching audiences at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Edinburgh Festivals in 2022, before making its New York debut in 2024. After its London run, the production will return to New York in 2027, continuing its extraordinary international journey.
For London audiences, Counting and Cracking offers the opportunity to experience a production that has captivated audiences around the world – and to encounter a story that speaks powerfully to questions of migration, identity, belonging, family and reconciliation.
At the heart of Counting and Cracking is a family caught between the country they have left and the country they have made their home. The story moves between Sri Lanka and Australia, past and present, as the family confronts the experiences, choices and divisions that have shaped generations before them. Political conflict sits alongside deeply personal stories of love, loss, parenthood and belonging.
The production asks audiences to consider the stories we inherit and the stories we choose to believe – and whether reconciliation is possible when the past refuses to stay in the past.
S. Shakthidharan’s work brings together the personal and the political to create a story in which migrants are not asked to discard parts of themselves in order to belong, but are invited to bring their full selves into their new homes.
S. Shakthidharan, Writer and Associate Director, 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. ‘
Eamon Flack, Director and Associate Writer, said:
‘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 Asia 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.’
Alessandro Babalola, Soho Theatre Walthamstow Co-Chair and Creative Associate, said:
‘An epic show for an epic venue. Counting and Cracking is theatre at its most ambitious: big-hearted, international and alive with storytelling that cross generations, cultures and continents. We’re thrilled to welcome its London premiere to Soho Theatre Walthamstow, our glorious venue. Since opening in May 2025, Soho Theatre Walthamstow has won multiple awards, including Theatre Building of the Year at The Stage Awards. We want to continue filling this extraordinary building with extraordinary work, and Counting and Cracking is exactly that.’
Georgie Black, Founder and Creative Director of House of Oz, said:
'Getting this play to the stage in London has been a massive career goal of mine. “Counting and Cracking” represents exactly what theatre was made for. It’s a cultural experience that tears the heart out, makes us laugh, shows us deeply powerful and painful truths, all while perfectly balancing both sides of the crucial issue of our era: the politics of division. For the sake of humanity this must be seen by as many people as possible.’
The production is presented by Belvoir St Theatre and Kurinji, with House of Oz, continuing a journey that began in Australia and has taken this extraordinary story to audiences across the world.
Throughout the run, there will be 1,500 tickets available priced under £30. Priority tickets will be on sale from 12th November, and general tickets will be on sale from 16th November.
To sign up for priority tickets: https://www.houseofoz.co.uk/cc-sign-up
