AustLit

'Anna is coming of age. Possibilities are unfurling in front of her and she’s ready to take control. But her mother’s been standing guard all these years, taking care, editing the choices.

'When Anna makes a decision that could affect the rest of her life, can Renee stand by and watch?'

Source: Royal Exchange Theatre.

'In a spotless kitchen buried deep underground a covert experiment is headed toward its public unveiling. Rachel and Wells are its subjects, and they can almost pass for human now. Although there’s still something not quite right about them…

'And beneath the civilised surfaces, tensions are rising. Wells is growing stronger, Rachel is learning faster than predicted, and Duncan and Marlow’s hold on their subjects – and on power – is proving more fragile and slippery than they thought. As their carefully controlled experiment comes to a head, it twists into a dark psychological battle that threatens to erupt into violence.

'Extinction of the Learned Response is a taut psychological thriller that asks, what really separates human from animal – or from monster?'

Source: 25A.

'I’s back! The beguiling story of Ruby, a little girl who may not believe in fairytales but who certainly believes in wishes. Confined to a hospital bed for much of her childhood, little Ruby has had to grow up far too fast, and confront too much. But when she is visited by Dot, a tongue-tied clown doctor, she finds a way to use her greatest asset: her imagination.

'With exquisite puppetry, in a tale forged of fantasy and reality, Ruby’s Wish is a pocket-sized bundle of charm for all ages. As we watch the two misfits – ailing child and awkward clown – create their fantasy world of mop monsters, bed caves and imaginary paper friends, we are drawn into Ruby’s bittersweet life – and come to see that imagination can make almost anything come true.

'After a rapturously received outing in 2014, we’re very pleased to bring MAKEbeLIVE’s puppets, magic, beatboxing and exquisite performances back for another season. If you missed it last time, well, here is your second chance.' (Production summary)

'Kill the Messenger is a funny and shocking tell-all from a true maverick.

'In 2011 Gamilaroi/Torres Strait Islander playwright/law student/performer Nakkiah Lui started writing a play for Belvoir. It was based on a true story about a man in her home suburb of Mount Druitt. One day, in unbearable pain due to undiagnosed stomach cancer, he went to the local hospital, where he was refused care. Then he went to a nearby park and hung himself. The theme of the play: institutionalised racism.

'Then in 2012 Nalddah's grandmother fell through the unmended floor of her public housing home and died. Nakkiah found herself at the centre of a story about ... institutionalised racism. The resulting play lays it all out - her dodgy sex life, a dead man's second chance, and a granddaughter's sense of duty.

'Cunningly composed rage is one of theatre's great modes. Kill the Messenger is an exemplary case in point. Anthea Williams (Forget Me Not) directs the incomparable Nakkiah Lui as herself in this game-changing rethink of what black theatre could be.'

Source: Belvoir.

'On the banks of the Georges River, Radha and her son Siddhartha release the ashes of Radha’s mother – their final connection to the past, to Sri Lanka and its struggles. Now they are free to embrace their lives in Australia. Then a phone call from Colombo brings the past spinning back to life, and we are plunged into an epic story of love and political strife, of home and exile, of parents and children

'Counting and Cracking is a big new play about Australia like none we’ve seen before. This is life on a large canvas, so we are leaving Belvoir St and building a Sri Lankan town hall inside Sydney Town Hall. Sixteen actors play four generations of a family, from Colombo to Pendle Hill, in a story about Australia as a land of refuge, about Sri Lanka’s efforts to remain united, about reconciliation within families, across countries, across generations.'

Source: Belvoir St Theatre.

'A co-production with La Boite Theatre Company

'This is Julia-Rose Lewis’ first play and she has made something wondrous. On the one hand, Samson is an Australian coming-of-age story set in a country town. On the other hand, it is a completely disarming hodgepodge of unexpectedness and originality, of metaphysics and silliness, of religious faith and topless sunbathing.

'Essie, Beth, Sid and Rabbit are growing up at the arse end of the arse end of the world. Boredom, decay and violence plague their lives. And grief, for the death of a friend. Grappling with their own existence and grasping hopelessly at the future, they find themselves imagining heaven and dreaming of hell.

'Samson fizzes with truth; it is brutal yet gentle, funny yet sad, young yet old. At its heart is the startling idea that the death of someone important can be the start of something excellent.

'Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries) makes her Belvoir debut in this gem about discovering beauty in unlikely places.' (Publication summary)