Australian Theatre for Young People and Youth Action present

Saplings

BY HANNAH BELANSZKY

Stories from the law and justice system

“I wasn’t there ‘cause I wanted to be, I was there ‘cause I had to be, okay? If Josh hadn’t eaten my noodles, I wouldn’t be here.”

Would you risk breaking bail for a packet of Mi Goreng? Would you snitch on a mate to save your own skin? Around here, ordinary days can turn on you so fast you’ve still got a smile on your face as your hopes die in your hands.

Yani wants to go to the Easter Show, Kai wants a sense of home, Shanika wants her Mum back, and Lachlan…well, he just wants his bowl of noodles. But when the justice system is all that stands between these young people and what they want, it raises an important question—how do young people grow when the system keeps cutting them down?

Yuwaalaray playwright Hannah Belanszky and Kalkadoon director Abbie-lee Lewis bring their exceptional talent to the stage for Saplings, a collection of hilarious and heartbreaking stories born from workshops with young people experiencing the youth justice system from Marrickville to Moree. Four talented young actors take on multiple roles in this poetic, personal, and unexpected production that will leave you asking who’s really to blame.

Set to a soundtrack of rap and hip-hop music made by young people in the youth justice system, Saplings gives an honest, raw look into the adult consequences faced by some of our most vulnerable. Join us at The Rebel Theatre for a night of laughter, tears, and celebration of the survival instincts of young people.

WARNINGS: Coarse language (swearing), haze, loud noises, and references to First Nations peoples who are deceased.

WRITER
Hannah Belanszky

DIRECTOR
Abbie-lee Lewis

DRAMATURG
Jane FitzGerald

CO-SET & COSTUME DESIGNER
Angela Doherty

CO-SET & LIGHTING DESIGNER
Morgan Moroney

COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER
Michael Weir

ASSOCIATE SOUND DESIGNER
Gryffyn Long

FIGHT DIRECTOR
Tim Dashwood

PRODUCTION MANAGER
Harry Dowling

STAGE MANAGER
Milly Grindrod

PRODUCER
Hayden Tonazzi

WORKSHOP FACILITATOR
George Kemp

WITH
Maliyan Blair
Nyasha Ogden
Wesley Patten
Ioane Sa’ula

IMAGE
Clare Hawley