THE JUNGLE AND THE SEA AT BELVOIR ST THEATRE
View the rehersal photos in the video below
Please view additional photos of Rehearsal photos on eLanka FB
S.Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack, the award-winning creative powerhouses behind Counting and Cracking, return with The Jungle and the Sea, showing from 12 November 2022 to 18 December 2022 at the Belvoir Street Theatre.
The Jungle and the Sea takes the classical stories of the Mahabharatha and Antigone, and builds a new epic bringing to the forefront decades of untold histories of the Sri Lankan civil war. Themes that all Sri Lankans have a connection to – surviving loss, rebuilding lives and discovering what a reimagined future can bring.
The Jungle and the Sea is a companion piece to Belvoir’s critically acclaimed Counting and Cracking, following the production’s successful tour to Edinburgh and Birmingham in August 2022.
It is rare to see a nuanced and emotionally weighted depiction of the Sri Lankan civil war in Australian media, especially through the lens of those actually impacted by the war. The Sri Lankan civil war is often discussed as a historical and political think piece, with little regard to the lives that were traumatically uprooted. Seeing this incredible production come to life on the Belvoir Street Theatre stage is a cathartic experience. It brings together all the things we often don’t find in mainstage theatre; honouring and elevating a community, witnessing as an act of truth telling, whilst making a work that is rigorous and ambitious in its artistic and theatrical vision.
- Shakthidaran says that Counting and Cracking was written to honour those who tried to halt Sri Lanka’s descent into civil war and that The Jungle and the Sea is written to honour those who survived the war, and the ways they found ways to uphold their dignity even when everything else was falling down around them.
He says, “Even in war, life goes on. There is always a choice. The Jungle and the Sea celebrates how love, irreverence, hope, joy and determination continue to flourish, even in times of loss, in the most unlikely and wonderful of ways. And through this, we slowly chart a path to justice.”
The Jungle and the Sea brings together an extraordinary group of South Asian actors, performers and musicians, from Sydney, Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand. Dancer and Guru Anandavalli, Helpmann Winner Prakash Belawadi, and leading Sri Lankan theatre actor Nadie Kammallaweera, to name just a few.
In order to ensure that The Jungle and the Sea meets the audience it is intended for, the Belvoir Street Theatre has set up a special offer for the eLanka community. Use code word Jungle50 to book tickets to the Jungle and the Sea and you will receive discounted tickets at $50 each (up to $41 discount) for shows between 12 November – 24 November 2022.
Article By Thinesh Thillai, Audience Development Coordinator, The Jungle and The Sea
The Jungle and The Sea
Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre
Location: 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Dates: 12th November to 18th December, 2022
Prices: Full price from $70, Seniors from $60, Concession from $50, 30-Down from $48, Student Saver from $35
Discount: Use Jungle50 for $50 tickets
Tickets: https://belvoir.com.au/productions/the-jungle-and-the-sea-2/ or (02) 9699 3444
Contact: mail@belvoir.com.au or 02 9699 3444
