An MTC NEXT STAGE ORIGINAL
Laurinda
A new play by Diana Nguyen with Petra Kalive
based on the novel by Alice Pung
6 Aug - 10 Sept 2022 at the Southbank Theatre, The Sumner
“Diana Nguyen and Petra Kalive have conjured a completely powerful, culturally clever, and respectful Asian-Australian story that had me nodding, crying, and fist-pumping in my seat. I very felt seen. This show contains a very relatable story for all second-generation Australians, regardless of race, and should be seen by everyone.
Laurinda is a love letter to our parents for their choices and sacrifices that helped us grow up with the freedoms and opportunities they did not have, but desired for us. And it is a respectful, understanding warm hug to our younger selves, acknowledging that the mistakes we’ve made have helped us become who we are today.” LILITHIA REVIEWS
“…this entertaining, thought-provoking adaptation stands boldly on its own.” LIMELIGHT
“Directed by Petra Kalive, this adaptation does do justice to Pung’s sharp-witted skewering of white privilege and manners…the play’s dark observational humour is nuanced enough to inspire cringe-inducing flashbacks and has more the ring of a nightmare lived through” THE AGE
“As stories are told and retold through generations, they are transformed but not reduced. Witty and relevant, Laurinda successfully intersects engaging personal story and driving social commentary with intelligence and humour.
The politics of power and prejudice is explored in a perceptive work that exposes the pomposity of private school culture and reminds us systemic racism is complex and deeply embedded.” THE CONVERSATION
Adapting Alice Pung’s award-winning book, writer and comedian Diana Nguyen and director Petra Kalive bring Laurinda’s schoolyard setting to the stage for a fresh and feisty new work. Like Heathers or Mean Girls with a uniquely Australian flavour, this delightful take on the beloved novel stars Fiona Choi (The Family Law), Gemma Chua-Tran (Netflix's Heartbreak High), Georgina Naidu (Minnie & Liraz), Chi Nguyen (The Wilds), Ngoc Phan (Boy Swallows Universe), Roy Phung (Jasper Jones) and Jenny Zhou (Girl, Interpreted) in an incisive, funny study of a woman caught between cultures and class.
Laurinda tells the story of Lucy Lam, a 38-year-old woman who still has a lot to learn from her 15-year-old self when she is thrust back to the year she won a scholarship to a prestigious private school. The smart and well-liked student is not prepared for the new world she’s suddenly propelled into. It’s a world of wealth and opportunity, overseen by The Cabinet – a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates, and even their teachers. But when The Cabinet turn their attention to Lucy she has to make a choice: fit in and succeed, or stay true to herself. Either way, there’s a cost.
Whether high school is (thankfully) a distant memory or a current reality, this MTC NEXT STAGE commission offers a witty and moving insight into an all-too common experience as well as the inner strength it takes to speak truth to power.
Audience feedback
“My wife and I saw it yesterday and thought it was brilliant. In fact, for us it is the best play we have seen this year…. And we are an old white couple. I think the play spoke to my immigrant background… this is the first time I have experienced the power of seeing Asian Australians playing westernised Anglo Australians in some roles with chilling effect.”
“It instilled in me a new purpose of where I sit in the world and my cultural roots…. I felt the play was saying “it’s okay. You’re not alone” and there are so many people right now or at any given time experiencing intersectional challenges.”
“So much craft and love and wonderful discomfort. My God, when that direct address landed, whoa, I could feel the bruise on our collective psyche start to bleed out under our skin. Now that’s theatre.”
“Wonderful characterisation, some triumphant moments and an MTC audience that were wonderfully confronted by it. Congratulations.”
“I fkn cried and laughed…”
“OH MY GOSH I LOVED ITTTTT IT WAS FANTASTIC IT WAS NEW AND TRUE…. I WOULDN”T CHANGE A THING!!!!!”
“You have brought together a community of creatives to celebrate what collaborations can achieve… you have empowered the next generation that it is ok to chase their dreams and speak up when things aren’t right… and you’ve done it with humour”
“I cried ugly tears. Like ugly. Like real ugly tears. I needed to cry those”
“I am fckn obsessed, I want to go again and take everyone I know.”
Cast
Fiona Choi. Katie / Mrs Leslie / As cast.
Gemma Chua-Tran. Linh / Brodie.
Georgina Naidu. Trisha / Mrs Grey / Mrs White / As cast.
Chi Nguyen. Mum / Amber / Charlotte / As cast.
Ngoc Phan. Lucy / Lucy-38.
Roy Phung. Dad / Dr Vanderwerp / As cast.
Jenny Zhou. Tully / Chelsea / Mrs Newberry / As cast.
Director Petra Kalive
Set Design and AV Concept & Design Eugyeene Teh
Costume Designer Karine Larché
Lighting Designer Rachel Lee
Composer & Sound Designer Marco Cher-Gibard
AV Designer Justin Gardam
Movement Director Xanthe Beesley
Assistant Director & AV Composition Roshelle Fong
Cultural Consultant Alice Qin
Voice & Dialect Coach Mark Wong
Dance Consultancy Vietcharm Traditional Dance Group
Rehearsal Stage Manager Christine Bennett
Show Stage Manager Brittany Coombs
Assistant Stage Manager 1 Whitney McNamara
Assistant Stage Manager 2 Lucie Sutherland
Vietnamese dialogue by Chi Nguyen
Laurinda Education Pack
Photos by Jeff Busby