Rodney Afif

Cast

Rodney Afif is in Counting and Cracking, which toured the UK in the 2022. His other stage credits include MTC’s immersive theatre show Because the Night as well as Wait Until Dark, Three Sisters, The Balcony, Two Brothers, The Golden Dragon, Glengarry, Glen Ross, and Macbeth. Film roles include the lead in the AFI-nominated Lucky Miles, Ali’s Wedding, The BBQ, Hotel Mumbai, Pirates of the Caribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Killer Elite, My Year Without Sex, Love’s Brother, Serenades.Afif has played Graham (lead cast) in the recent TV series RFDS, his other TV roles include The Hunting, Rosehaven, Offspring, Winners and Losers, East West 101, Satisfaction, Rush, All Saints & City Homicide.

Senuri Chandrani

Cast

Senuri Chandrani (she/they) is an Australian actor of Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) heritage based in Melbourne and Sydney. She appeared as ‘Jaya’ in the MIFF 2022 opening night feature film, Of An Age (dir. Goran Stolevski), and wrapped the development for the play, Nosferatu with Malthouse Theatre. In 2019, Senuri graduated from VCA with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting). On stage, they portrayed titular roles such as ‘Hester’ from Susan-Lori Park’s play, Fucking A (dir. Candy Bowers) to Shakespeare’s iconic ‘Lady Macbeth’ (dir. Petra Kalive). Senuri also writes and directs her own work, which is often informed by their experience as a queer migrant. Most recently, she directed the short film, Island Praying which premiered at MAV’s Diasporas Festival. She also co-created the short film, Purple which is published in the Directors Library. Moreover, their short film, six weeks bby won the People’s Choice Award for Cinespace’s Film Competition. She has represented Melbourne in the City of Literature Slam O Vision competition and was awarded the global runner-up slot. She is also an alumnus of the competitive Behind the Screens program at FCAC and Leading Lights at AIDC. In addition, Senuri is a dancer and recently performed a solo dance work at the No Kerfew club night; an event that celebrates South Asian intersectionality.

Antonythasan Jesuthasan

Cast

Antonythasan Jesuthasan is an actor and writer born in Sri Lanka and based in Paris, France. He has appeared in a number of films including Benoît Jacquot’s Casanova, Matthew Heineman’s A Private War, Cédric Anger’s L'amour est une fête, Satha Piranavan’s Friday and Friday, Lenin M. Sivam’s Roobha, Leena Manimekalai’s Sengadal, and the Palme d’Or winning Dheepan by Jacques Audiard. He will also appear in the forthcoming A Loyal Man, directed by Lawrence Valin. For his work in Dheepan he has been nominated for Best Actor at the 2016 César Awards, and the 2016 International Online Cinema Awards. He was also the winner of the Best Actor award at the ICS Cannes Awards 2015. In addition to his acting work, Antony has written a number of books including Shoba: Itinéraire d'un réfugié, Gorilla, Traitor and The MGR Murder Trial, La Sterne Rouge. Since 2019, Antonythasan has appeared in famous Movies including MEN IN BLUE by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda (Tournage USA - Mars 2022), the forthcoming TEHU by Eric Barbier (En post prod 2022), NOTRE DAME BRÛLE by Jean-Jacques Annaud (2021), the forthcoming LE GRAND MARIN by Dinara Drukarova (2021) and BAC NORD by Cédric Jimenez (2020).

Nadie Kammallaweera

Cast

Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Nadie Kammallaweera is a theatre, film, and television actor, writer, and translator. She has acted in stage plays, movies, and television dramas. Nadie’s recent work as an actor in Australia includes Jungle and the Sea 2022, Counting and Cracking 2019, Cherry Orchard 2021 by Belvoir Street Theatre, Wakefield (ABC TV Series), and Bump (Stan Australia TV Series). Her theatre credits elsewhere include Kalumali, for the Stage Theatre group Colombo; The House of Bernada Alba, Blood Wedding, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, and Mother Courage and Her Children for Somalatha Subasinghe Play House Colombo. Her television credits overseas include The Young Pope for HBO, The New Pope for HBO, Bedde Kulawamiya for SLRC (Sri Lanka), and Sansasre Piyasatahan for ITN (Sri Lanka). Nadie’s feature films include Asoka Handagama’s This is My Moon, Prasanna Vithanage’s August Sun, Visakesa Chandrasekaram’s Pangshu, Malith Hegoda’s Strage Familiar and Fabrizio Costa’s Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Some of the national-level awards Nadie has won in Sri Lanka are Best Supporting Actress in a Movie 2021, Best Actress in a Series 2018, Best Translation (Drama)  of the Year 2005, Presidential Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role 2005, Best upcoming actress (Movie) 2004 and 2003,  and BUNKA award of recognition of valuable contribution to the Sri Lankan Theatre. Nadie has co-written the screenplay Thaala (Sri Lankan Children’s movie) and is currently co-writing a screenplay with director Anura de Silva for Ashram Productions (Sri Lanka). 

Ahilan Karunaharan

Cast

Ahilan Karunaharan is a multi-disciplinary artist of Srilankan Tamil ancestry working across stage and screen in Aotearoa. A graduate of The New Zealand National School of Drama and Victoria University of Wellington, his work interrogates memory, nostalgia, dislocation, and loss from a diaspora lens. From pioneering and trailblazing works for the South Asian community, International Arts Festivals, immersive participatory installations, and musicals, Ahilan has worked with acclaimed theatre companies across the globe for Tara Arts, Silo Theatre, Auckland Theatre Company, Native Earth in Canada, Planet IndigenoUS Festival, and Belvoir St Theatre. Ahilan is the founder of Agaram Productions, a multi-award-winning production house championing alternative narratives and otherness, and guest tutors at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand School of Drama and The Actors Programme. Ahilan was awarded The Bruce Mason Playwrighting Award, recognizing his work as an outstanding New Zealand playwright, and an Excellence in Arts Leadership award in 2020. He is also the recipient of multiple Auckland Theatre Awards and an Arts Foundation Laureate award, the highest artistic accolade in New Zealand celebrating his artistic contribution and achievements to the creative sector. He is currently developing a TV series SERENADE.

Abbie-Lee Lewis

Cast

Abbie-Lee Lewis is a Kalkadoon actress who trained in the Aboriginal Theatre and Acting courses at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Perth. Her credits include David Finnigan's Scenes from the Climate Era, for Belvoir St Theatre, Seanna Van Helten’s Fallen, directed by Penny Harpham, for Sport for Jove; Our Town, directed by Clare Watson, for the Black Swan State Theatre Company of Western Australia; a national tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (as Hermia) for Bell Shakespeare; and Angus Cerini’s The Bleeding Tree, directed by Ian Michael at the Blue Room Theatre, Perth. Her television credits include Black Comedy for ABC. In recent years she has also worked as an assistant director, collaborating with Peter Evans on Hamlet for Bell Shakespeare and with Jena Prince on Charlie Pilgrim for the Australian Theatre for Young People. Last year she made her directing debut with Bruce Pascoe's Cutter and Coot for Moogahlin Performing Arts and has since directed Jane Montgomery Griffiths' an ox stand on my tongue, for Belvoir's 25A and Hannah Belanszky's Saplings for ATYP.

Gandhi MacIntyre

Cast

Gandhi MacIntyre (born on the same date as the Mahatma) emerged from the Methodist Drama Society in Colombo into the Lionel Wendt Theatre and it was at this period that he won a scholarship to the Drama Studio, London, where he obtained his formal qualifications. Later he migrated to Australia. His theatre credits include Pearlfishers, Madama Butterfly (Opera Australia), Let’s Give Them Curry (Canberra National Multicultural Festival), Rasanayagam’s Last Riot (Ralph Wilson Theatre), The UN Inspector is a Sri Lankan (Lionel Wendt Theatre) and Irangani (Belconnen Theatre). Gandhi also has over twenty Australian film and television credits including Babe, Fat Pizza, Embassy, and Heroes. Ghandi is the official representative and auditioner in Australia for the Drama Studio, London and has tutored at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Australia, the University of Western Sydney, and Australian Theatre for Young People.

Radhika Mudaliyar

Cast

Radhika Mudaliyar, a Sydney-based actor of Indian heritage, is a graduate of the renowned Bachelor of Arts in Acting program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Recently seen in Stan's Prosper. Whilst at WAAPA, a few notable roles Radhika portrayed are; 'Hermia' in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 'Cleante' in Moliere's Tartuffe, 'Aarzu' in Suzie Miller's Caress/Ache, and the titular role in Sophocles' Antigone. In 2023, Radhika was awarded the Best Actor prize at the Buddha International Film Festival for her role in All is Well and was also named a finalist in the competitive Equity Neighbours Internship. She earned the 'Most Outstanding Actor' award at the Vice Chancellor's Shakespeare Awards for her original devised Bharathanatyam piece titled A Nayika named Hamlet.

Shiv Palekar

Cast

Shiv Palekar was born in India, raised in Hong Kong and is now based in Sydney. Since graduating from NIDA, Shiv has appeared in Counting and Cracking (Belvoir); The Tempest, The Real Thing, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and Disgraced (Sydney Theatre Company); The Sound Inside (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Almighty Sometimes (Griffin Theatre Company); and has toured nationally twice in The Merchant of Venice and The Players (Bell Shakespeare). Shiv made his feature film debut in the feature film The Greenhouse. He has also starred in the short film Among Men. Shiv’s most recent television credits include his ongoing appearance in Amazon Studios’ Daytime-Emmy nominated remount of Neighbours, as well as Apple TV/Paramount’s Shantaram. For his work in the Beauty Queen of Leenane and Counting and Cracking, he received two Sydney Theatre Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor respectively. For his work in The Sound Inside, he received a nomination for Outstanding Performance at Melbourne’s Green Room Awards. He is also an associate artist and founding member of theatre ensemble The Corinthian Food Store Collective for who he has starred as 'Lester' in This, This is Mine.

Dushan Philips

Cast

Dushan Philips played the role of Niv in Stay Woke (Malthouse and Darlinghurst Theatre) and more recently tread the boards in Bighouse Dreaming (Arts Centre Melbourne). Other stage credits include Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth (Australian Shakespeare Company) playing the roles of Lord Capulet and Macduff. He has worked on Fury, The Antipodes (Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre); Right Now (Malthouse Theatre Company) and The Crocodile (Malthouse Theatre Company). Previous TV credits include ABC's Glitch, Channel 10's Offspring, Foxtel's Wentworth, Stan's Romper Stomper and the American TV Series Hunters. He was also main cast in Channel 31's ghost hunting six-part series Sonnnigsburg. Recent television roles include Fires and Jack Irish - Hell Bent, both for the ABC, Stan original series The Gloaming and Channel Ten's My Life is Murder, directed by Leah Purcell. Dushan won a Green Room Award for his performance in Angels In America, for Dirty Pretty Theatre (2017).

Sukhbir Singh Walia (Sunny)

Cast

Sukhbir Singh Walia (more commonly known as Sunny S. Walia) is an Indian Australian actor based in Melbourne. He returns to Belvoir’s Counting and Cracking having previously been part of the ensemble on their 2022 UK tour. Walia made his television debut in Apple TV’s Shantaram, taking on the character of Sub Inspector Chavan Sharma opposite Charlie Hunnam. His other television credits include SBS series Swift Street, Stan’s Bad Behaviour and AMC’s Preacher. Sunny also plays the recurring role of Sasha McLain in Amazon/Network 10’s Neighbours. Feature film credits include the award winning Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism directed by Nick Kosakis, Mark Williams Blacklight opposite Liam Neeson and recently wrapped Jonathan Hensleigh’s Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky again opposite Liam Neeson and Michael Shank’s Together opposite Dave Franco and Alison Brie. Sunny was the recipient of the 2020 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Pitch award. He is trained as a rifleman in the Australian Army Reserves and is fluent in Punjabi and Hindi. Sunny is proud to be part of the South Asian diaspora in Australia and continues to work in bringing strong, leading South Asian characters to our stage and  screens both locally and internationally.

Nipuni Sharada Pathirage

Cast

Nipuni Sharada Pathirage is an actor, voice artist, and vocalist in theater, television, and film based in Sri Lanka. She has been employed as a lecturer in drama and theater at the University of Peradeniya and the University of the Visual and Performing Arts (UVPA) in Sri Lanka. She has a BPA (honours) degree in Acting with a first-class from the UVPA, Sri Lanka, in 2017, and she won the gold medal for the highest GPA. She has received recognition for her proficiency in acting, theatre music, and designing at a number of Sri Lankan theater festivals. Most recently, she won the Best Actress award at the State Theatre Festival 2022 in Sri Lanka for her performance in the Antique Kada Maranayak directed by Asoka Handagama. She is also interested in applying theater and music to community development and empowerment. Moreover, she is an emerging researcher who explores her own practice and lived experience as a performer and a community theatre practitioner. Her latest research work, titled 'Let’s Redesign Our Town!: Empowering children to advocate a change in their urban city using theatre,' was presented at a research conference conducted by the South Asian University in 2023, India. Currently, she is studying for her Masters at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and her dissertation analyzes her own experience in performing in Counting and Cracking as one of the original cast members of the play.

Kaivalya Suvarna

Cast

Kaivalya Suvarna is a Melbourne-based actor who works internationally in theatre, TV and film, but is always happiest working on a Belvoir story. He first performed the role of ‘Young Thirru’  during the UK tour of Counting & Cracking (2022) and then went on to play the role of ‘Ahilan’ in the show’s spiritual successor The Jungle and the Sea later that year. His other theatrical credits include ‘Sai’  in Malthouse Theatre’s Stay Woke (2022) and ‘Tom’ in Sarah Goodes’ Earthquakes in London (2021). Outside the theatre he has recently worked on Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar (2023) and Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky (2024), ABC’s Utopia (2023), and Apple TV’s Shantaram (2021). Kaivalya is honored to be a part of this story’s journey through the world and to be bringing it to life in the company of such talented, devoted artists.

Rajan Velu

Cast

Rajan Velu is a graduate of Actors Centre Australia and has worked extensively across Theatre, Television, and Film in Australia and the United States. Rajan’s theatre credits include Jungle and the Sea (Belvoir), Counting and Cracking (Belvoir), Life of Galileo (Belvoir), Norm and Ahmed (Australian Theatre Live), The Last Highway (Urban Theatre Projects), The Drum (Sydney Opera House), Friends in Transient Places (Fresh Produce’d LA), The Changeling (Independent Shakespeare Company LA), Henry V (Independent Shakespeare Company LA). Film credits include This Little Love of Mine, Eat Spirit Eat, Honeyglue and the short film Bug which hit the festival circuit last year. His television credits include, Criminal Minds-Beyond Borders, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scandal, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, All Saints, Doctor Doctor, RFDS, Diary of an Uber Driver, Born to Spy and the AACTA nominated shows, Savage River and The Disposables.

Sukania Venugopal

Cast

Sukania Venugopal has worked in Malaysia and Singapore in theatre, TV, and movie projects. She also worked with the late Yasmin Ahmad on the feature movie Talentime. She performs and co-directs dance dramas with The Temple of Fine Arts in Malaysia and the Temple of Fine Arts abroad. She also performs in children's theatre with The Jumping Jellybeans. She has performed in musicals such as Oliver! with Philharmonic Theater and Puteri Gunung Ledang with Enfinity. Sukania is a pioneer performer with The Instant Cafe Theatre Company. In 2017 she won Best Supporting Role in the play Ghost Writers by The Necessary Stage for Singapore Life Awards and also Best Supporting Role for Language Archive by PH7 Productions in the Boh Cameroonian Awards in Malaysia. In 2019 she performed in the highly acclaimed play Counting and Cracking with the Australian Belvoir Theatre Company for the Sidney Arts Festival 2019 and Adelaide Arts Festival 2019. This production received 8 nominations for theatre awards in Australia. In 2020 she performed with The Necessary Stage (Singapore) production of The Year of No Return which addresses Environmental issues. In 2022 January she performed in a Pulitzer Prize-winning play Night Mother a PH7 production in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. In 2022 she performed in Counting and Cracking at the Edinburgh International Festival and also at The Rep Birmingham. In 2023 she performed Mahabharata with Why Not Theatre a Canadian Theatre co. at the Shaw Festival at Niagara On The Lake in Canada. Also performed Mahabharata at Barbican London. In 2023 she performed Call Of The Flute with Kalpana Dance Company as Narrator incorporating Dance and Theatrical movements at the Temple of Fine Arts in Malaysia. In 2024 performed Hi Can You Hear Me, a production by the Necessary Stage a Singaporean Theatre Co. at the Singapore Esplanade.

Kranthi Kiran Mudigonda

Cast

Kiran Mudigonda is one of the leading Carnatic Violinists in Australia. He had his training in India under illustrious teachers from the Dwaram and Parur traditions of Carnatic Violin and is currently undertaking advanced training from Pasur MA Sundareswaran. He has been performing Carnatic Classical Music for the past 2 decades across India, Australia, and New Zealand. He is equally adept at singing and playing South Indian percussion instruments Mridangam, Kanjira, Ghatam (Clay Pot), and Morsing (Indian Jew Harp). He has participated in cross-genre collaborative development projects and has provided violin accompaniment to numerous dance recitals and music concerts at various prestigious venues in India and Australia. 

Janakan Suthanthiraraj

Cast

Janakan Suthanthiraraj is an established South-Indian artist with a background in the field of Carnatic music. He has over 20 years of experience as a performing artist both in Australia and abroad. In 2019/2020 he had the privilege to work as a theatre artist for Co-Curious and Belvoir Theatre performing in “Counting & Cracking” for the Sydney Festival. The production was awarded both the prestigious  Helpmann and Sydney Theatre awards for best sound design. In 2016 he produced the music for Rasana School of Aesthetic Arts, “Rasalayam” - A neo-classical Bharatanatya production. He was also invited to compose the opening item for the 2010 Sydney Peace Prize Awards, held at the Opera House. He is also a co-founder of Eastern Empire with whom he has performed for notable festivals including Parramasala (2015) and the Sydney Festival (2017). He is also a teacher at the Ghana Layam Music Academy, founded by his father and Guru Sri R. Suthanthiraraj. Janakan was first introduced to the wider realms of Carnatic music under the guidance of his father and guru, Sri R.Suthanthiraraj. From there, he pursued extensive training under Mridanga Virtuoso Sri Ravi M.Ravichandhira. Janakan is currently under the guidance of  "Nada Oli" Melakaveri Sri K. Balaji.

Venkhatesh Sritharan

Cast

Venkhatesh Sritharan, a versatile musician born into a musical family, began his journey at the age of five under the tutelage of Sri Suthanthiraraj. He honed his skills further under the guidance of flute maestro Ramani Thiagarajan in Chennai. In 2014, he achieved a significant milestone by completing his flute arangetram alongside his sister Saumya Sritharan on Veena. As a promising artist, Venkhatesh has explored a wide array of musical disciplines, including tabla, piano, veena, and Indian classical vocal. His performances have graced dance ballets, Arangetrams, and various light performances across Australia and New Zealand. Notably in 2019, 2022, and 2024, Venkhatesh toured Australia and the UK with Belvoir Street Theatre Company for their acclaimed production "Counting and Cracking," showcasing his talents on prestigious stages like the Edinburgh International Festival and The Birmingham Rep  Theatre. Balancing his artistic pursuits with a professional career, Venkhatesh currently serves as a monitoring CRA in Clinical Trials, blending his passion for music with a commitment to healthcare research.