S. Shakthidharan:Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath

Acclaimed Western Sydney storyteller S. Shakthidharan shares his memoir Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath, in conversation with fellow author Benjamin Law exclusively at Bondi Pavilion. A story of fallibility, forgiveness and grace. An ode to fatherhood and family, and the love and conflicts that make us.

Shakthi lives with his family, in the house his great-grandparents built in Colombo, Sri Lanka, before the civil war. Carried across the seas to Australia, on the strength of his grandmother’s will, this house breathes the joy and grief that has passed through generations. And it’s here Shakthi writes about the people he loves, all of whom come together to form a portrait of Shakthi himself.

S. Shakthidharan is a writer, director, producer of theatre and film, and music composer of Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry. His debut play, Counting and Cracking, was voted 'the best Australian play of the 21st century' in an ArtsHub poll, was called 'one of the great Australian plays' by The Guardian, and was a New York Times Critic's Pick. The script won the Victorian Prize for Literature in the 2020 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting in the 2020 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. His latest play, The Wrong Gods, premiered in 2025.

Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of The Family Law, Gaysia, the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia. An AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter, Benjamin is also the co-executive producer, co-creator and co-writer of the Netflix comedy-drama Wellmania, playwright of Melbourne Theatre Company’s sold-out play Torch the Place, and creator and co-writer of three seasons of the award-winning TV series The Family Law. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Nab a book bundle and save! Pre-purchase your copy of _Gather Up Your World in One Long Breath _when booking your ticket and save a bundle on the cover price. Discount only available with presale offer. Orders can be collected at the venue from the team at Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. 

Event information Refreshments will be available from the Theatre Bar from 5.30 pm.  Theatre seating commences at 6.15 pm. Tickets are General Admission. Seats are not allocated.

Presented by Waverley Council and Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. With thanks to Powerhouse Publishing.

Photo credit: Ken Leanfore

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