New play explores 'lifelong loss' of inter-country adoption through comedy

Chenturan Aran's debut play, 'Cut Chilli,' has garnered significant attention and critical praise, with one reviewer calling it "the best new Australian play to arrive on Sydney stages" in 2024. The production achieved a five-star rating in The Herald and sold out its initial run.

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I always attribute it to luck, really, and then it sold out.

Following its success, 'Cut Chilli' received multiple award nominations at the 2025 NSW Literary Awards, including categories for playwriting, writers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and debut writers. Judges lauded the play as "bold and blistering," commending its authentic characters, realistic script, and witty dialogue. Although it did not win an award, the play marked Aran as a promising new voice in Australian theatre.

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bold and blistering

The play recently debuted in Melbourne, selling out its season as part of Darebin Arts Speakeasy. 'Cut Chilli' centers on Jamie, a Sri Lankan-born character adopted by white parents, who returns to Perth with his podcaster girlfriend, Zahra. The narrative unfolds primarily around a dinner table, where Jamie and Zahra engage in comedic clashes with Jamie's parents, Katherine and Lee, and his uncle Jeff. Aran describes the play as being "about belonging, in your family, in your country and dominant culture, with your ancestry and in your own body, even."

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Cut Chilli is a play about belonging. In your family, in your country and dominant culture, with your ancestry and in your own body, even.

Aran, who is also pursuing other theatrical projects, including a collaboration set to premiere in November, expressed gratitude for 'Cut Chilli's' second life. He noted the challenges in securing funding and grant support for remounts or second runs of plays. The inspiration for 'Cut Chilli' reportedly stemmed from an episode of Esther Perel's podcast, 'Where Should We Begin?', which touched upon a couple's marital struggles attributed partly to their inter-country adoptee daughter from Korea. Aran found it unusual that the daughter's background was not highlighted in the podcast's description.

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I just found it really strange that wasn't part of the headline. Maybe out of political correctness, there was a desire not to spotlight the fact the daughter was an inter-country adoptee.