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Saplings Review: A Powerful, Honest Look at Young Lives Behind the Headlines

Saplings Review: A Powerful, Honest Look at Young Lives Behind the Headlines
Saplings Review: A Powerful, Honest Look at Young Lives Behind the Headlines
Image: ATYP Saplings, credit: Clare Hawley

Written by Hannah Belanszky and directed by Abbie-lee Lewis, the production is built around ten short vignettes that explore the lives of young people trying to find connection, hope and a place where they belong. While the stories are fictionalised, they were developed from a year of workshops and conversations with young people in youth centres, detention centres and regional communities, creating a work that feels incredibly authentic. 

The production is stripped right back. With a sparse stage and minimal props, the focus stays firmly on the storytelling. The simple set perfectly reflects the poverty, neglect and boredom that can shape these young people’s lives, allowing the performances to take centre stage.

The young cast is exceptional. Each actor seamlessly steps into multiple roles, delivering powerful monologues, emotional performances and laugh-out-loud humour with remarkable confidence. Their performances never feel forced, balancing comedy with raw honesty in a way that makes every character feel genuine and relatable.

Saplings Review: A Powerful, Honest Look at Young Lives Behind the Headlines
Image: ATYP Saplings, credit: Clare Hawley

One of Saplings’ greatest strengths is that it refuses to judge. Instead, it invites the audience to look beyond the headlines and see young people simply trying to navigate incredibly complex situations. The play explores boredom, crime, fear, punishment, guilt and forgiveness, while constantly reminding us that these are still teenagers searching for friendship, family and hope.

Rather than offering easy answers, Saplings asks difficult questions about the justice system and the circumstances that shape young people’s lives. It encourages empathy without becoming preachy, allowing audiences to form their own opinions. The production comes full circle in a beautifully satisfying ending that ties the stories together and leaves audiences reflecting on what they have witnessed.

Saplings is a compelling piece of theatre that combines outstanding young performers with powerful storytelling and important conversations, making it well worth seeing.

Saplings Review: A Powerful, Honest Look at Young Lives Behind the Headlines
Image: ATYP Saplings, credit: Clare Hawley

Cast

Maliyan Blair, Danny Howard, Sam Harmon and Talijah Blackman-Corowa.

Creative Team

Writer: Hannah Belanszky
Director: Abbie-lee Lewis
Associate Director: Ryan Whitworth-Jones
Dramaturg: Jane FitzGerald
Co-Set & Costume Designer: Angela Doherty
Co-Set & Lighting Designer: Morgan Moroney
Composer & Sound Designer: Michael Weir
Fight Director: Tim Dashwood
Production Manager: Harry Dowling
Stage Manager: Milly Grindrod
Producer: Hayden Tonazzi
Associate Producer: Ryan Whitworth-Jones
Workshop Facilitator: George Kemp

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

DATE: 31 July – 1 August 2026
VENUE: The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne
PRICE: $25 – $49
BOOK TICKETS

Saplings National Tour 2026
5–8 August – Darwin*
13–15 August – Theatre Royal, Hobart
20 August – BMEC, Bathurst
22 August – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre
25 August – The Joan, Penrith
28 August – The Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale
1 September – Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool
*Darwin performances are presented as part of the Darwin Festival.

About ATYP

For more than 60 years, the Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) has been Australia’s leading youth theatre company, empowering young people aged 5–26 to create, perform and tell their own stories. Through productions like Saplings, ATYP continues to champion authentic youth voices while creating opportunities for the next generation of Australian artists and storytellers.

Recommended for ages 14+

Content warnings: Coarse language, loud noises, haze, and themes relating to the youth justice system.

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