The Coconut Children

Cabramatta, 1998. Sonny Vuong and Vince Tran are sixteen; they’ve known each other since they were small.

Sonny lives in a world of imaginary love affairs and nineteenth century novels. But Vince has done it harder. He’s just out of juvenile detention, he’s seen how close brutality and despair can be when life knocks you off balance.

And now they’re back in each other’s lives, thanks to some weird goings-on – a grandma who’s hitting the bottle, a stash of porn at the Cabra Golf Club, and the inevitable secrets from the old country coming to the surface.

And just how do you find yourself, when you’re constantly being watched and judged in this loving, maddening community, full of pain and joy? A story of old values, new possibilities, and coming of age. Vivian started writing The Coconut Children when she was sixteen, and it instantly became a classic of Australian adolescence.

It’s Belvoir heartland material and we’re confident it’s going to bring a charismatic new generation of stars to our stage. It’s funny, it’s utterly familiar, and it celebrates our city in a new and overdue way. – Eamon