Cut Chilli

By Chenturan Aran

'Sometimes a story must hide, to wait for the right person to find it.'

While contemplating the 'Kerala Kangaroo' special at a new Australian-Indian fusion restaurant, Jamie tells his girlfriend Zahra that he's adopted. Rescued from abandonment in Sri Lanka. His parents Lee and Katherine always insisted on that. For Zahra, here lies the exciting premise for her next podcast episode of 'The Decolonise Diaries': a child of colour 'rescued' and raised by white, middle-class parents who definitely don't see race. Under the pretext of a long-awaited home visit, with Zahra's recording device in tow, she and Jamie fly across the country to meet his parents and find the truth hidden in his adoption file. However, as the chardonnay begins to flow and Lee's local government campaign video begins to stream, it's clear this isn't the family reckoning Jamie imagined. Chenturan Aran's comedy Cut Chilli sears through the messy tangle of adoption fraud, interracial families and belonging with a real kick.

Shortlisted for the 2025 NSW Premier's Literary Awards.

'★★★★★ Cut Chilli makes me excited for Australian theatre. A blazing standout.'- Sydney Morning Herald

'★★★★⯨ One of the most accomplished, meaningful and entertaining Australian plays of recent years.'- Stage Noise

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1761732501
• ISBN13: 9781761732508
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Currency Press
• Length: 94 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 8.3"