School. For some it’s easy – a romp, a popularity contest to be won, a time of growth; for others, it is a minefield, impossible to know where and how to tread. The latter experience forms the basis of Laurinda, a new play co-written by comedian Diana Nguyen and Petra Kalive (who also directed), adapted from the award-winning 2014 young adult novel of the same name by acclaimed author Alice Pung.
Lucy Lam (Ngoc Phan) is a bright young lady from the fictional suburb of Stanley, where her father works at a carpet factory and her mother does so-called “home duties” as an outworker while caring for her baby brother. When Lucy receives a scholarship to attend the prestigious Laurinda Ladies College, her world changes. She leaves her public school friends behind and attempts to start on a new path in life among girls of a different upbringing. As she finds herself having to navigate the unspoken social rules that permeate the lives of the upper class, Lucy finds a friend in Katie (Fiona Choi), who is looked down upon by “The Cabinet” – a trio of girls (played by Gemma Chua-Tran, Chi Nguyen and Jenny Zhou) who hold social power purely due to their family connections.
