Seventeen tracks on an old mixtape reveal bittersweet memories of a family’s resilience behind every song.

In a small coastal village in Sri Lanka, Sangeetha’s life is filled with music. Songs are the glue that binds her family together. And she has a crush on the guy at the general store who plays all the latest hits.

But, as the country slips into civil war, they find themselves caught on the wrong side of history. “I had only ever heard the sounds of gunshots in movies,“ she remembers. “This one was different.“

This compelling story sweeps from 1950s’ Sri Lanka to modern-day Aotearoa, where Sangeetha is now living with a son of her own, Deepan. The only remnant of Sangeetha’s past is an old mixtape filled with memories. As Deepan plays the 17 songs one by one – Dusty Springfield, La Bamba, the hit single from a Tamil rom-com – the story of what happened to their family unfolds through the music until its unforgettable conclusion.

Both a love letter to his homeland and a lament, this powerful new work by Ahi Karunaharan is the final chapter in his epic trilogy which began with Tea, continued with The Mourning After and now concludes with a mixtape for maladies.

In collaboration with Agaram Productions and Te Ahurei Tōi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival.

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