Lose To Win | Written by Mandela Mathia. Directed by Jessica Arthur.

One young man’s border-crossing, autobiographical odyssey, from South Sudan to the theatre’s stage.

When war ravages everything you know, imagination becomes a tool of survival. Lose to Win is Mandela Mathia’s autobiographical telling of his journey as a refugee from the Sudanese civil war, through Egypt and onto Australia.

Mathia’s voyage is one of ingenuity and resilience. Two parents lost and a birth country fled; a new home, family and friends slowly established.

Lose to Win is about how with distance, support and the agency to create your own story, even seemingly insurmountable trauma can be a foundation for strength. It shows how joy can flourish when creativity is given the space, tools and peace to thrive.