• Age: 8 to 16
• Grade: 3 to 11

When young orphans Mala and Chun Chun encounter brothers Prakash and Ojha on the busy streets of Kolkata, they are immediately at odds. The brothers come from a lower-middle-class family and spend their time flying kites instead of attending class, while Mala and Chun Chun can only dream of going to school, a goal Aunty promises will be fulfilled if they beg for money from passersby. After a petty fruit-stall heist lands Ojha in Aunty’s cunning hands, the brothers are blackmailed into begging alongside Mala and Chun Chun, forcing the children to interact. Though they find each other nuisances at first, the kids soon realize their strength in numbers as Aunty’s scheming is slowly revealed.

A Siminovitch Prize protégé recipient and Governor General's Literary Award finalist, Anusree Roy is also a multi–Dora Mavor Moore Award–winning playwright and actor. Her plays include Pyaasa (Dora Award for Outstanding New Play), Letters to my Grandma, Roshni, Brothel #9 (Governor General's Literary Award nomination and Dora Award for Outstanding New Play), and Sultans of the Street (Dora Award for Outstanding New Play). She is the recipient of the K.M. Hunter Award, the RBC Emerging Artist Award, and the Carol Bolt Award. She has been the playwright-in-residence at Nightwood Theatre, Factory Theatre, the Blyth Festival, Theatre Passe Muraille, and the Canadian Stage Company. Her opera librettos include The Golden Boy, Noor Over Afghan, and Phoolan Devi The Bandit Queen. Anusree has a master's degree from the University of Toronto and was Nurse Patel for two seasons of Global TV’s Remedy.

Anusree Roy's profile page

“Roy brings richness to the conclusion, for though it’s uplifting, it doesn't erase the memory of the past.” —Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine

“Roy is writing for a young audience and so her play reflects the dilemmas they will face. Do you steal and lie because it’s fun and you get stuff? Or do you tell the truth, play fair all the time, and live your life like a responsible person of character and live with the punishment? I love that Roy floats those dilemmas into her play and it never sounds like lecturing. And I love that the conclusion is honest and not sugar coated… Roy is a gifted writer.” —Lynn Slotkin on CIUT Friday Morning