KOREABOO Comes to Griffin Theatre Company

Griffin Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Koreaboo, the debut play of one of Australia’s best-loved performers, award-winning actor and Play School presenter Michelle Lim Davidson. 

Inspired by Davidson’s own adoption story, this heartfelt comedy delves into the complex and often strained relationship between Hannah and her birth mother, as Hannah embarks on a journey to reconnect with her Korean roots. 

Hannah had her trip all planned out. Travel to Korea. Visit her birth mother. Spend a golden summer creating precious memories. But when she arrives in Seoul reality hits hard. Her Umma works in a convenience store day and night, barely taking a break. She seems more interested in re-arranging the garden gnome display than connecting with her long-lost Australian daughter. Hannah is Korean, yet in Umma’s mind, Hannah is a “Koreaboo”—a foreigner captivated by K-pop, kimchi and hanboks. Armed with only Google Translate and unrelenting optimism, Hannah must try to find a place within Umma’s world before the end of a sweltering summer. 

Starring in the production are two-time Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards nominee, Davidson (A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Beach, TV’s The Newsreader, TV’s Play School) and leading Korean chef, food writer and performer Heather Jeong (Double Delicious). They take to the stage under the direction of Jessica Arthur (The Dictionary of Lost Words, Banging Denmark, Chalkface) alongside Associate Director Andrew Undi Lee (TV’s The Newsreader, TV’s After the Verdict).

Michelle Lim Davidson says, “I don’t attempt to speak for the entire Korean adoptee community—my story is one of many—but in writing and performing in Koreaboo, I hope to create space for a more nuanced, honest, and personal conversation about identity, family, and the expectations placed on adoptees and birth families.”

Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company, Declan Greene, says, “Koreaboo was written over Michelle’s Griffin Studio residency, and it was remarkable to watch this play slowly unfurl over that year – in all its funny, tender, unassuming glory. For the many people who already know Michelle as a performer, I’m thrilled to see them meet her as a playwright – one of prodigious insight and heart.”

Koreaboo is one of three productions brought to life through the Griffin Studio program making waves on Australian stages in 2025, including Whitefella Yella Tree and Birdsong of Tomorrow. A creative lab for early career playwrights, Studio artists develop one or more projects with support from Griffin’s Artistic team, while undertaking workshops on aspects of playwriting and theatre making. In the program’s fifteen-year-long history, Griffin Studio has engaged 40+ artists and has led to 19 professional productions, solidifying Griffin’s commitment to cultivating new Australian plays as the home of new writing.

Don’t miss this deeply personal tale of love and identity that reaches across continents, cultures and Spotify® playlists.

Australia - Sydney Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. MJ THE MUSICAL (Sydney Lyric Theatre)

8.1% of votes

2. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (Gosford Musical Society)

6.8% of votes

3. A CHORUS LINE (Curtain Bounce)

6.4% of votes

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