The Happy Prince

Stephen Nicolazzo

Company: Little Ones Theatre
Venue: La Boite

Year the project commenced: 2016
Year it became impossible: 2020
Audience not reached:2000 - 3000
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The award-winning The Happy Prince is a playful and poetic visual fable about the earth-shattering love that grows between a golden statue and a spritely swallow. There is no happily-ever-after to this fairy tale, yet Wilde’s unswerving and abiding belief in the power of empathy and love infuses the tale with a sense of hope and immortality.
Directed by Stephen Nicolazzo and brought to life by unforgettable performances from Catherine Vãn-Davies and Janine Watson, The Happy Prince was originally developed and presented by La Mama Theatre, Melbourne in 2017 and had its Sydney Premiere at Griffin Theatre Company in 2019. Satisfying the desire for style and substance it was nominated for five Sydney Theatre Awards, winning Best Performance of a Female Lead (Janine Watson). In 2020, The Happy Prince was to reach a far larger audience in its first main stage outing at La Boite in Brisbane. That was until it became impossible with La Boite cancelling its entire 2020 season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“One of the many reasons the cancellation of this performance was so devastating for Little Ones Theatre is that we truly feel that during this pandemic, during this dark isolation period, The Happy Prince could have brought some light and joy. We will endeavour to find ways to continue with this show in spite of the year that is 2020”.
Director - Stephen Nicolazzo

Set and Costume Design - Eugyeene Teh
Lighting Design - Katie Sfetkidis
Daniel Nixon- Sound Design 
Sound Design - Daniel Nixon

Performers - 
Janine Watson & Catherine Vãn-Davies
As part of The Impossible Project we have been inviting artists to conceive of, attempt and document an attempt at An Impossible Task or to undertake a conversation with Anna Tregloan where she attempts (the similarly impossible task) of capturing their creative endeavours in sketch form.
We asked Stephen Nicolazzo to attempt an Impossible Task, he replied:- 
"With lockdown, with isolation, I wanted to attempt an impossible task that would bring me pleasure, keep me sane, and get me dancing. SO, I decided to attempt listening to every Madonna single, on vinyl, within an hour. As an artist with over 50 released singles between 1983-2020, this was inevitably going to fail, but I derived such joy from revisiting these works that it proved an important moment of light in my day. Of the 50+ singles by Madonna since 1983, I managed to only get to 1986, with about ten tracks total in an hour! I honestly thought I would get more in but was faced with the dreaded (but also EXTREMELY danceable) 12" edits of the 80s, where songs you love go on and on for 7 to 8 minutes with a continuous electronic beat. This video shows you the process of both attempting to play vinyls one after another in a very short time frame, with one hand, as the other was filming- and my silly and undying love and adoration for the music of a queer icon." 

NEW TASKS AND IMPOSSIBLE OUTCOMES ARE BEING ADDED EVERY WEEK. COME BACK SOON.
↑Back to Top