Sunday Arts Magazine

14 Jun 2017

Interview: Director Stephen Nicolazzo re a new play–The Moors

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Interview: Director Stephen Nicolazzo re a new play–The Moors

Stephen Nicolazzo from Little Ones Theatre is Director of the Australian Premiere of The Moors on from 6 June to 9 July and presented by Red Stitch Actors Theatre in St Kilda East. Stephen talks about his background first, including study at Melbourne Uni and at NIDA, and then working in the independent theatre sector. He chose this sector because wanted to make work that had a queer sensibility, and that explored themes not necessarily commercial at the time. At that stage he thought he could only do this on his own with his company Little Ones Theatre.

Stephen soon started communicating with the industry and developing relationships with other emerging artists and companies, and later exploring the same themes with larger companies. It was also an exciting time for queers in theatre. He talks about his favourite moment, so far, in his career.

Stephen goes on to talk about Red Stitch Actors Theatre, his collaboration with them, and also the US playwright –Jen Silverman -who wrote this play. He sees Jen as a ‘zany and dark playwright’ who has a similar vibe to Declan Greene where they are ‘operating in these in strange forms and looking at exploring queer content’.

He describes The Moors as a contemporary dissection of the Bronte sisters. It’s a Victorian Gothic that explores the visibility of females in a patriarchal world. Stephen immediately accepted when he was offered the script. He also talks about his next project