Happy As Larry

What makes us happy?

Nine remarkable performers with nine very distinct personalities explore the elusive nature of happiness in Shaun Parker’s latest dance theatre work. Parker’s blend of hard-hitting contemporary dance, ballet and break-dance is accompanied by a vibrant electro-acoustic score from Nick Wales and Bree Van Reyk.

'Shaun Parker’s ‘dance hit’ is so cutting edge it actually wanders off the edge of any single-word definition…Parker is a genius.' The Daily Telegraph

"The impetus for the creation of HAPPY AS LARRY came from my thoughts on happiness. I had become startling aware that people around me were perplexed by the elusive nature of happiness and its possibilities. This quandary also seemed to generate extremes. Was it an unhealthy preoccupation, or alternatively was happiness completely forgotten. For some, perhaps, all connection with happiness was seemingly lost or had become distorted.  Do we know how to be happy anymore?

I had been studying the Enneagram for many years, consulting with my Kinesiologist Kim O’Brien (a student of Claudio Naranjo’s SAT school), and I immediately drew a connection - : How do the different personalities found within the Enneagram inhabit the idea of happiness? This connection formed the spring-board for our investigation into the concept of happiness.

The Enneagram maps nine distinct but interrelated personality types. Oscar Ichazo and Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo integrated the basic Enneagram system of personality with modern psychological knowledge. The nine personality types described in the ‘modern’ Enneagram model are The Perfectionist, The Seducer, The Performer, The Tragic Romantic, The Observer, The Devil’s Advocate, The Optimist, The Boss and the Mediator. These nine traits offered an insight into human behaviour on a broader scale, and informed the development of the nine performers’ characters and their individual quest for happiness.  As in all my works, the performers, composers, designers, dramaturg and creative producer are fundamental to the creation of the final production, their creative minds driving the vision alongside my own."

Shaun Parker – Director/Choreographer

SYDNEY FESTIVAL
Riverside Theatre, Parramatta
Previews: 22 Jan @ 8pm & 23 Jan @ 2pm
Season: 23 Jan @ 8pm & 24 Jan @ 5pm

Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
Season: 27-30 Jan @ 8.30pm & 30 Jan @ 2pm
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/happy

PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
Playhouse Theatre
Season: 13-15 Feb @ 7.30pm
www.perthfestival.com.au/happy-as-larry

AUSTRALIAN PERFORMING ARTS MARKET, ADELAIDE
Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Showcase performance: Wed 24 Feb @ 1.15pm

NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
TBS Bank Arena
Season: 7-10 March @ 7.30pm
www.nzfestival.co.nz

For more information on the show and Shaun Parker & Company contact Marguerite Pepper Productions +61 2 9560 9257 or visit www.mpproductions.com.au

This project has been assisted with funding of $182,225 from the Australian Government’s Major Festival Initiative, managed by the Australia Council for the Arts in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Sydney Festival, Perth International Arts Festival, Adelaide Festival and Brisbane Festival.  Support has also been provided through Projects funding of $79,041 from the Dance Board of the Australia Council for the Arts.