The Princess, The Pea (and The Brave Escapee) heads to Wyong

Children’s theatre is ‘Easy-Peasy’ at The Art House Wyong, with a new magical, musical stage-show coming to the venue this Autumn.

The Princess, The Pea (and The Brave Escapee) is the newest work from Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) Families and sees their String Quartet return to The Art House to inspire little theatregoers once again with live classical music.

Written by award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer (Magic Beach, Are We There Yet?), with an original score by Bryony Marks (Barracuda, Summer Heights High), The Princess, The Pea (and The Brave Escapee) is a prequel to Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairytale ‘The Princess & The Pea’. We all know the classic story of the very sensitive princess, her dubious potential mother-in-law, and her ability to sense a single pea from atop a lofty pile of mattresses, but this is not that story.

A whimsical and fantastical adventure about celebrating the little things in life, our sensitive princess is turned into a rebellious one, who longs to leave behind the glittery trappings of royalty to truly see the world. With her sensitivity now a special kind of superpower, Princess Isabella must find the courage to leave behind everything she knows to discover the things she doesn’t.
“The fact that this show is about the small things in life – and celebrating those small things to the point that the more you look for them, the more fascinating they become – is guiding all of our creative decisions,” playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer said.

As with all ACO Families Productions, the music will also be a cornerstone of the performance and composer Bryony Marks said audiences can expect to hear a variety of different music styles in this page-to-stage adaptation.

“We start with a concert string quartet sound, so something that’s taking itself as seriously as you do when you go and hear chamber music in a concert hall, and then we splinter off into a variety of genres that are dictated by the sensations of the different scenes in the story,” Marks explains.

“In one particular scene, for example, there’s a frenetic train sequence, and the music sketch that I’ve written for that scene is in a modern music style in that it’s frantic and arrhythmic. And then that evolves into a sizzling-hot lazy day at the seaside, and the music becomes almost jazzy. So different genres will brush up against each other.”

Marks describes being ‘very aware of a short attention span’ in the enthusiastic young audiences that will be attending Princess. The end of the show, according to Kruckemeyer and Marks, is a peaceful and gentle place, but there will be lots of action and excitement before we arrive there.

The show was programmed as part of the theatre’s 2025 Education Program and caters to school groups (though general public seats are available!). The performance also includes a Post-Show ‘Meet The Musicians’ session where audience members can ask questions about the performance, music and instruments.

The Art House Presents
 An ACO Families Production
The Princess, The Pea (and The Brave Escapee)
An original play by Finegan Kruckemeyer with music by Bryony Marks
Tue 06 May 2025 – 10AM 
Wed 07 May 2025 – 10AM
Duration: 45 minutes, including Post-Show ‘Meet The Musicians’ session
Recommended for ages 3-10
Tickets: 

Adult: $20.00 | Encore Member: $15.00 | Child Under 12: $15.00
Family Pass (2A, 2C or 1A, 3C): $56.00 | School Groups: $12.00