Dogfight and The Tempest on Wollongong stages until November 25

The Academy Award winning songwriting team created a musical adaption of the 1991 film of the same name with the Arcadians theatre company presenting the production from November 10 to 25.

It’s set in 1963 San Francisco, the day before the assassination of John F Kennedy, where a group of young marines are preparing to ship off to Vietnam. To celebrate their last night they play the brutal game “Dogfight”, where every player sets out to find the ugliest girl and fool her into attending a party as his ‘date’.

Arcadians president Liza Allen said the contemporary love story dealt with “confronting” issues that were relevant today while being accompanied by haunting yet powerful score from their orchestra.

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“It’s a different type of theatre that Wollongong has ever seen before,” Ms Allen said.

“We’re trying to be diverse in our choices; it’s not a high kicks silly musical, it’s got powerful themes in it, it’s a bit confronting and the music is absolutely divine.

“It’s important for us to expose our trusted audience to difference types of theatre.”

It stars Molly Stewart as Rose Fenny and Nathan Flint as Eddie Birdlace.

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Diversity is also prevalent at the Bridge Street Theatre in Coniston, with the Phoenix Theatre company jazzing up Shakespeare’s The Tempest with an original score by Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts graduate Jeremy Boulton.

Theatre manager Steen said he often catches himself humming the tunes and believed the 18-year-old was destined to become a star.

“He’s got a hell of a future and he’s just delightful to work with,” he said.

They’ve also imported extravagant beads and feathers from overseas to make the costumers “spectacular” as Shakespeare would have wanted, according to Steen.

The Tempest is thought my many critics to be the last play Shakespeare wrote alone and is set on a remote island where the Duke of Milan, Prospero, plots to restore his daughter to her rightful place using illusion and manipulation.

It stars Will Worthington as Prospero, Beth Fuller as Miranda and Nathan Edwards as Ferdinand.