Lovers of the well-known Aussie film Strictly Ballroom are in for a treat, with a Wollongong-based theatre company bringing the stage adaption to WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres next week.
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So Popera Productions will present Strictly Ballroom the Musical at WIN Entertainment Centre from April 13-16.
The musical theatre adaptation followed the 1992 Baz Luhrmann film Strictly Ballroom, which was widely credited with putting ballroom dancing on the map.
So Popera Productions is a Wollongong based not-for-profit theatre company started in 2008 to bridge the gap between community and professional theatre in the Illawarra region.
The company was founded and managed by University of Wollongong graduates who have professional training in the entertainment industry.
Spokeswoman Amy Copeland said this was the first time a production of Strictly Ballroom the Musical had come to the Illawarra.
Copeland said a "lot of exciting things" had been happening in order to transform the entertainment centre into a theatre space.
This included installation of 14 metre by 7 metre proscenium arch, house curtain, automated fly system and 10.8 metre revolving stage. Then there is the giant mirror ball, which had to be trucked in. Measuring two metres in diameter, it will sit above audience members.
The musical tells the story of Scott Hastings, the son of a family of ballroom dancers. His mother Shirley teaches ballroom dancing while his father Doug, himself a former dancer, handles maintenance at the studio, while secretly watching footage of his and Scott's performances.
When Scott's innovative and flashy dance steps are denounced by the head of the Australian Dancing Federation, he and his dance partner Liz lose the local championships, causing her to team up with another dancer.
When Scott is approached by Fran, a beginner dancer at the studio, he agrees to partner with her, but behind the scenes is being pushed into a partnership with established dancer Tina Sparkle.
Scott and Fran eventually make a dramatic entrance during a dance competition, where they seal their performance with a kiss.
The musical features hit songs from the movie version, including Love Is In The Air and Time After Time, as well as new songs from Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect.
For this production, Fran is played by Mackenzie Garcia, who holds a Diploma of Music Theatre from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), while Scott is played by Louis Fontaine, a recent graduate of Brent Street Studios, where he studied for 15 years.
Details: Strictly Ballroom the Musical at WIN Entertainment Centre from April 13-16. Times and ticket prices vary. More information and tickets here.
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