IN PICTURES: Theatre 180’s The Lighthouse Girl Saga premieres at Albany Entertainment Centre

A keen audience packed the Albany Entertainment Centre for the world premiere of Theatre 180’s The Lighthouse Girl Saga last Thursday, based on the works of local author Dianne Wolfer. The production weaved the stories of Wolfer’s four-part World War I-set series together, bringing to life the tales of Fay Howe, the daughter of Breaksea Island’s lighthouse keeper, young soldiers Jim and Charlie, English nurse Rose and warhorse Sandy. Theatre 180’s “CineStage” format, which uses images projected on to a screen behind the actors to bring the story to life, seamlessly immersed the audience in scenes ranging in location from Breaksea Island to rural Australia, a hospital in an English village and a Sri Lankan market. The poignant saga was brought to life by actors Sienna Cate, Isaac Diamond and Nick Maclaine, who each appeared as several characters and deftly went from one to the other as scenes changed. The tale of Sandy, the only warhorse to return to Australia after World War I, was also weaved through the narrative, with Sandy portrayed by a touching, lifelike puppet. An enthusiastic standing ovation met the end of the performance on Thursday night. Prior to the show, VIPs gathered for a cocktail event where they heard from director Stuart Halusz, Wolfer and Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens. The production was created with the input of many local creatives, with Halusz telling the Advertiser it was “always a given” to premiere The Lighthouse Girl Saga in Albany, where the first convoy of Anzac soldiers gathered in 1914. “It was essential for us to say this story belongs to Albany,” he said.