The Lighthouse Girl Saga

Theatre 180’s The Lighthouse Girl Saga is told through their original concept CinemaStage, which pairs live acting on a temporary stage in a theatre, against a full cinematic backdrop, allowing the immediacy, intimacy, and intuition of live theatre to be paired with the intense imagery and high impact of cinema. The Lighthouse Girl Saga merges the four books of Dianne Wolfer’s Lighthouse Girl series - Lighthouse Girl. Light Horse Boy, In the Lamplight and The Last Light Horse into an epic World War I saga, that sweeps its audience along in an emotive, beautifully drawn story.

Featuring just three actors - the highly talented Sienna Cate, Isaac Diamond, and Nick Maclaine, work together seemingly organically, to relate this story that has four human main characters (and a horse) and a plethora of supporting roles. Using costume racks on each side of the stage (Lynn Ferguson’s era appropriate costumes are superb), simple costume additions help the actors to transform into a multitude of characters, with no break in the action and seemingly effortless character transitions. We become immersed in the stories of Breaksea Island light house girl Faye, English assistant nurse Rose, Australian soldiers Charlie and Jim, and war horse Sandy.

An emotional rollercoaster of a show, it was clear that many of the audience were brought to tears by the horrors unfolding, as well as the expertly acted scenes. The imagery is amazing, with the visual design by Gneiss Design and Production by Sunburnt Films featuring a wonderfully edited combination of archival footage, original film, photographs, and images from the books. 

This should probably be compulsory viewing for all Australian school students as its ability to touch the heart, while relating actual events, is an eye-opening perspective of Australian History.

The Lighthouse Girl Saga also has the advantage of offering the most comfortable seats that you will ever experience watching theatre - and the action is so slick that you will wonder where the time went. A gorgeous production that deserves to be seen by all. The Lighthouse Girl Saga will also play a season at Rockingham’s ACE Cinemas from 9-11 June.

Kimberley Shaw