Melodies, Magic & Mayhem: 50 Years of Albatross Musicals

The curtain rises this weekend in Nowra on the Penzance to Present cabaret-style musical, celebrating 50 years of local passion, persistence, and joyous community entertainment.

Each time the Albatross Musical Theatre Company (AMTC) stages a new production, audiences see the elaborate costumes, hear the soaring voices, and applaud the energetic choreography.

But what they don’t see is half a century of dedication, drama and hard work that has shaped one of Shoalhaven’s most enduring and adored arts organisations.

Dennis Ross, AMTC Public Officer and Producer of many of the company's shows, spent recent months producing a commemorative 50th anniversary book documenting the award-winning company's former glories and misadventures. Here, Ross shares some of the colourful history behind the scenes.

Naval Beginnings

The story began on May 22, 1975, when a small group of Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts gathered in the old band practice room at HMAS Albatross, Nowra’s naval air base.

Military endeavour and theatrical tendencies might not seem at first like a natural pairing. But Gilbert and Sullivan used both military music and themes as a vehicle for satire and lyrical wit in their operettas, often parodies of the absurdity of military life and duty.

Albatross Commander Dickie Bird and Warrant Officer Derek Jeffrey were among those inspired to form a company devoted to G&S operettas. Copyright had just expired on Gilbert and Sullivan’s works, opening the door for amateur performances. A few weeks later, on June 4, the first committee was elected with Peter Marshall as founding president.

That November, the fledgling Albatross Gilbert & Sullivan Society staged its first show, The Pirates of Penzance, over three nights in the base gymnasium. This very first show in 1975 had a cast of 55 and a 15 piece orchestra.

The original creative team included Jeffrey, John Keefe, Marshall, and conductor Ken Brown. With few exceptions, nearly everyone involved was Navy personnel or family. The orchestra was bolstered by local musicians including Paul and Barbara Pritchard, Max Croot, Ken McKay, and Don Dudgeon.

The production was a triumph - theatrically and financially - and it set a tone for the years to come. The 1976 follow-up, The Mikado, was even more successful, and by the late 1970s the Society had become a fixture of the Nowra social calendar.

Membership at the time was limited to permanent Naval Force members and their families, members of the Naval Wives Association and civilian employees or sponsored civilians. From its inception, the Society also pledged to donate profits to worthy causes — a tradition that continues today. Groups like Camp Quality and the Shoalhaven Eisteddfod benefit from AMTC performances. The company also established scholarships to help members attend music and drama courses.

Changing Town, Changing Company

The Nowra of 1975 was a different world. Colour television had only just arrived in Australia, in March of that year. The Voyager disaster and significant loss of life was still fresh in people's minds – especially so in a Navy town like Nowra. The personal computer was embryonic and not realistically available to the public until several years later. Likewise, the mobile phone, that first appeared in the early 80’s as bulky car phones.

The Princes Highway followed a different route through Nowra from today. Travelling South after crossing the bridge you would proceed down Bridge Rd then North St and Kinghorne St through town. Junction St was very much the centre of town then and the proximity of the School of Arts to the centre assured its place as an important community asset.

In that context, the formation of a community performing arts society was both ambitious and visionary.

As Nowra grew, so did AMTC. By the early 1980s, the group — now drawing increasing numbers of civilians — moved its productions from the base gymnasium to the Nowra School of Arts (SOA) in Junction Street, then the cultural hub of town. Their first SOA show, The Sorcerer, marked the beginning of a new era.

The venue’s limitations — no backstage areas, minimal lighting, and a small audience capacity — didn’t dampen enthusiasm. Over time, community pressure led to improvements, including the addition of dressing rooms and a gallery in 2012.

Growth, Setbacks and Resilience

Tragedy struck in 1991. A fire destroyed many of AMTC’s records, and a decline in activity during that period meant meeting minutes were not kept. There were even years — 1985 and 1990 — when no show was performed. Yet the company endured.

By the turn of the millennium, AMTC was ready for expansion. Its modest technical collection of lights and sound gear grew to include moving head lights, headset microphones, and electronic keyboards, enabling more ambitious productions.

The move to the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre (SEC) in 2008 was a game-changer. Then-manager Patrick Corrigan, a strong supporter of local theatre, invited AMTC to be among the first community groups to perform at the new professional venue.

The result was Back to the 80s, a high-energy musical directed by Rosemary Royter, produced by John Bryant, Marie De La Torre, Dennis Ross, and Corrigan himself. Musical direction came from Merrin Ross and Tyson Dinnie, with choreography by Jenelle Davis.

But one incident nearly stopped the show. The band was placed up stage on top of a scaffolding bridge. During one rehearsal an electrical fault shocked a band member and a guitar amp and a keyboard were destroyed. The rehearsal was immediately cancelled and a full investigation by Council was undertaken. Fortunately the show went on after that and was ultimately successful.

John Bryant was Treasurer at the time and he joined the Arts Board and spent a couple of years breaking ground and negotiating in the new situation. Patrick Corrigan had resigned by then and many of his strong ideas of community-based use of the centre went with him.

It took those couple of years for AMTC to fully make the transition to the SEC and to be reasonably comfortable there. Since then, every change in SEC Management or Council strategy has meant fresh pressure on AMTC to adapt – flexibility that would come to define the company's persistence.

Other venues were used for various purposes. Nowra High School hall was used for the 1991 production The Pirates of Penzance as was Snugglepot and Cuddlepie in 2000. Salad Days in 1989 was staged at Nowra Wesley Centre. One of the Showtime concert style shows was travelled to St George’s Basin Country Club in the Late 90’s.Two home grown cabaret shows were staged at the Bridge Hotel in 2006 and 2008. They were called Pubaret. A fundraiser for Camp Quality, Cabaret Fantasque, was performed at Bomaderry Bowling club in 2010. Other Community events included the Berry Musicale in June 2004 at the Berry School of Arts and Riverfest at a parade and an outdoor stage on the banks of the Shoalhaven river.

Behind the Curtain

AMTC operates as an incorporated, not-for-profit organisation governed by an annually elected committee — President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and several general members.

All cast roles are auditioned, and production teams are appointed for each show. Nearly all participants are volunteers; only specialist roles or venue staff are paid where required.

The company is known for its large casts and orchestras — a deliberate choice that encourages broad community involvement but also demands longer rehearsal periods and high standards. Rehearsals often stretch across three months or more.

Cinderella, staged earlier in 2025, had a cast of 50, a 22 piece orchestra and 5 pit singers. When you combine cast, orchestra, stage crew, a team of set builders and decorators with a costume team and a promotions team, it is easy to exceed 100 people who have direct involvement with a show. This requires tight organisation and attention to detail.

Choosing a Show

Selecting each year’s shows is one of the committee’s biggest challenges. Beyond enthusiasm, several practical questions guide the choice: Can the rights be secured? Can it be cast? Will it attract an audience large enough to break even? Is the orchestra available? Are special effects affordable?

Some titles have fallen through — The King and I (1990s) failed for lack of a director; A Christmas Carol and Strictly Ballroom were also abandoned due to casting or skill shortages.

Others, like The Boy From Oz, courted controversy. The show’s story of an openly gay performer led some church-affiliated schools to decline invitations to join the stage finale of “I Still Call Australia Home.” Public schools, however, embraced the opportunity.

The move from the SOA to the SEC brought new expectations — and new costs. In 2005 it cost $1,386 to rent the School of Arts. By 2012, the same show length at the SEC cost $22,000.

In my 2012 President's report, I wrote about the need for AMTC to grow and stage more than one show per year and improve on stagecraft in the professional performance space of the SEC.

“The AMTC I have known has always been proud of its high musical and production standards. If we are to stay relevant to today's audiences we must both continue those standards and move forward in our production methods."

"Theatre has always been a home for technology but technology changes continually and impacts in new and different ways. We need to think differently about roles. Think lighting designer, rather than lighting operator. Think creative team, rather than a single 'I have a dream' director."

"We need more people and with a wider variety of skills."

Audiences grew with the shows. The Boy From Oz (2012) sold 2,646 tickets, and Mary Poppins (2018) broke records with 3,274 attendees. Cinderella (2025) nearly matched it, selling 2,579 tickets and involving more than 70 on-stage and pit performers.

Building a Mystery: Sets, Costumes and Storage

Producing a musical requires enormous behind-the-scenes coordination. Costumes are often sourced from AMTC’s own collection, made by volunteers, or hired from companies like Arcadians Theatre (Wollongong) or Opera Australia.

AMTC sets, too, have evolved — once simple and hand-painted, now complex, often modular structures designed for quick scene changes. Set construction has taken place everywhere from private garages to rented factories.

In 2009 and 2010, AMTC rented factory space in Nowra to build Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady sets, and again in 2014 for The Wizard of Oz. Bigger, more intricate designs meant the need for permanent workshop space.

Since 2017, AMTC has used the Youth Hall at the Nowra Showground for construction and storage. It’s an ideal space, but still Council-owned, leaving the company dependent on annual renewals. And each year, the hall must be emptied out and vacated for the Nowra Show.

As past President Pat A’Courte wrote in 1994:

“Until AMTC has a home of its own, it is very much disadvantaged and at the whims of the Council.”

JAM: Nurturing the Next Generation

In 2017, AMTC launched Junior Albatross Musicals (JAM) — a program for performers aged 10 to 15, including those with special needs. Every child receives a role, and participation is free apart from the cost of a libretto and T-shirt.

JAM’s first production, Dear Edwina Jr, filled the SEC Studio Theatre and drew rave reviews. Since then, cast sizes have approached 100 and performances have moved to the main auditorium. Audiences are drawn not only by family ties but by the professional standard of the shows.

The program has become a training ground for young performers, technicians, and future directors. JAM alumni now fill production roles in AMTC’s mainstage shows, securing the company’s future in the community.

COVID and Continuity

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 brought live theatre to a standstill. Group rehearsals became impossible and major shows were cancelled, including Jesus Christ Superstar (2021).

But JAM staged online virtual concerts via Zoom and small-scale, socially distanced performances like Jampact (2020) and The Last Five Years (2021) helped keep the lights on — metaphorically and literally.

Today, AMTC remains a proudly amateur, volunteer-driven company operating on a not-for-profit basis. It continues to bring together people from across the Shoalhaven, Wollongong, and Ulladulla regions — from seasoned singers to first-time stagehands.

Fifty years on, and with multiple awards for music, direction, performance, design and management, AMTC is proof that when a community works together, not only do people create brilliant art, they also make storytelling - and life - serious fun.