From February 17 to 20 Nancye Hayes and Todd McKenny bring you a story about two opposite personalities finding each other in the most diverse way possible, Rum-Cha-Cha.

Lily Harrison is an attractive Florida retiree. She advertises for a teacher to help improve her ballroom dancing skills, but Lily doesn’t bargain on being landed with Michael and his dancing baggage. As their lessons progress, Michael also discovers Lily has more than a little emotional history under her hard exterior.

The Ensemble Theatre production by Richard Alfieri is a poignant comedy which features choreography by John O’Connell known for his work on Australian films such as Moulin Rouge!, Strictly Ballroom, Shall We Dance and Enchanted.

First produced by Ensemble Theatre at the Sydney Opera House in 2006, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks went on to tour nationally and won the 2007 Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production. It has sold more tickets than any other production in the theatre’s 58 year history.

In her first production as guest director Sandra Bates the star cast for the production.

She says working with Nancye and Todd was one of her most pleasurable experiences.

“There is nothing better than sitting in an audience who are loving every minute. I sat next to two ladies at the Theatre Royal and well after it was finished the lady next to me said to her friend, ‘it's time we left’ and her friend said ‘I just want to sit here and see it all over again’.”

Sandra has directed more than 100 productions for Ensemble Theatre during her 30 year tenure at the helm of the company.

Todd McKenney and Nancye Hayes appeared together on stage in the national tours of Annie and 42^nd Street but Todd says Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks was his first drama stage play.

“Working with Sandra and Nancye, both theatre legends, I learned to act in a dramatic sense for the first time, and I can’t thank them enough for one of the most rewarding theatrical experiences of my life,” he says.