Even as the thermostat is registering the steady march towards colder weather, a group of town thespians are digging deep into their summer wardrobe. A cast of 30 actors and actresses with the Illabo Melodrama Group, are placing their final set dressings on its performance Caribbean Capers. "Most of the performers come from Junee or Illabo, but a few of them have been travelling from Wagga for rehearsals. It's a big ask, but they do it willingly," said director Jeannie Pratt. It will be the first time the theatre has been able to use its newly renovated stage. Funds contributed through the sale of last year's show has meant the team could afford some permanency in their Illabo-based performance sessions. "We've been able to put some wings on wheels on either side of the stage, and when we've got our backdrop curtains on them, we'll be able to keep them there." Among the notable tunes in the show will be a few Elvis Presley classics. Sung by The King in anonymity as the ship's reluctant stowaway. Rehearsing the play's Rastafarian scenes, provided cast with assurance few had prior involvement with the so-called criminal subset. "I laughed so hard, one of the girls says, 'now, I don't want anyone to take this personally, but, does anyone know how to make a bong?'." "Then we went through, everyone saying, 'I don't know, how do you make one? I don't know'." Shows will be scattered over two weekends, beginning May 11, with tickets available via the group's Facebook page, bringing the theatre into the "21st century method of things."