'Humour & heart': theatre adaptation tells of gay teen's school nightmare

He is gay.

Set against the backdrop of an all-boys rugby-mad Catholic school in regional Queensland, with a classic 1990s soundtrack (including hits from S Club 7), is an equal parts uplifting and heart-wrenching stage production coming to Dubbo.

Called Fourteen, the show is based on a true story, written by journalist Mr Molloy who now lives in Sydney with his husband and daughter.

The stage production is an adaptation of his best-selling memoir, also called Fourteen, the inspirational true story of growing up gay in a regional town.

In the late nineties, when a young Mr Molloy was coming to terms with his sexuality, homosexuality had only recently been decriminalised in Tasmania.

At that time, in the shadow of the AIDS crisis, "people were scared to be in the same swimming pool as gay men", Mr Molloy said.

He told the Daily Liberal it was a "hellish" time and being gay was "about the worst thing you could be".

"Everyone realised before me that I was gay, I didn't really know what it meant. I knew that I was different and I was terrified of it," Mr Molloy said.

"Going to an all-boys footy-mad Catholic school where I didn't play football, I was skinny and kinda weak and preferred to be in the library reading books or writing, it was hell.

"Every day there was something, whether it was endless taunting, physical violence or both.

"And so it was just a really lonely, sad experience and I kind of just feared that that's what the rest of my life was always going to be like."

Mr Molloy called the stage production of Fourteen heartbreaking, hilarious, hopeful and "very, very camp".

He said it was a performance of "light and shade" and "the richest possible colours".

"While it's harrowing and heartbreaking, it's also extreme fun because that's life," he said.

Mr Molloy's story, which was adapted for the stage by Shake & Stir with Mr Malloy, includes a fiercely loyal bunch of friends, a protective family, an extraordinary mother and all the best nineties references - including hair ironing and Passion Pop.

"While this was a really horrible year for me, there were also Saturday mornings watching Video Hits with my three best mates and making up dances to J.Lo and Shania Twain and Britney and whatever," Mr Molloy said.

"And there were lots of laughs, and amongst the horror of a day at school, I got to come home at 3.30 every day and have my mum and my siblings there to be my cheerleaders and protectors.

"So it's a really inspiring show."

Fourteen is a coming-of-age memoir about adversity and tragedy but is also a story of resilience, hope and hilarity. Mr Molloy is played by Conor Leach in the stage production.

"As well as dealing with issues like bullying and violence, it also features some very spirited choreography, plenty of nostalgia, and a banging late 90s pop soundtrack," Mr Molloy said.

"The enormous two-level set is spectacular, the cast is incredibly talented, and the entire experience is both deeply moving and incredibly entertaining."

The production is touring capital cities and regional centres and will show at the Dubbo Regional Theatre and Convention Centre on Saturday, May 25. Find out more at www.drtcc.com.au/season-program/fourteen