Round of applause for amateur actors

Everyone has upped their game – so very well done to everyone, we appreciate the effort and attention to detail that goes into each production.

Once again Empire Arts shone. Lucy O’Hare and her magnificent team made sure that West Side Story was a memorable show, and they get my vote for Musical Of The Year for the second year running as it excelled on all levels.

Empire Arts maintain their high standard year after year which is a testament to the brilliance of everyone involved. I always leave Empire shows feeling on a high that youngsters can give us such wonderful performances. Two other musicals were also worthy of consideration in this category – Footloose from Griffins, which was gritty and full of vivacity, and Drowsy Chaperone from St Andrews, which was charming and elegant.

My Play Of The Year goes to TADS, for their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From entering the theatre where even the walls had been incorporated into the scenery, to the wonderful understanding behind the play, and nice technicals, plus good performances and excellent direction from Sue Sachon, I loved it and so did the audiences.

The other productions following close behind were Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, And Then There Were None and Hamlet, all from the Rep, who have an excellent reputation and certainly lived up to it again this year.

My Best Young Male Performer In A Musical Award goes to Ollie Slade for his amazingly mature performance in West Side Story. He gave a beautifully sensitive portrayal of Tony, expressive and lyrical singing, and I can’t praise him enough for a strong yet vulnerable portrayal. Jahale Juredini was a close runner-up. He played Bernardo and gave a very good account of himself in this superb show.

Best Young Female Performer In A Musical goes to Bianca Baikie as Maria in West Side Story. She was vulnerable and wistful, becoming strong at the end, and again showed a real understanding of the part. I also liked Pari Shahmir who was a very feisty Anita – showing both skill and fire in her characterisation.

Another youth performance that really impressed me was Harry Rodgers in both Midsummer Night’s Dream and On With The Show for TADS. This young man always gives good performances with attention to detail, and isn’t afraid to be funny! Also, Ciara McDermott as Widow Twankey in Stage 1’s Aladdin and Tiana Rogers as Aba Banana in Griffins’ Aladdin. She has such a wonderfully lively face and good attention to detail. I must also pick out a good youth comedy pairing of Kieran Newport and Ciaran Barragry as PC’s Ping and Pong, also in Stage 1’s Aladdin. These five young performers are definitely ones to watch.

My Best Comedy Performance was Lorna Trapp as Sergeant Roley in Cinderella II for Griffins. She had me in stitches, and this contrasted completely with her telling performance as Vi in Footloose. A close second was Josh Thompson in Footloose, as he really made an impression with his highly charged performance.

There are several contenders for MD Of The Year, but coming out on top on all counts is Graham Thomson for West Side Story. Excellent musical feeling, tone and expression from the cast and band. However, I thought Beth Thomas (Drowsy Chaperone for St Andrews), James Driver (Cinderella II for Griffins) and Paul Ramsey (Footloose for Griffins) all created super sounds from their casts and bands.

A young man who has made a real impression on me this year and gets my Best Young Actor In A Play award is Cameron Hay. He shone as Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream, as Wyndham Brandon in Rope, both for TADS, and also as Riff in West Side Story for Empire Arts. A worthy winner, but closely followed by Jaymes Sygrove for his performance as Charles Granillo in Rope for TADS.

Best Adult Actor goes to Justin Doherty for Tom Ripley in the Rep’s Talented Mr Ripley, for showing us the nuances of this paranoid character – a beautifully observed portrayal. I also include Steve Peters in this category for his stand-out performance in Drowsy Chaperone for St Andrews. He was so marvellously expressive, while managing to remain an odd and nerdy character.

Best Pairing In A Drama goes to Liz Caswell and Dave Corbett as Maggie and Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof for the Rep. Great performances from them both creating a fiery relationship.

Best Actress goes to Eileen Kirby as Chris in Calendar Girls for Griffins, but I was also very impressed by Deb Cheshire as Annie in the same production. Both ladies gave us incredibly moving and diverse performances. Annalise Carter-Brown was another close contender with an excellent portrayal of Ruth in Blithe Spirit for the Rep.

Best Actress In A Musical is Jo Yirrell for Drowsy Chaperone. Jo looked elegant and lovely, while delivering some very strange lines with great meaning. I also liked Kirsty Day as Rusty in Footloose. She had the voice, the energy, the stage presence and speed of speech to do the character justice.

I am very happy to be able to give a mention to two choreographers who really made an impression this year, Jo Harris for Drowsy Chaperone and Kate Johnson for Footloose. These ladies share my Best Choreographer award as both created super dance routines that were quirky and suited the music for both shows.

My Director Of The Year is Frances Hall for Drowsy Chaperone. Frances is an insightful director and saw beyond what is a rather tenuous tale, getting her cast to really buy into it. Annalise Carter-Brown also did a super job on Hamlet for the Rep, adapting it to make it more approachable, and structuring her cast and sets to get the optimum interest.

I liked the set for Calendar Girls for Griffins, plus And Then There Were None for the Rep, but my winner of the Best Set award goes to TADS for Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was electric, and right from the start delivered an excellent background to what was a classy production.

I always come back to Stage 1 for the Best Costume award – and this year is no exception. Very colourful, pristine costumes, with excellent hair and make-up. However, I also liked the costumes for the Rep’s Hamlet, unexpected but again colourful and good looking, with good wigs.

Technically I loved the Ghost in Hamlet as it created such a wonderful feel, and there have again been some good lighting plots from Dave Houghton.

In a difficult year financially for everyone, I am happy to tell you that amateur theatre in the Luton News and Dunstable Gazette area is alive and kicking and going from strength to strength. I am looking forward to next year, which I hope will be as exciting and uplifting as this year.

Don’t forget to visit my website www.n-ovation.co.uk for more details of amateur theatre and show reviews.