Amateur thespians celebrate success
9:51am Monday 6th September 2010 in News
THE best of the town’s amateur theatre gathered on Friday to celebrate the successes of the past season at The Bolton News Bolton Amateur Theatre Society awards.
Horwich AODS won in four categories, including Best Comedy, for Bouncers, and Best Musical and Best Choreography, for Footloose.
Helen Burke won the Best Actress In A Musical award for her role as Ariel in Footloose.
Matthew Kellie, Horwich AODS chairman, said: “We’re ecstatic. A lot of people worked very hard. It was a real team effort and we’re very pleased.”
Bolton Little Theatre won three awards and had a further five nominations.
The company enjoyed a double success in the Best Drama category, which it won for its production of Blue Remembered Hills and gained a nomination for Steel Magnolias.
John O’Connell took home the Best Actor In A Drama award for his role as Alec in Brief Encounter, and Wendy Dawson was runner-up in the Best Actress In A Drama category for Steel Magnolias, in which she played Shelby.
Bolton Little Theatre also had two triumphs in the Best Actor In A Comedy category, which Mark Leigh won for playing Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with Andrew Close runner-up for his charming performance as Elwood P Dowd in Harvey.
June Grice was runner-up in the Best Actress In A Comedy category for her role as Veta Dowd in Harvey, and there was a nomination in the Best Set And Costume Design category for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Frances Clemmitt, from Bolton Little Theatre, said: “It’s absolutely phenomenal. I’m so pleased, it’s such an encouragement for the young people to be involved in an event like this.”
Farnworth Little Theatre enjoyed a good night, with Sandra Blyth winning the Best Actress In A Drama category for her role as Celia Wallis in Silhouette, and Morag Peacock gaining the Best Actress In A Comedy award for playing Ilsa Wolby in Improbable Fiction.
Newcomer Darrell Smith was rewarded for his performance as Dominique in The Baker’s Wife which earned him the Best Actor In A Musical award, while Tyldesley Little Theatre won the Best Pantomime award for Sleeping Beauty.
CATS Youth Theatre’s version of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd won two awards, in the Best Youth Production and Best Set And Costume Design categories.
This year, the Chairman’s Award was renamed the Michael Rogers Award, in honour of the long-time BATS chairman who died earlier in the year. The inaugural recipient was Mr Rogers’ longtime friend and mainstay of Bolton amateur theatre, Cecilia Keefe.
The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Barbara Holt former BATS treasurer and founding member.
The awards took place at the Last Drop Village Hotel in Bromley Cross.
