IT'S the one you've all been waiting for as the Gazette's theatre critic Paul T Davies picks his nominations for this year's Paulies, the awards that don't really exist but acknowledge the very best in community theatre in and around our town.

IT’S been another excellent year for local amateur theatre - which has meant that short listing the Paulies this year has been very difficult. Just a reminder that the awards are for those productions I consider to be the best of the best, and the awards themselves do not exist in physical form. Rather, it’s an extra round of applause to the many people who work hard to bring us great theatre all year round. The rules are simple - I don’t nominate any production I have been involved in, and I nominate only shows that I have seen. Therefore, some excellent productions are not here because I missed them - and some productions on the long list got very close to being shortlisted. So, here are my nominations for this year, and make sure you get next week's paper when I will announce the winners.

BEST PLAY

Blue Remembered Hills (Colchester Theatre Group)

Constellations (Headgate Theatre Productions)

Di and Viv and Rose (Headgate Productions)

The House of Bernarda Alba (Gallery Players)

The Play What I Wrote (Headgate Productions)

BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY.

Ian Amos for Constellations

Steve Dunt for Blue Remembered Hills

Michael Platt for The House of Bernarda Alba

Anthony Roberts for The Play What I Wrote

Steve Wooldridge for Di and Viv and Rose

BEST MUSICAL

Carousel (Colchester Operatic 2)

On the Twentieth Century (Platform musicals)

Sister Act (Colchester Operatic)

Spring Awakening (Gallery Players)

Urinetown (Mad Hatter)

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Wade Ablitt for Urinetown

Andrew Hodgson for On The Twentieth Century.

Nikki Mundell-Poole for Carousel

Nikki Mundell-Poole for Sister Act

Steve Wooldridge for Spring Awakening

BEST ACTOR

Les Chisnall for Under Milk Wood (Platform)

Michael Cook for Constellations.

Brian Malone for Blue Remembered Hills.

Kevin Topple and Luke Eversley (joint nomination) for The Play What I Wrote.

Will Parrick for Mindgame (Colchester Theatre Group)

BEST ACTRESS

Shelly Clempson for The House of Bernarda Alba

Eleanor Kent-Dyson for Di and Viv and Rose

Charlotte Still for Constellations

Phoebe Stringer for The Importance of Being Earnest (Chameleon’s Web)

Danielle Tile for Blue Remembered Hills

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jack Biggs for As You Like It (Priory Players)

Dave Burn for Romeo and Juliet (Lakeside Theatre)

David Elliot for As You Like It (Priory)

Gareth Gwyn-Jones for Under Milk Wood

Stuart Williams for The Play What I Wrote

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Rebecca Ashforth for As You Like It (Priory)

Suzanne Bailey for The Importance of Being Earnest (Chameleon’s Web)

Sally Scurrell for The House of Bernarda Alba

Annie Simcox for Under Milk Wood

Jo Lewis for The House of Bernarda Alba

BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE.

Chi Chi Armstrong for Sister Act

Sara Green for On The Twentieth Century

The ensemble of Urinetown

Will Mugford for Carousel

Molly Scurrell for Spring Awakening