SO, here it is.

After hours of deliberations and long conversations with myself, here are my picks of the very best of amateur theatre this year. As always, the point of the Paulies is to celebrate the strength of community theatre, and if you took part in any way in making productions happen this year, then thank you! We punch above our theatrical weight in this region, so well done all of you. And step forward for one final bow.

BEST PLAY.

Constellations. (Headgate Theatre Productions.) A challenging play, beautifully performed and staged, bringing all the elements together to make perfection.

BEST DIRECTOR.

Ian Amos for Constellations. A crystal clear vision for the production and a brave and risky choice of play.

BEST MUSICAL.

Urinetown (Mad Hatter) A madcap, highly original musical, given a pitch perfect, (both in singing and comedy), production by a huge ensemble full of talent.

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL.

Wade Ablitt for Urinetown. How did he move so many people around the stage without them clashing into each other? His perfect understanding of the material had the audience rolling in the aisle.

BEST ACTOR.

Brian Malone for Blue Remembered Hills. (Colchester Theatre Group) He has been delivering excellent performances for years, but here Brian captured perfectly the mind and body of a young boy, both amusing and tragic.

BEST ACTRESS.

Eleanor Kent-Dyson for Di and Viv and Rose. (Headgate Theatre Productions) Covering years in the life of activist Di, a funny and moving portrayal of friendship contributed to an excellent year for this actress.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR.

Gareth Gwyn Jones for Under Milk Wood. (Platform). Wonderful versatility in a range of roles in this homage to Welsh poetry and life.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

Jo Lewis for The House of Bernarda Alba. (Gallery Players) An unforgettable portrayal of a bitter woman, whose act of revenge on her sister leads to tragedy. Powerful work.

BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE.

Will Mugford for Carousel. He broke through the dated nature of the material and delivered the strongest performance of his career so far. Mesmerising.

So, there you have it. This year, local theatre lost some people who have been instrumental in supporting young talent and contributing to the vitality of our theatre scene. So this year’s special award goes to those who we have lost, but who will always be remembered.

As for next year, my hope is to see more risky choices of plays and musicals, but I’m sure that I am going to love being an audience member as always.

Happy Christmas everyone.

PAUL T DAVIES