It’s that time of year again to announce the shortlist for the Paulies, the awards that don’t exist in physical form, but are an extra round of applause for the best community theatre I saw this year! Ill health and a family crisis meant I saw slightly less this year than I intended, (hence the very short list for musical theatre), but awards are only given for work I saw.

BEST PLAY

Grow Up Grandad. (Headgate Productions)

Miss Julie. (Colchester Theatre Group).

The Crucible. (Paper Lantern)

The Graduate. (Paper Lantern)

The History Boys. (Mad Hatter)

BEST DIRECTOR (PLAY)

Rosie Beattie and Sally Broatch for The Crucible.

Sally Broatch for The Graduate.

Will Mugford for The History Boys.

Anthony Roberts for Miss Julie.

Steve Wooldridge for Grow Up Grandad.

BEST MUSICAL.

Betty Blue Eyes. (Mad Hatter)

Sunday in the Park with George. (Platform)

Urinetown (Gallery Players)

BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Wade Ablitt for Betty Blue Eyes.

Helen Clarke for Urinetown.

Andrew Hodgson for Sunday in the Park with George.

BEST ACTOR

Phil Cory for Grow Up Grandad.

Liam Paul Gregory for The Crucible.

Tom Mayhew for The Graduate.

Nathan Rigg for The History Boys.

Jackson Wright for Miss Julie.

BEST ACTRESS

Rosie Beattie for The Graduate and The Crucible.

Jackie Grant for A Kind of Alaska (Headgate Theatre)

Charlotte Harknett for Miss Julie.

Eleanor Kent-Dyson for Grow Up Grandad.

Charlotte Still for For Services Rendered. (Platform)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Darren Beattie for The Graduate and The Crucible.

Michael Cook for For Services Rendered and The Crucible.

Thomas Haigh for Far From the Madding Crowd. (Gallery Players)

Ben Maytham for Far From the Madding Crowd. (Gallery Players)

Will Parrick for For Services Rendered.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Kel Ashton for The Crucible.

Sara Green for For Services Rendered.

Jenni Horn for Far From the Madding Crowd.

Molly Scurrell for The Graduate.

Rebecca Wieland for Miss Julie.

BEST MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE

Wade Ablitt for Urinetown

Giulia Cipriani for Jekyll and Hyde. (Colchester Operatic Society)

Adam Duarte Dias for Sunday in the Park with George.

Helen McCraw for Sunday in the Park with George.

Nathan Rigg and Ella Darcy-Jones for Betty Blue Eyes.