Century Church Theatre is celebrating a number of awards garnered by its members for the two most recent plays entered in the Association of Community Theatres Festival.
In the comedy category, November’s pantomime Snow White and the Famous Seven, by Jo Phenix, won an Adjudicator’s Award for ensemble. The citation read, “Outstanding performance… Outstanding community engagement and inclusiveness that exemplifies the spirit of community theatre.”
“This is a tribute to the hard work of over 30 members of the cast and crew,” said director Jo Phenix. “We had people from age seven to over 70 working together, and our biggest and most enthusiastic audience ever.”
The mystery produced in March, Dead on Nine, by Jack Popplewell, directed by Martyn Worsnop, gained an award for Erin Montgomery as best Stage manager of a drama.
“Behind the scenes is my passion,” says Erin, “and I’m really enjoying working and learning with the talented people at the Century.” Also nominated for this show were Ken Noakes, best performance by an actor in a supporting role; Martyn Worsnop and Danny Moore, best sound design, a category in which they were also nominated last season; and Jo Phenix, producer of a technically demanding and complex show”.
The guild’s founder, Neville Worsnop, who worked behind the scenes on both shows, is thrilled with the awards.
“We enter shows in the festival as a learning experience for our members,” said Worsnop. “The professional adjudicators who attend give us valuable feedback and suggest ways to build on our successes and grow our skills.”
Next season’s festival entries will be Hansel and Gretel by Jo Phenix, directed by Robert Hetu, and The Premature Corpse by Mike Johnson, directed by Nick Forrow.
