February 2010 -  The Western Ontario Drama League (WODL) has announced the awards for out of festival shows.  Congratulations to Mark (the other) Smith who was awarded the MOST PROMISING NEW ACTOR award for his role as BRIAN CODY in Theatre Tillsonburg’S production of HOTBED HOTEL

February 2009 – I was thrilled to learn of the number of nominations [5] and wins [4] Murder On The Nile garnered in the Western Ontario Drama League’s Out of Festival competitions. 15 Theatres were in competition and judged by adjudicator Sandy MacDonald through out the fall. We are thrilled to have stood up so well against our peers.

As in all awards the simple fact that people are nominated is a great honour and Jeff Rogers, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor certainly deserved that nomination. Few in the audience knew that his German accent was not real. I must say I’d love to have seen the performance of the person who could have won over Jeff..

Melanie Watts, winner of the Best Supporting Actress is a long time member of Theatre Tillsonburg and we are thrilled to see her talents recognized. Her role encompassed a tremendous range of acting from sweetness to paranoia and to hatred and she obviously did them very well. Now she knows why the adjudicator did not offer her suggestion in his review!

The Special Adjudicators Award to the Bead Sellers, Honey Just and Nuala Reilly recognizes not only the great job the ladies did but also the creativeness of the director Marion Rogers who took two walk on roles [tiny, non speaking roles] and built them into a scene unto themselves.

Theatre Tillsonburg is also overjoyed to have the Best Visual Costumes [co-ordinated costumes of a non rental nature] awarded to Jane Brown. Jane has been working in costumes for a few years now, creating magnificent costumes on a zero budget. The fact that these costumes had to be recognized as 1937 outfits worn by people from various countries in the heat of Egypt shows what she and her small crew are capable of.

Perhaps the most important award in my mind, is the Best Visual Production Award as it combines the talents and hard work the set designer, construction & painting departments, set décor, props costumes, makeup and lighting departments. Although it is called Visual, the sound department also puts in the minds of the audiences a visualization of where the scene takes place and must be included in the kudos for this award. It takes a great team and a lot of hard work to pull any show together and a little bit more effort when it is a period piece. It is wonderful for the crew to be recognized.- Laurel A. Beechey