Theatre group's name in lights

An amateur theatre company has seen its name in light again, after scooping five top awards.
It was a successful night for the Rossendale PlayersIt was a successful night for the Rossendale Players
It was a successful night for the Rossendale Players

The Rossendale Players won five awards, out of ten nominations, at the Greater Manchester Drama Federation Awards ceremony held at the Lost Drop Village Hotel in Bolton.

Dawn Rowe was named Best Actress for her role as Mari Hoff in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, while Sophie Lord received the adjudicator’s Discretionary Award for her role as LV in the same production.

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Lynne Atkinson and Paul McGowan picked up the awards for Best Actress in a supporting role and Best Actor in a supporting role for their performances as Edie and Don in Kiss Me Like You Mean It.

Finally, director Carolanne Connolly received the adjudicator’s Discretionary Award for Best Production for Kiss Me Like You Mean It and was also named Best Overall Director for the 2016-17 amateur theatre season.

The GMDF Awards cover productions and performances in over 90 plays by societies around Greater Manchester and as far south as Macclesfield and north to Ramsbottom and Rossendale.

Chairman of Rossendale Players, Christine Durkin, was among those celebrating with this year’s winners and nominees.

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She said: “It is a pleasure for me to be chairman of the Rossendale Players at this time when we have so much talent which was demonstrated at the recent GMDF Awards ceremony. We had 10 nominations and took away five, which is tremendous for a little theatre in Rossendale.”

The Rossendale Players is currently preparing for its 82nd season, which opens in September with its 301st production, The Thrill of Love.