COMPANIES across the FTR core area have taken the top awards in this year’s Rose Bowl contest, and leading the way was Claudia Pepler’s astonishing production of Come From Away (pictured right) at the Merlin Theatre in Frome in July, which took the Bristol Evening Post award for best musical production.

Sarah Nias (right) won the best actress award for her performance as Hedda Gabler for Amateur Players of Sherborne in March, and the coup-de-theatre award went to APS for their production of The 39 Steps, on at the Studio Theatre in Sherborne in June.

Yeovil’s hard-working Swan Theatre’s January production of Kindertransport (pictured left)  started the year in style. Alison Maynard-Griffin was chosen as best supporting actress as Helga, and Grace Butcher was named best youth actor in an adult production as Eva.

Jamie Pullen (right)  joined Salisbury’s Studio Theatre to play Garry Lejeune and Roger Tramplemain in Noises Off in July, scooping the Rose Bowl’s best actor award.

The award for best choreography went to Elisha Webster for his work on Carousel for Wells Operatic Society.

Congratulations to them all, and everyone who has made 2025 such a remarkable year on the “amateur” stage, proving there is nothing amateur about local productions, other than the fact no-one gets paid to stage them.