A golden conch for Drama Society for its best production of the year: The Annual Awards Banquet
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from November 1978.
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Set in the opulence of the Caribbean Club, the evening's activities reflected all the glitter and glamour of a true-to-life Academy Awards affair, complete with all the anxieties and speculations as to who would emerge victorious above his thespian. comrades.
Of those who triumphed with golden conchs, very few could have been fairly certain of such triumphs, and though, at the end of the evening, there appeared no visible signs of sour grapes, there was an unmistakeable mood of disappointment on the part of some who had long besought the provincial prestige of the golden conch.
The evening elongated definitely to Patricia Jackson-Patino, last year's beauty queen who, in her sparkling debut as the "Star Spangled Girl", proclaimed a new season of drama in these islands. For her efforts, the judges agreed that Patricia had earned for herself the coveted award as Cayman's best leading actress for 1978.
Patricia's golden conch was presented to her by the Governor of the Cayman Islands, Mr. Thomas Russell. His Excellency, in traditionally whimsical style, took the sealed envelope from compere Arek Joseph, and even before opening it told the expectant crowd that regardless of what Price Waterhouse (the accounting firm which had tallied the votes) thought, he had already picked the winner. The award for Best Leading Actor went to Peter Wootton for his masterful performance as Sir Thomas Moore in "A Man for All Seasons".
Other golden conchs awarded during the eveining included: FOR BEST DIRECTOR Gale Shaw - South Pacific, and Nicholas Press - Man for all Seasons.
BEST PRODUCER Georgia Lee McSorley - South Pacific.
BEST STAGE MANAGER Carl Studt - South Pacific SET CONSTRUCTION: LIGHTING AND DESIGN TEAM Margaret Barwick (Set Design), Ken Pooley (Lighting), Wendy Dunlop and Myra Bleasedale (Props).
BEST CHARACTER ACTOR- Mike Austin as Capt. Brackett - South Pacific.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Angela Crichton as Lady Alice More - A Man for All Seasons.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Peter Webber as The Common Man - A Man for All Seasons. BEST CHOREOGRAPHER Judy Dredge - South Pacific.
BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR Andrea Rhodes - South Pacific
BEST MUSICAL PERFORMER-FEMALE Anita Wheaton as Nellie Forbush.
BEST MUSICAL PERFORMER-MALE Jack Dredge as Emile de Becque - in South Pacific, and Steve Williams-Parrot's Revue.
BEST CAMEO PERFORMANCE FEMALE Ann Smith as Woman - A Man for All Seasons Terry Murphy - Love Is
BEST NEWCOMMER-FEMALE (Backstage and Front) Barbara McCalla as Bloody as Bloody Mary - South Pacific
BEST NEWCOMMER-MALE (Backstage and Front) Peter Wooton as Sir Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons
The evening began with champagne cocktails on the Caribbean Club's upper level. A black tie affair, the event also brought out much hidden talents in wardrobing among CDS members, as a-colourful assortment of bodices and bowties variated on the formal theme with definate thespian flair.
For dinner, downstairs, there was succulent roast tenderloin of beef, with wine flowing profusely. Arek Joseph, as the compere, was superb in his handling of the job. A ready, timely wit dulled the edges of anxiety. Just prior to the actual presentations he briefly described for the audience all the Society's productions during 1978, adding his inimitable twists to lighten heavy memories.
Just before the presentations, there was a spate of entertainment which thoroughly delighted the gathering and again demonstrated the devisive abilities of CDS members. Anita Wheaton's local adaptation of "There's no business like show business" brought tearful laughter, even from local drama critics to whom she delightfully directed a line or two.
Peter Phillips, Mike Marshall, Tony Staples, and Peter Balls came out of the closet long enough to render a vivacious, hip-swinging version of "Happy Talk".
The evening culminated with disco dancing in the main lobby of the hotel, with patrons of the affair, relieved of the tensions and anticipations of the presentations, rounding off their day in choreographical abandon.
As it happened, the Annual Awards Banquet was the Drama Society's final "production" of the year, and as such there are perhaps few critics who would not sincerely rate the event one of the finest and best-designed evenings in recent memory.
