Thespians bring home major awards

THEATRE GREATS: Actors Margaret Jesson (left) and Colin Palmer, and director Rita Ann Penhale-Cashmore, representing Greytown Little Theatre, won three major awards at the TheatreFest national finals.

After a weekend of nerves, a daunting stage set-up, several delays and a vocal baby in the audience, a troupe of Wairarapa performers has emerged victorious -- taking out three major awards at a national theatre competition.

Rita Ann Penhale-Cashmore, Margaret Jesson and Colin Palmer, with Mr Palmer's wife Sue as backstage crew, represented Greytown Little Theatre at the national finals of the TheatreFest one-act play festival in Hamilton on September 11.

Their performance of A Life Sentence, about a couple affected by Alzheimer's disease, won Mrs Penhale-Cashmore the award for Best First-Time Director, with actor Colin Palmer taking home the gong for Best Male Actor -- which he won in both the Wellington and North Island rounds of the competition.

Greytown Little Theatre was also awarded second place overall, behind Wakatipu High School.

Mrs Penhale-Cashmore, who said directing was the last item on her "theatre bucket list", said her crew was "on cloud nine" -- if exhausted.

"When I decided to direct this play for Greytown Little Theatre, I had no idea how it would go," the Masterton based actor said.

"I didn't know how how it would be received then, much less that we'd be taking it to the national finals.

"But this has shown me I can have a crack at directing, and I feel more confident about doing another play."

Carterton actor Margaret Jesson, who played the grieving wife to Mr Palmer's frail, confused husband, said the finals were "daunting" at times -- especially as the stage layout was completely different to what they were used to, resulting in a few "frantic changes".

Then, just as the actors were "psyched" to go on stage, the stage manager unexpectedly announced a 20-minute interval.

And then they were faced with every performer's worst nightmare -- a crying baby in the crowd.

"It was tense for a minute -- we've got some really tender moments in the play, and I was worried they'd be drowned out," Mrs Jesson said.

"Luckily, when we came on, he just squawked a couple of times, then fell asleep.

"You never know what's going to happen at these things -- you just have to keep it together."

Greytown's Mr Palmer said the competition was "a great experience" -- but confessed he is "a bit embarrassed" by the attention over his Best Actor win.

"My daughter [Wellington director Kerryn Palmer] put a picture on Facebook, and all these people I'd never heard of were congratulating me.

"Some of them were well-known theatre directors -- it was quite humbling."

The actors said they were encouraged by the audience's reaction to their performance -- especially the young actors from Wakatipu, who were deeply moved.

"These were 17 and 18-year-old kids, coming up to us in tears afterwards," Mr Palmer said.

"It obviously affected them -- they gave us a first class clap at the end."