OVER the past year a team of expert judges have been attending performances by local amateur companies at Abergaveny's Borough Theatre as part of the inaugural amateur theatre award scheme launched by A4B - the group formerly known as the Borough Theatre Management Committee.

This week sees the announcement of the keenly awaited list of nominees for the awards which cover all aspects of on stage performance.

The winners will be revealed at a black tie event to be held at the town's Angel Hotel on Saturday, January 28.

The Borough Theatre Management Committee was formed by members of local amateur theatre companies some 20 years ago with the purpose of 'saving' the Borough Theatre from closure.

During its first decade, the committee was responsible for raising funding to ensure the existence of the theatre and for initially establishing the theatre as a professional venue and latterly pressuring the local authority into employing a professional management team at the Borough.

With the establishment of a new theatre trust, which looks set to take over the running of the theatre from MCC this year, it was decided that the time had come to re-constitute the committee and give it a new purpose in addition to its continued support and fundraising role and as a result it was re-named as Acting4theBorough (A4B).

In the past year the committee has funded a new CCTV system at the theatre and the redecoration of the foyer area, with many more schemes in the pipeline.

One of the major projects the group has instigated since its new look, is the introduction of an amateur theatre award scheme, which has seen independent judges attending each of the amateur performances staged by the 'user groups' at the theatre - AAODS, AMTC, APC and Breakthrough Productions - and nominating and selecting winners in a number of categories.

The project was launched successfully in 2011 and attracted a great deal of interest and support with a number of local businesses offering sponsorship and Abergavenny Town Council lending its financial support to the event.

With the results due to be revealed in just a few weeks, the full list of nominees is as follows:

Abergavenny Rotary Club award for best male performance in a play or musical

Nominees:

Pat Martin - Senex - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Rob Jenkins - Prologus/Slave to Hero - A Funny Thing Happened...

Barrie Jackson - Erronius - A Funny Thing Happened...

Ken Jones - Dame Dumpling - Puss in Boots

The Initiative Shop award for best female performance in a play or musical

Nominees

Nia Hawyes - Annie - Annie

Rita Rouse -Hope - Dial M for Machynlleth

Deborah Harrington - Domina - A Funny Thing Happened...

Suzanne Meates - Grace Farrell - Annie

The Kings Head Hotel award for best under 18 female performance in a play or musical

Nominees

Alys Le Moignan - Aunt Em/Glinda - The Wizard of Oz

Molly Brickley-Clark - Dorothy - The Wizard of Oz

Anni Rees - Little Molly - Annie

Honey McKenna - Princess - Puss in Boots

The Dover and Company award for best under 18 male performance in a play or

musical

Nominees

Zach Clee - Soldier Sam - Puss in Boots

Joe Pugh - Professor Marvel/The Wizard - The Wizard of Oz

Alex Clarke - Mayor - The Wizard of Oz

Alex Williams- Zeke/Cowardly Lion - The Wizard of Oz

Jack Wheatley - Hickory/Tin Woodman - The Wizard of Oz

Harry Jones - Hank/Scarecrow - The Wizard of Oz

Also due to be presented during the evening will be a special award, sponsored by Abergavenny Rotary Club, which is in the gift of the three judges and the keenly contested Abergavenny Town Council prize for best production of the year.