THE highly successful Claremorris Drama Festival drew to a close last week with an awards presentation.
The 40th anniversary of the renowned festival proved to be an outstanding success with large crowds turning up on the night.
The big winners of the festival was the play The Playboy of the Western World by the Ennis Players, who picked up the Blue Riband Trophy, as well as the award for best play (open), Sean Quinn Memorial Trophy for best presentation overall, Tony Kitching Memorial Trophy for best male actor (open) for Joe Verden, Fr. P.V. O'Brien Memorial Trophy for best producer (open) for Geraldine Greene and best lighting (open) for Mike Kelly.

The following is the full list of winners:
Blue Riband Trophy - The Ray Leonard Memorial Trophy - The Playboy of the Western World, by Ennis Players. Best play (open) 1st, Ennis Players, The Playboy of the Western World; 2nd Shoestring Theatre Company, Charleville, The Salvage Shop; 3rd, Estuary Players, Dublin, There Came a Gypsy Riding.
Best play (confined) 1st Compántas Lir, Claregalway, I Do not like thee D.r Fell; 2nd DADS Dunmore, The Last Apache Reunion; 3rd Phoenix Players, Tubbercurry, The Mai.
Best producer (open) - Fr. P.V O' Brien Memorial Trophy – Geraldine Greene, Ennis Players. Best producer (confined) - sponsored by The Gift Centre – Philip Cribbin, Compantas Lir. Best female actor (open) - Eileen Dyer Memorial Trophy – Jackie Murphy, Estuary Players. Best male actor (open) - Tony Kitching Memorial Trophy – Joe Verden, Ennis Players. Best female actor (confined) Margaret Kilcoyne, Phoenix Players. Best male actor (confined) - M.J. Reidy Trophy – John Donlon, Glenamaddy Players. Best supporting male actor (open), Michael Dorgan, Shoestring Theatre Company. Best supporting female actor (open), Mary O'Sullivan, Shoestring Theatre Company. Best supporting male actor (confined), Vincent Moran, Compántas Lir. Best supporting female actor (confined), Marie Dowling, DADS, Dunmore.
Audience Trophy – The Salvage Shop, Shoestring Theatre Company. Best Presentation Overall - Sean Quinn Memorial Trophy, Ennis Players.
Adjudicator's awards one, Noel Hogan and Shane Kelly, Rosie and Starwars; two, Peter Davey, Phoenix Players; three, Liam Howard, Letter from America; four, Padraig Hastings, The Salvage Shop; five, Miriam Pettit, Hedda Bagler.
Best set (open) - Eamon P. Hughes Memorial Trophy, Shoestring Theatre Company. Lighting (open) McCallig Bros Trophy – Mike Kelly, Ennis Players. Best set (confined) - Matt McLoughlin and Dermot Hunt Cup – Phoenix Players; Best lighting (confined) - Liam Cosgrove Memorial Trophy – Declan Marren, Phoenix Players. Best sound (confined) – Eoin Coleman, Phoenix Players.