A Gelligaer amateur dramatics group scooped two awards at the Welwyn Drama Festival, winning best play for the second year running.
The Players’ Theatre took Embodiment to the Hertfordshire festival and Gareth Gibbs won the Peter Shatford Award for director of the winning play.
Embodiment took the Welwyn audience by storm as Phil Loveless, Gabe Torrens, Claire Bowen and Jonathon James turned in a faultless performance.
It’s a beautifully crafted, physical comedy about the state of Welsh rugby in the 1990’s . Rugby fanatics Ifor (Gabe Torrens) and Franklyn (Phil Loveless) can stand it no more and decide that ‘something must be done’ to restore the fortunes of the national game.
As well as best play, Claire Bowen won the Winifred Butler Award for best actress.
Ms Bowen said: “We always get the warmest welcome at the Welwyn festival, win or lose we have the best time, but of course it was wonderful to win again and an absolute honour to receive the best actress award in such a prestigious festival.”
Adjudicator Bev Clark praised the performance as “slick and stylised”.
She said: “The cast created lovely pictures, really good story-telling, with fantastic physicality from the actors.
“They worked brilliantly as a team and their natural humour really engaged the audience. These are clearly very experienced actors who turned in great performances.
“With a talented cast in the capable hands of a great director, who knows exactly what he wants, and a great script you can create a great production.”
The Players’ continued to entertain after the awards ceremony and partied in style to the tune of Bread of Heaven and other Welsh songs.
Actor Phil Loveless said: “It’s been a great night and we’re delighted to be taking the Welwyn Cup back to Wales again.
“Welwyn is like coming home for us and has been for many years. The Festival crew are great.”
The Players’ Theatre will perform Embodiment again in July, when it will be playing in the British All Winners Drama Festival at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre.