TALENTED thespians from Essex and Suffolk took part in the 26th annual Brantham Play Festival.

The event on Saturday at Brantham Village Hall was hosted by Brantham Amateur Theatrical Society and adjudicated by Mary Williamson.

There were performances from Junior BATS, ZigZag Theatre Group, MAD Youth Company, Dovercourt Theatre Group, East Bergholt Dramatic Society and Dramatic Pause Productions.

The ZigZag Theatre Group picked up four awards including Best Youth Group.

Lucy Lear won Best Supporting Actress, Nathan Curtis won Best Newcomer and Rebecca Dunbar picked up the award for Best Young Actor for their performances in After School Special by Donna Brightwell.

Dovercourt Theatre Group’s performance of Little Grimley Presents Strictly Sex Factor (On Ice) by David Tristram saw their director Katherine Johnson pick up the awards for Best Production and Best Director.

Actor Terry White also won Best Supporting Actress.

Clacton-based MAD Youth Company were awarded the Adjudicator’s Award for Generation Selfie and also won Best Technical for musical Bake Off.

East Bergholt Dramatic Society’s Len Stockdale won Best Actor.