The Guide Awards: Who won what at this year’s celebration of the Portsmouth region’s arts and culture
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The winners were announced in a special gala ceremony in front of a packed house at the Kings Theatre in Southsea last night.
The awards were set up to celebrate the best in arts and culture from across our region. And readers voted in their thousands throughout December for their favourites in the 13 different categories, representing music, theatre, art, comedy and film-making.
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Hide AdThe Special Achievement Award is not voted on, but is someone we believe has made a significant contribution to the cultural life of the region.
Joanne Bushnell, the director of the Aspex Gallery at Gunwharf Quays has known Pete for 20 years and she said: ‘He is an extremely deserving recipient of this award. His contribution to the creative and cultural life of Portsmouth over more than 25 years has been outstanding.
‘Many will have interacted with his public artwork without even realising, finding one of his One Million Pebbles on Southsea beach, walking through a set of gates or sitting on street furniture in the City Centre.
‘A highly skilled draughtsman, his drawings are outstanding, best represented last year in the stunning installation Soup of Soul made specifically in response to Portsmouth Cathedral, during his residency in its hermitage.
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Hide Ad‘Pete is representative of the creative energy and talent we have in spades in this city.’
On receiving his second award of the night, a visibly emotional Pete told the audience how much he loved the city, and that the award wasn’t just for him but for all visual artists.
There was also entertainment provided by some of the nominees and winners including solo acts Tom Bryan and Lily Garland. Members of CCADS performed a scene from Best Amateur Show winner The King’s Speech, while Charlie Frame of The Portsmouth Players sang Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar – a turn which earned him the Best Amateur Actor prize.
And the night was opened with a one-off performance by members of Portsmouth Players, CCADS and South Downe Musical Society doing songs from Les Miserables.
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Hide AdHosts, the Kings’ creative director Jack Edwards and the Kings’ CEO Paul Woolf also produced a seemingly endless string of wince-inducing jokes.
Former Special Achievement co-winner, for her part in founding the Urban Vocal Group, Amba Tremain brought the house down as her band The Diva Revue even pulling several of the audience up on stage to dance.
The News’s editor Mark Waldron watched the show and said afterwards: ‘Once more, The Guide Awards have shown just how much creative talent we have in the area. Congratulations to all our winners.’
THE WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP
BEST COMEDY SPONSORED BY PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL
Winner: Hetty Austin
Runner-up: Jake Young
BEST DJ
Winner: Pete Scathe
Runner-up: Alex Dutton
BEST BAND, SPONSORED BY THE WEDGEWOOD ROOMS
Winner: Fake Empire
Runner-up: Colour of The Jungle
BEST SOLO ACT, SPONSORED BY BH LIVE
Winner: Lily Garland
Runner-up: Megan Linford
BEST EVENT, SPONSORED BY VICTORIOUS FESTIVAL
Winner: D-Day 75 Commemorations
Runner-up: Wickham Festival
BEST PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION
Winner: Matilda The Musical, Mayflower Theatre
Runner-up: Les Miserables, Mayflower Theatre
BEST AMATEUR PRODUCTION, SPONSORED BY THE GAIETY BAR
Winner: The King’s Speech, by CCADS at The Square Tower
Runner-up: Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of The Baskervilles by Fareham Musical Society at Ferneham Hall
BEST AMATEUR MUSICAL, SPONSORED BY KINGS THEATRE
Winner: Bugsy Malone, at the Kings Theatre
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Hide AdRunner-up: Jesus Christ Superstar, by Portsmouth Players at the Kings Theatre
BEST AMATEUR ACTRESS
Winner: Lauren Kempton for My Fair Lady by CCADS
Runner-up: Leigh Cunningham for The Deep Blue Sea by Bench
BEST AMATEUR ACTOR
Winner: Charlie Frame for Jesus Christ Superstar
Runner-up: Jonathan Fost for The King’s Speech
BEST CLASSICAL
Winner: Portsmouth Baroque Choir
Runner-up: Portsmouth Choral Union
BEST ARTIST, SPONSORED BY ASPEX GALLERY
Winner: Pete Codling
Runner-up: Sasha Damjanovic
BEST FILM, WITH PORTSMOUTH FILM SOCIETY AND MAKING WAVES
Winner: Guilt, dir Annabel Bryant and Shenali Karunatilake
Runner-up: Family Night, dir Caleb Johnston
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT
Pete Codling
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