Twenty-two groups submitted entries for the 1999 WODL Festival, but three were withdrawn before the adjudications took
                    place. The final tally of productions was therefore 19, with 14 presented as "In Festival" entries.

                    It was a real treat for me to come in contact with the member groups of WODL, some of which had heretofore only been names
                    to me, and to see the types of facilities they operate in. How wonderful it was to greet old friends from my own community
                    theatre days, as well as those who seemed like friends, even though we had only met through their performances which I had
                    been fortunate enough to witness at previous WODL festivals.

                    The calibre of productions in this year's festival was overall quite high, with some being of a truly exceptional quality. The 1999
                    WODL Festival slate will provide an outstanding week of theatre for those attending.

                    In particular, I was impressed by several of the set designs and executions, including at least three, which supported
                    productions not chosen to go on to Festival 99. Should WODL decide to create a training programme from within its own ranks
                    for groups which need such support, there are excellent resources in this area from which to draw.

                    An area, which might benefit from improvement, in my opinion, is direction, and I say this despite the fact that there was strong
                    and capable direction in a selection of the productions I witnessed. As a director myself, I know that the requisite skills are best
                    learned on scene, by being part of the process of a talented and experienced director at work. This is certainly the route taken
                    by the Shaw Festival in its Directors Project, which as you know, is funded by Theatre Ontario. Should it be possible to create
                    an assistant director or apprentice director program, in which professional directors from outside WODL, or the more
                    experienced directors from within the organization, are paired with individuals new to the genre, it would provide a training
                    ground for new talent. While weekend workshops do accomplish the basics, they are, in my opinion, no substitute for this more
                    time intensive system.

                    In my adjudications, I have tried to convey my personal notion that adjudication should be a forum for discussion of
                    possibilities, rather than a black and white "judging". I have offered participants the opportunity to discuss why certain choices
                    were made, rather than simply offering my personal dictum on whether or not they were successful. This approach met with
                    great success in some instances, and resistance in others. The openness of the groups to my comments ranged greatly, but my
                    memory of the evenings I spent with the individuals who were really interested in what I had 'seen' will stay with me a long time.
                    My congratulations to these groups, and indeed to all the groups, for the hard work they poured into their productions,
                    whether or not they were chosen to participate in festival.

                    A list of my choices for the various 'out of festival' awards, including the pool of nominees from which the winners were drawn,
                    is attached, as is the list of the five productions I've chosen to go on to Festival 99. These decisions were made difficult by the
                    quality and energy I saw in the various communities, and which I wanted to reward, despite the fact that I believe strongly that
                    doing good work in theatre is its own best reward. I wish I had several hundred awards to give out, because there was an
                    abundance of 'winners' in the productions I witnessed.

                    And finally, I thank the groups, which make up the Western Ontario Drama League, for the cordial hospitality shown to me, and
                    for the inspiring evenings of theatre to which I was witness while I was a guest in their community.
 
                    Respectfully

                    Karen Rickers

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a major role
          Nominees:
               Orloa Cherrey as Doris in The Cemetery Club - Wallaceburg
               Audrey Cheadle as Rachel in If We Are Women - Owen Sound
               Karen Tripp as Doris in The Cemetery Club - Tillsonburg
               Bonnie Kamps as Aggie in Boiler Room Suite - Ingersoll
               Winner: Lucy Williams as Fonsia in The Gin Game - Sumr Players, Sarnia

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a major role
          Nominees:
               Don Reid as Weller in The Gin Game Sumr Players, Sarnia
               Dale Bell as Sprugg in Boiler Room Suite - Ingersoll
               Keith Burnett as Juror #10 in Twelve Angry Men - Theatre Kent, Chatham
               John Pacheco as Ted Cotton in Murder Among Friends - Guelph
               Winner:John Hobbs as Juror # 3 in Twelve Angry Men - Theatre Kent, Chatham

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a supporting role
          Nominees:
               Tim Peloso as Marshall Saidenberg in Murder Among Friends - Guelph
               Don Poore as Dr. Spivey in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Sarnia
               Winner: Ron Eagle as Mr. Baker in Come Blow Your Horn - Elmira

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
          Nominees:
               Lynda Nevins as Mildred in The Cemetery Club - Tillsonburg
               Tammy Sadler as Carmen Shapiro in Cookin with Gus - Elgin
               Pam Webb as Mrs. Baker in Come Blow Your Horn - Elmira
               Winner: Ilene Elkaim as Lulu LaRoche in Perfect Timing - The Aldershot Players Burlington

Outstanding Performance by a Juvenile
          Nominee:
               Amber Dawn Bellemare as Candy Starr in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Sarnia
               Winner: Rebecca Scott as Nurse Flinn in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Sarnia

 Best Visually Co-ordinated Costumes of a Non-Rental nature (IN or OUT)
          Nominees:
               Owen Sound Little Theatre's If We Are Women
               Galt Little Theatre's The Cemetary Club
               Woodstock Little Theatre's Orphans
               Winner: London Community Players' Thirteen Hands

Outstanding Direction
          Nominees:
               Ruth Baleka for Twelve Angry Men - Theatre Kent Chatham
               Brian Martin for Tango - Kitchen Waterloo
               David Leslie for If We Are Women - Owen Sound
               Mark Smith for TheCemetery Club - Tillsonburg
               Winner: Megan Hobbs for The Gin Game - Sumr Players, Sarnia

Most Promising New Actor or Actress
          Nominee:
               Joe Dawson as Juror #4 in Twelve Angry Men. - Theatre Kent, Chatham
               Winner: Sandra Andrews as Ida in The Cemetery Club - Tillsonburg

Outstanding Ensemble Production
               Winner: Theatre Kent's Twelve Angry Men
 
Outstanding Lighting Design and Execution (IN or OUT)
          Nominees:
               Rob Coles for Thirteen Hands - London Community Players'
               Rob Klein for A Streetcar Named Desire - Elora
               Ted Comiskey for Boiler Room Suite - Ingersoll
               Michael Irwin for If We Are Women - Owen Sound
               Winner: Brian George for Orphans - Woodstock Little Theatre

Special Adjudicator Awards
              Winner: Set Design and Execution: Thistle Theatre's The Affections of May
              Winner: Set Design and Execution: Owen Sound Little Theatre's If We Are Women
              Winner: For Overall Presentation of a Unique Canadian Play: Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre's Tango