BASIL Dawkins’ provocative serio-comedy, For Better Or Worse, swept the milestone 20th Anniversary Actor Boy Awards (ABA) Monday night, winning in all six categories in which the play was nominated.

The play won the awards for Best Drama, Best New Play, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Terry Salmon); Best Actor in a Lead Role (Christopher ‘Johnny’ Daley), Best Director (Douglas Prout) and Best Production.

An elated Dawkins, who wrote and produced the play, stated, “I am not sure whether this is the first time in the history of the awards that a production has won in all of its nominated categories… but I am certainly happy that For Better Or Worse managed to do so during the celebration of a major milestone ABA celebration!”

He thanked not only his strong cast and a director who had dealt very sensitively with what could have been a “risky” subject matter, but Jamaica’s audience members who have continued to provide significant support for the play. “It just goes to show that our people can enjoy drama at its best — even if the subject matter is controversial — without becoming hostile. We have managed to engage our For Better Or Worse audiences in a manner which, we hope, will encourage others to tackle issues that some might consider taboo,” he added.

For Better Or Worse is an exploration of how people respond when “hard times” force them to rethink the image they have of themselves and the importance of the roles they play in life. It is a story in which reasonable adults do strange and often unwise things, and is at once titillating and thought-provoking, as it raises questions and delivers life lessons about the choices people make and the impact of those choices on their own lives and the lives of others.

The Actor Boy Awards, which are presented annually by the International Theatre Institute (Jamaica Centre) and which honours the best of the theatre arts in Jamaica, also made Montego Bay’s Fairfield Theatre a multiple winner. That production house, which had scored nominations in seven categories this year for its Mo- Bay Vibes Revue, won in three: Best Original Song (Bless Mo- Bay Vibes, with music and lyrics by David Tulloch); Best Original Score and Best Revue.

Other winners on the night were Jam Reggae Opera, which won for Best Lighting Design (Robin Baston), Best Choreography (Paula Shaw) and Best Musical; Pirate Jack, which won for Best Special Effects (Michael Lorde and Michael McDonald) and Best Costume Design (Anya Gloudon); The Love List, which won for Best Comedy and Best Actress in a Lead Role (Nadia Khan); 4 Play, for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Rodney Campbell); Easy Street, for Best Set Design (Trevor Nairne); and Beauty and the Beast for Best Children’s Theatre.

The 2010 Actor Boy Awards, which had Telling Our Stories as its theme, honoured Jean Small, a veteran actress, storyteller, teacher and poet.