THE Ballina Players' recent show, Miss Saigon, has scooped three awards at the recent Gold Coast Area Theatre Awards presentation night.

The judges assessed 46 productions from 22 amateur theatre groups.

Grace Cockburn, of Eltham, won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her portrayal of the tragic bar girl, Kim.

She has trained and performed as a singer and musician, but Miss Saigon was her first stage role.

“I've done lots of showcases performing just one song, but I've never taken on a character,” she said.

“So I was surprised to win. I didn't expect anything like this, since I'm a newcomer.”

Best Musical Director went to Paul Belsham, who has worked on Ballina Players musicals for seven years.

He was ‘proud and thrilled' to win.

“It is especially good for Ballina Players to win three awards, considering we are up against such tough competition from the Gold Coast,” he said.

“The show itself (Miss Saigon) was just so good. It's musically beautiful.

“I think, at the end of the night, people walked out saying: ‘Wow, that was great'.”

Jackie Reidy and James Webb took out the category for Best Technical Achievement for sound in Miss Saigon.