Suburban Western Pennsylvania theaters saw some hard financial times in 2005, what with declining ticket sales because of an uncertain economy and the cost of driving to the theater exceeding the price of a ticket. Still, every producer and artistic director to whom I spoke is optimistic about next year and certain that box-office declines will turn around. Such is the nature of local theater folk.

From an artistic point of view, there was also a slight drop-off from an exceptionally triumphant 2004. But that is not to say that there weren't some top-notch productions in 2005. I saw only a smattering of the available amateur and semipro suburban shows, but here are the best of the 26 I reviewed.

Best production: "Into the Woods" at Stage 62. This version of Sondheim's cautionary fairy tale is the best community theater musical production I can remember seeing. Other contenders were South Park's hilariously touching "Over the Tavern" by Tom Dudzick and Apple Hill Playhouse's Neil Simon chestnut, "The Sunshine Boys."

Best director: Scott B. Calhoon for "The Secret Garden" at The Theatre Factory. In downsizing the daunting Lucy Simon/Marsha Norman adaptation of the classic children's book without losing the magic of the story, Calhoon worked a little magic of his own. Close on the heels of his achievement were Rob James' exceptional work on "Into the Woods" and Art DeConciliis for a powerful interpretation of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" at Little Lake.

Best set design: Lynn DeBree for the entire season at South Park Theatre. With no clear-cut individual favorite, the nod goes to DeBree, whose sets are consistently creative and eye-catching, giving the audience a real sense of time and place.

Best lead male actor: Tie -- Bill Bennett as Norman Thayer in Eugene Thompson's "On Golden Pond" at Little Lake and Dennis "Chip" Kerr as Willie Clark in "The Sunshine Boys." I just couldn't make a decision between these two fine, very different performances. Kudos also go to Andy Cornelius for his melancholy comic performances in the title role of Neil Simon's "Jake's Women" at McKeesport Little Theater.

Best lead female actor: Becky Toth as The Witch in "Into the Woods." Singing, acting, dancing, stage presence, you name it, she had it in a performance that a lot of pros would envy. Also notable were Allison Cahill's chillingly domineering Amanda Wingfield in "The Glass Menagerie" and Carol Lauck's quietly commanding Ethel in "On Golden Pond."

Best featured male actor: Mark D. Yochum as Hal Maxwell in Woody Allen's "Writer's Block" at Little Lake. This second half of Allen's pair of one-act plays was a snore until Yochum barged through the door and made his boorish presence known. Others providing great support were Kevin O'Leary as baseball player Sohovik in the Adler and Ross musical "Damn Yankees" at Apple Hill and Chris Pastrick, a beacon of light as Boris Renfield in that same theater's "Dracula: The Musical?"

Best featured female actor: Susan Martinelli as Mrs. Maxwell in "Writer's Block." Making her entrance with Yochum, she went from docile to manic in a hilarious performance. Giving Little Lake a sweep in this category were Theo Allyn as brittle-as-glass Laura in "Menagerie" and Sandy Boggs as Chelsea in "On Golden Pond."

Best ensemble: "Into the Woods," with not one weak link in the chain. Also working very well together were the casts of "The Secret Garden" and "Over the Tavern."

Most painful theater experience: "Losing Your Faculties" by Ken and Anastasia Matejka at Comtra Theatre. The title almost proved to be prophetic as I sat through almost three hours of this mind-numbing world-premiere musical. Close behind was East End Productions' "Fame, the Musical," which asked the musical question, "Shouldn't a pit orchestra play together once or twice before opening night?"