The scene was jaw dropping. Actor Torrey B. Lawrence on his hands and knees, snorting and shoving his head into a basket of food, emerging with his face smeared with grease and crumbs, eyes ablaze.
Lawrence was portraying a wrongly convicted death row inmate who has been branded a pig and who consequently sees himself as such, and his performance that night, in Deep Dish Theatre's "A Lesson Before Dying," was full of such stunning moments. But the most amazing aspect was that he was there at all.

Who was this man? Where did he come from?

This is the kind of surprise I love, an actor appearing seemingly out of nowhere -- or, in Lawrence's case, out of Rocky Mount -- and blowing me away with a bold, sincere portrayal that makes the play unforgettable.

Triangle theater was full of such surprises this year, from Wilmington's Debra Gillingham in Burning Coal's "Juno and the Paycock" and Temple Theatre's "Sweet By and By" to Damion Sledge in University Theatre's "Jitney," Amber DeeLon Rustin in ArtsCenter's "Lights Out at Lulu's" and Clare Chadwick in Applause! Cary Youth Theatre's "The Hobbit."

BTI Center for the Performing Arts' Broadway South series now includes dramas as well as more musicals and comedy. New companies have formed or moved here. And the acting pool has grown deeper, with gifted artists relocating here and Triangle artists blossoming further amid the plentiful opportunities and strong mentors.

But listen to the pleading preshow curtain speeches and you'll be reminded that this is not Camelot. Since boom turned to bust, there have been smaller audiences spread among more theaters than ever. Subscription sales are down. Corporate donations have shrunk. Grants are dwindling. It's a wonder local artists can keep their spirits up, let alone invest the energy, passion and money it takes to stage a play.

So it's a further testament to the theater community's commitment that the region has been so rich with top-notch productions. And that the forecast shows continued inventiveness and brilliance, growth and ambition, in a region that supports it sufficiently for the best companies to scrape by, if not thrive.

Triangle audiences have eclectic tastes. They aren't falling into any lowest-common-denominator mold, supporting only familiar plays, happily-ever-after tales or big musicals. They're open to challenging fare, such as the trio of Stephen Sondheim musicals produced by three different companies, a minifest of sorts for those who didn't make it to Washington for the acclaimed Sondheim restrospective at the Kennedy Center.

Local crowds are also open to new and locally written works -- from "Lights Out at Lulu's" to New World Stage's "Moonshine," Shakespeare & Originals' "Prufrock" and "Hurricane Salad," Burning Coal's workshop of Samm-Art Williams' "Brass Birds Don't Sing" and Manbites Dog Theater's adaptation of Allan Gurganus' book "Plays Well With Others."

Sure, most Triangle audiences are less willing to gamble on a new play from a local company than, say, a Broadway touring show stopping at BTI for the first or fifth time. The automatic allure of anything tagged "Broadway" or simply "New York" is baffling and frustrating, and I say that having spent many an evening -- some great, some atrocious -- in New York theaters. Even the Tony Awards are no guarantee of quality; triple-Tony-winner "Urinetown" stank as badly as its title would imply.

But reports of sold-out runs and added performances at Burning Coal and Deep Dish offer hope that Triangle troupes will continue to grow and take the kind of creative risks that have made them ever stronger.

Children's theater is also gaining in popularity, with such new companies as Durham's Deduction Productions and Applause! Cary Youth Theatre. Both have built devoted audiences since their inception just a few years ago. Cary itself deserves a standing ovation for its increasing commitment to culture, which will come to the fore again next month, when its new community theater, Cary Players, debuts with "Our Town."

Conversely, companies like Raleigh's Flying Machine and Chapel Hill's Open Door, which drew such acclaim when they debuted in the late '90s, failed to impress in 2002. If they continue to wane, plenty of strong new companies are primed to lure their audiences away, such as Carr-boro's Ghost & Spice and Durham's Dog & Pony Show.

Perhaps this very flux, this constant stirring of the stew that is Triangle theater, provides the attentiveness and energy that keeps the scene lively and competitive.

For now, let's honor those who excelled this year.

* -"Jitney," University Theatre, N.C. State University, Raleigh. Director: Patricia C. Caple.

You could practically feel the sticky floors and choke on the stale air in the bootleg taxicab station at the center of this brilliantly reworked August Wilson drama. Sedrick Dickens and Damion Sledge's heart-piercing portrayal of a father-son conflict anchored the production by students and professionals; crisp pacing and raucous altercations kept the proceedings lively.

* -"Juno and the Paycock," Burning Coal Theatre, Raleigh. Director: Jerome Davis.

Set in Ireland in the early 1920s, during the struggle for independence from Britain, Sean O'Casey's beloved tragicomedy illustrates how wide-ranging the concept of civil war can be. The strongest production I've seen yet from Burning Coal, "Juno" is a marvel of artistry, from the script to the set to the dialect and especially the chemistry of James Fleming and David Dossey. You don't have to take my word for it: there's a final performance today at 2 p.m.

* -"Lebensraum," Raleigh Ensemble Theatre. Director: C. Glen Matthews.

After last season's "Bent," about the slaughter of gays by the Nazis, REP took another look at the Holocaust. This time, it was Israel Horovitz's fictional tale, which has a German chancellor inviting 6 million Jews to settle in Germany at the turn of the 21st century. Ben Tedder and David and Betsy Henderson performed the scores of roles with clarity and assuredness, and Matthews illustrated well the contemporary and international relevance of the play's multifaceted refrain, "Never again."

* -"A Lesson Before Dying," Deep Dish Theatre. Director: Paul Frellick.

This riveting drama follows a young black man in 1940s Louisiana sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit and a teacher assigned to help him rise above the injustices that determined his fate. The story, which North Carolina-born playwright Romulus Linney adapted from Ernest J. Gaines' novel, remains timely as we continue to battle entrenched racism and grapple with post-9/11 notions of an evil "other" ethnicity. Torrey B. Lawrence gave one of the year's best performances in the lead role. And the play's extended run was a testament to Frellick's vision and the company's growing reputation.

* -"A Little Night Music," University Theatre, NCSU, Raleigh. Director: Fred Gorelick.

Easily the best of the year's three local Sondheim productions, this popular musical takes a lively look at love, lust, deceit and mortality. University Theatre was ambitious to tackle Sondheim's breakneck lyrics and complex counterpoints with a cast of students as well as professional actors. There was much to love in this dazzling production, including several performances in key roles, John C. McIlwee's costumes, Curt Tomczyk's set and Julie A. Florin's direction of the accompanying chamber sextet.

* -"Love's Labour's Lost," Shakespeare & Originals. Director: Jay O'Berksi.

O'Berski's whimsical adaptation of this Shakespeare comedy was a delight, rich with elements to please the eyes, ears and funny bones of creatures tall and small. From the middle-age sextet of lovers to the mischievous clown duo and their dour accompanist, the ensemble illustrated clearly the theme of this romantic comedy. Kim DeCoste's enveloping set design was enchanting.

* -"Mother Hicks," Raleigh Little Theatre Family Series. Directors: Carmen Mandley and Sam Parker.

Mandley and Parker took a play about people cast to society's fringes and enhanced it further by staging it in shadow sign, with a cast of deaf and hearing actors. Not all speaking actors could hear and not all signing actors were deaf, a recognition of what true integration entails. But this was more than an exercise in doing what's proper; it was a lovely, engrossing tale, with daring and believable performances by the youngsters and adults alike.

* -"Our Town," PlayMakers Repertory Company. Director: David Hammond.

Thornton Wilder's Grover's Corners is as familiar to many Americans as their own back yards, and its residents seem like friends and family by now. Hammond and his talented troupe took this 1938 classic about our place in our families, our communities and the cosmos and underscored anew its timeless appeal and poignancy.

* -"Paper Doll," Theater Previews at Duke. Director: Leonard Foglia.

Mark Hampton and Barbara J. Zitwer's new play about "Valley of the Dolls" author Jacqueline Susann cut to the core of a ruthless soul and found it worthy of pity and capable of pain. Starring Marlo Thomas and F. Murray Abraham, this tragicomedy was fast paced and clever, worthy of its intended Broadway run. Its next stop is Connecticut's Long Wharf Theatre in spring, with an eye toward New York afterward. Abraham will star again, but Thomas has left the Susann role, which hasn't been re-cast yet.

* -"Sweet By and By," Temple Theatre, Sanford. Director: Jerry Sipp.

Frank Higgins' bittersweet Southern drama focuses on a mother's struggle to ensure that her daughter doesn't end up in the same dead-end life as her ancestors. The play is wonderfully written, with authentic language and complex relationships, and Sipp's uniformly strong ensemble balanced the characters' sincerity and humor delightfully. Sipp, the theater's new artistic director, demonstrated with this sweet production that Temple made a wise choice.