David van Belle's aerial routine in The Highest Step in the World helped earn the play two Betty Mitchell Awards on Monday. (Alberta Theatre Projects/Ghost River Theatre)

Vertigo Theatre's Evelyn Strange and The Highest Step in the World by Alberta Theatre Projects and Ghost River Theatre shared the prize for best production as Calgary's Betty Mitchell Awards were given out Monday night.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee was named best musical at the gala to present the awards for the best of Calgary theatre.

Both best production winners were for plays written by Alberta artists.

David van Belle, a Calgary-based writer, director, actor and singer, wrote and performed in The Highest Step in the World, a one-man show about a NASA test pilot who, in 1960, sky-dived out of a weather balloon from 31,000 metres.

The play, part of the Enbridge playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays, involved a dramatic aerial gymnastics routine. Choreographer Adrian Young took the Betty for best choreography or fight direction.

Mystery Evelyn Strange was written by Edmonton playwright Stewart Lemoine and was first performed at Teatro La Quindicina, where he is playwright in residence.

It is the story of a mystery woman who turns up at the Met for a performance of Wagner's Siegfried and a man who tries to help her discover who she is.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, a Theatre Calgary production of the hit Broadway musical, took home three Betty Awards.

Kevin Corey, who played William Barfee, took home the prize for outstanding performance in a comedy or musical and Joe Slabe was named best director of a musical.

Another big winner was comedy Shakespeare's Dog, an Alberta Theatre Projects production of Winnipeg playwright Rick Chafe's work, based on the Governor General's Award-winning book by Leon Rooke.

It took home four Bettys, including best performance accolades for supporting actress Julie Orton, supporting actor David LeReaney and lead actor Haysam Kadri, playing the dog.

The award for best actor in a drama was tied, with Kadri sharing the honours with Frank Zotter from Filth, by Sage Theatre.

The best actress Betty went to Valerie Planche from Communion, the ATP production of a new Daniel MacIvor play about relations between mother and daughter.

Best direction went to Chris Abraham for I, Claudia, also at Alberta Theatre Productions.

Outstanding new play was In the Wake, created by the ensemble cast at Downstage Creation — Ethan Cole, Ellen Close, Col Cseke, Anton deGroot, Nicola Elson, Braden Griffiths and Simon Mallett.