In 2015 Brianna Undy received the Derby Eagle Award's Judges Award for Best Contribution by a Young Person for her portrayal of Anne Frank.

Brianna Eagle Award

Belper Players is a member of the National Operatic and Dramatic Society (NODA), and has received many awards for it's productions over the years.

Our most recent production award was in 2012. We were awarded a Noda Award for best play in the East Midlands region for our production of Nickleby - A Tale for Chrismas!, an adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel by Larry Waller.

Nickleby Noda

Prior to this we won the award for 2011 best overall production in the East Midlands regions, for our outdoor performances of A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare.

Midsummer Nights Dream

In 2010 Belper Players received an nomination for best production for Absurd Person Singular:

absurd award

Read on for the full National Operatic & Dramtic Association review.

NODA Review, April 2010

ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR
Review by: Joyce Handbury
Presented by: BELPER PLAYERS
Venue: The Strutt Centre, Belper
Performance dates: March 2010
Director: Ed Ashworth

This is a new venue for the Players and although as yet it is very basic the group have great hopes for future developments within the centre.

There is no stage so to choose a play that takes place in Three Acts and in three different kitchens was indeed a tremendous challenge but the Director, Ed Ashworth, and Stage Manager, Darren Hall, admirably managed to bring their ideas to fruition and along with all the props needed did indeed create the three different kitchen sets.

This Alan Ayckbourn play follows the lives of three married couples on three successive Christmas Eve parties, all the action taking place in their respective kitchens. The changes in the couples' status and situations provide the underlying structure of the play.

In Act 1 we are in Sidney and Jane’s kitchen. Neil Winfield excels in both aspects of Sidney’s character from the wimpy businessman touting for a leg-up to being a financial success by Act 3. Jo Hayes is totally convincing as his nervy wife, Jane, who delights in cleaning. Act 2 sees us in the kitchen of Geoff, an architect, and his pill-popping wife Eva. Mark Ince (Geoff) delivers an excellent 'soliloquy' as Jane Wilton (Eva) sits totally non-plus in her own little world. Eva, who never speaks during the whole scene, then goes on to try everything she can to kill herself being inadvertently rescued each time by totally oblivious guests. This was a superb piece of acting by Jane Wilton enhanced by the timely reactions of the other cast members. The 3rd Act takes place in the kitchen of Ronald, a banker, and his wife Marion. Their fortunes have taken a turn for the worse and Keith Whittaker excellently portrays this and Jackie Beresford does an admirable job of changing from a patronising snob to being absolutely drunk, lamenting her lost looks.

Congratulations must go to everyone involved with this production, not forgetting the 'dog', for even attempting to do this play in the confines of this venue and for the outstanding result they all achieved.