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