On Sunday 21 July at 7pm, we are once again thrilled to be playing host to the The Eagle Awards. Now in its 28th year, we will be bursting onto the Derby Theatre stage with pzazz, panache and in the presence of some of the most exciting talent in the region. The Eagle Awards showcases and celebrates the wealth of amateur theatre in Derby and Derbyshire and is one of the highlights of the region’s cultural calendar.
Derby and the surrounding areas are fortunate to have one of the country’s largest and most vibrant Amateur Theatre communities and awards, of a beautiful Eagle designed exclusively by Royal Crown Derby, will once again be presented to individuals and companies who have excelled in key areas. Amateur translates as ‘for the love of it’ and The Eagle Awards celebrate, promote and recognise this love and the wonderful array of theatre it produces each year.
Caroline Barth (Head of Learning, Derby Theatre and Eagles coordinator) said:
“The Eagle Awards is one of the city’s highlights of the arts and cultural calendar for non-professional artists and companies from across the region. The event is a wonderful opportunity for artists, companies and audiences alike to celebrate and recognise the fantastic talent and achievements of these companies. Once again, the judges have seen an amazing array of shows, and the judging has been incredibly tough. We look forward to seeing and welcoming all nominees, other members from the amateur theatre community and audiences on the evening.”
The nominations for 2024 are:
The Derby Telegraph Award for BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY
- The Watson Players for Ladies’ Day
- Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company for A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Encore Performing Arts for The History Boys
- Encore Performing Arts for ‘Allo ’Allo
The Malcolm Sircom Award for BEST PRODUCTION OF A PANTOMIME
- The Watson Players for Hook’s Revenge
- Little Eaton Players for Cinderella
- The Enfield Players for Cinderella
- St Nicholas Players for Sleeping Beauty
The Gordon Bewley Award for BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL
- Gatepost Theatre Company for School of Rock
- Central Musical Theatre Company for Oliver!
- Gatepost Theatre Company for Rock of Ages
- LEOS Musical Theatre Company for Mack & Mabel
The Timothy Dalton Award for BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY
- Chris Grantham (Rene) in ‘Allo ‘Allo for Encore Performing Arts
- Arden-Caspar Jennison (Posner) in The History Boys for Encore Performing Arts
- Angela Swift (Jan) in Ladies’ Day for The Watson Players
- Sonia Hardy (Betty) in Breezeblock Park for Quarndon Amateur Dramatic Society
The Phil Treece Award for BEST PERFORMANCE IN A PANTOMIME
- John Elliot (Fogarty) in The Princess and the Pea for Chellaston Players
- Mik Horvath (Nursie) in Hook’s Revenge for The Watson Players
- Sally Harton (Cinderella) in Cinderella for The Enfield Players
- Rachel Holmes (Fairy Godmother) in Cinderella for Little Eaton Players
The Gwen Taylor Award for BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL
- Chris Collington (Dewey) in School of Rock for Gatepost Theatre Company
- Jonathan Penton (Fagin) in Oliver! For Central Musical Theatre Company
- Rachel Merrill (Mabel) in Mack & Mabel for LEOS Musical Theatre Company
- Sarah Towle (Nancy) in Oliver! For Central Musical Theatre Compay
The Jo Davison Award for BEST NEWCOMER
- Rachel Spence (Choreographer) on Mack & Mabel for LEOS Musical Theatre Company
- Amy Clover (Director) on Mack & Mabel for LEOS Musical Theatre Company
- Jake Soar (Puck) in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company
- Leah Wilks-Byrne (Choreographer) on Cinderella for The Enfield Players
The Brian Glazebrook Award for OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
- Sian Scattergood-Grantham for Choreography on a Chorus Line for The Cast
- Martin Smith & Helen Morton for the set of Cinderella for The Enfield Players
- Laura Stone & Mark Green for the set of Rock of Ages for Gatepost Theatre Company
- Paul Mills for set and projection on Hello, Dolly! For Beeston Musical Theatre Group
The Eagles’ Judges Award for The Best Contribution by a Young Person
- Bella Radford (Summer) in School of Rock for Gatepost Theatre Company
- Harrison West (Loco Channel) in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Teen Edition for Kristian Thomas Senior Youth Company
- Harrison Ince (Frank Klineman) in Rock of Ages for Gatepost Theatre Company
- Hannah Lake (Anna) in Frozen Jr for Centre Stage Theatre Arts
The David Orange Award for Best Youth Production
- Derby Youth Musical Theatre for Nativity: The Musical
- Kristian Thomas Senior Youth Company for Six: Teen Edition
- Kristian Thomas Senior Youth Company for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Teen Edition
- Belper Junior Musical Theatre Company for We Will Rock You
The Derby Theatre Award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- LEOS Musical Theatre Company for Sunshine on Leith
- St Nicholas Players for Sleeping Beauty
- Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company for A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Beeston Musical Theatre Group for Sister Act
Gallery
The Ken and Barbara Pipes Award for Exceptional Contribution to amateur theatre will also be presented and announced on the evening.
Presenters and acts who will perform on the evening will be announced in due course.