1999 Best Production Award for Pendragon
2008 Best Musical & Best Production Award for Pendragon
2009 Best Musical Award for The Secret Garden
2009 Best Young Performer Award to Ellie Hitchcock-Wyatt for her role of Mary lennox in The Secret Garden

About the Best production Awards

Throughout the United Kingdom amateur operatic societies, opera groups, drama groups affiliate themselves to NODA: The National Operatic and Dramatic Association who then divide up the country into 11 regions. Theatre groups in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Hertfordshire, Luton, Bedfordshire come under the title The East which is then divided into 12 Districts.

District 5 consists of the following theatre companies: Norfolk Youth Music Theatre, Cromer & Sheringham Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society, Dereham Operatic Society, Fakenham & District Light Opera Society, Wymondham Musical Theatre, North Norfolk Chamber Opera, East Norfolk Operatic Society, Sheringham Savoyards, Threshold Theatre Group, Norfolk & Norwich Operatic Society, Livewire Opera Company, South Norfolk Operatic & Choral Society, Blakeney Players, Bramrocks, Briston Players, Cley Amateur Dramatic Society, Creakes Drama Group, Horning Amateur Theatrical Society, Mancroft Players, Mundesley Players, New Buckenham Players, Theatre in Brundall, Old Buckenham Players, The Horsford Players and Shoestring Theatre Company.

Throughout the year the productions of all these societies are judged by NODA representatives and three awards are made: One for best play, one for best pantomime and one for best musical. In 1999 & 2008 The Norfolk YMT’s productions of Pendragon won the Award for Best Musical and in 2009 The Secret garden won the award for Best Musical.

From these three awards one is chosen as best overall production and Pendragon won the award for Best Overall Production 2008.

No mean achievement considering our young people compete against the bigger well established & wealthy societies and companies who use professional directors, choreographers, musical directors and scenery companies.

National Operatic & Dramatic Association

The National Operatic and Dramatic Association was founded in 1899 'to protect and advance the interests of operatic and dramatic art, and of societies engaged therein'.

Today, NODA has a membership of some 2500 individual enthusiasts and 2300 amateur companies throughout the United Kingdom, performing in venues ranging from the country's leading professional theatres to tiny village halls.

There are 150 NODA volunteers nationwide who are the vital links in the regions with the grass roots of the association, the amateur companies There is a professional staff housed at the association's newly acquired headquarters in Peterborough. The association is self-financing through members' subscriptions and sales through its trading company, NODA Limited. A summer school is run each year where students of all ages can take a week's residential course on performance, directing, musical direction, acting or technical aspects of the theatre. Bursaries are available to assist some students.

If you would like to know more about the association or its activities, or wish to join their ranks, log on to their website at www.noda.org.uk