The DAFTA Awards

The DAFTAs are an annual awards ceremony, where outstanding light entertainers are celebrated for their (usually ridiculous and silly) contributions to the society. Shows performed that year are also nominated for awards. Here lies a list of all the winners from 2020 onwards!

The Best Heroic Character: Hazel Hadley (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Morally Ambiguous Character: Bri Florentine (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Villainous Character: Karen Krinklewacker (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Couple: Bri and Hazel (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Group/Double Act: The Waiters (The Grand Opening), Avery and Sockoli (The Grand Opening)

The Best Spurious Accent: Cole (Seems Sketchy to Me)

The Best Love/Seduction Scene: Slice of Life (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Song: Borble’s Burgs (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Line from a Script: ‘Nuts are the work of the devil!’ – Timmy (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Quote/Heckle from Rehearsal: ‘Trans that scene!’ – Ry (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Live Cock-up: Starting several minutes early on opening night (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Ad-Lib: ‘Lemme just take this chairrrrr’ – Fergus (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Sketch: Little Wilderston Village Council

The Best Sound Effect/Noise: Pigeon noises (Seems Sketchy to Me)

The Best WORST Sound Effect: Uwu – Opening number (That’s the Spirit!)

The Most Soothing Voice: Annabel (That’s the Spirit!)

The Most Seductive Voice: The Dave (Seems Sketchy to Me)

The Best Costume: Janet (That’s the Spirit!)

The “Ooh You Lovey!” Award for AcTiNg: Carys as Darcy and Bill (That’s the Spirit!, A Prior Engagement)

The ‘Going Beyond the Call of Duty’ Award: Becca

The Most Scintillating Musical Moment: The counterpoint in Acceptance (where Stuck in a Loop and Guilty Pleasures cross over) (That’s the Spirit!)

The Sexiest Moment: Bri and Hazel almost kiss (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Moment of Dramatic Uncertainty: ‘Satan?’ ‘…Denine?’ (The Grand Opening)

The Best Publicity Photo: Garlic flapjacks (The Grand Opening)

The Most Likely to be Concealing a Dark and Terrible Secret: Nut Seller (That’s the Spirit!)

The Best Heroic Character: Fred (Prophecy of Destiny) + Dagger (From the Ruins)

The Best Morally Ambiguous Character: Laurie (Arizona James) + Omen (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Villainous Character: Prince Irrelevant (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Couple: Chastity & Destiny (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Group Act: The Freds (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Spurious Accent: Verrill (From the Ruins)

The Best Love/ Seduction Scene: The ‘Plane Scene’ (Arizona James) + The ‘Seduction Scene’ (From the Ruins) 

The Best Song: From the Ruins Theme Tune

The Best Line from a Script: “I’ll be straight with you”… “Please don’t” (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Quote/ Heckle from a Rehearsal: Literally anything Rynn says

The Best Rehearsal Cock-Up: Isobel walking on stage as Fairy Godmother while James played magic piano glissandos, looking at him dazed and emphatically saying “Fuck me.”

The Best Ad-Lib: “Why do I still have the crown?” – Ry

The Best Directorial Note: “Act like you’re telling children that Santa isn’t real” – Thea

The Best Sound Effect: Um, all of them? Hello? Have you met our sound editors?

The Best WORST Sound Effect: The Kissing Effect

The Best Soundscape: Arizona James Act 3

The Best Prop: The Carriage (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Worst Prop: The Sherbet sticks (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Costume: The terrifying spiders (Prophecy of Destiny)

Craziest Interruption to Recordings: Atreyi’s CLOCKS (Arizona James)

The Best Cock-Up During a Show: Corpsing in the final scene (Prophecy of Destiny) + nearly uploading a soundless podcast to YouTube…

The Best Noise from a Cast Member: Val’s screams/squawking (Arizona James)

The Most Soothing Voice: Thea Fennell as Thea Fennel

The “Ooh You Lovey!” Award for Acting: Rebecca as Princess Destiny

The “Going Beyond the Call of Duty” Award: Thea for venue scouting and publicity (Prophecy of Destiny) + Val for playing all of the character and everything else they do

Most Scintillating Musical Moment: Spider Ambience (Prophecy of Destiny)

The Best Moment of Dramatic Uncertainty/Plot Twist: The final reveal (That’s the Spirit)

The Best Publicity Picture: The ‘Distracted Boyfriend’ photoshoot (From the Ruins)

Best Heroic Character: Tod – Jacqui Drewe (Heroics) + Guard Goose – Val Gladkova (Lent Sketches)

Best Morally Ambiguous Character: Jharn – Ella Palmer (Ghoul)

Best Villainous Character: Mastermind – Oscar Matthews (Heroics) + Everett Radford – Fergus Powell (Ghoul)

Best Couple: Steve & Tod – Greg Miller & Jacqui Drewe (Heroics)

Best Spurious Accent: Cian Morey as Shape

Best Love/Seduction Scene: Archer kissing Everett

Best Song: Prima Donna (Ghoul)

Best Line from Script: “No, I distinctly remember he said he was a vicar” (WAS)

Best Quote from Rehearsal/ Heckle: “I have to go an buy a potato” -Amy Meyer

Best Rehearsal Cock-Up: Amy Meyer for completely forgetting there was a rehearsal and then sending the group chat a message saying ‘gimme a sex’ + Val Gladkova forgetting to turn up to a rehearsal they were meant to be directing after sternly reminding everyone about it a couple hours prior (Shorts)

Best Ad Lib: Val Gladkova for “take it away bat chorus – that’s too high for me” in response to a high note in “All By Myself” (Ghoul)

Best Directorial Note: Val. Just…Val.

Best Sound Effect: Evil squirrel laughter (Shorts)

Best Worst Sound Effect: Goose Honks (Lent Sketch Show)

Best Soundscape: Crowd panic and falling chandelier (Ghoul) https://youtu.be/4mmOpOxiZfI?t=1819

Craziest Interruption to Recording: Every time someone remembered “Shronk ‘n’ Ass” and the recording devolved into hysterical chaos (WAS)

Best Noise from a Cast Member: Mia Willows for the sound of disgust in scene 12 aka smelling a candle called ‘Left Shoe’ (Ghoul) + Val Gladkova for making out with their hand at directorial command (Ghoul)

Most Soothing Voice: Saul Bailey + Char Vine

The “Ooh You Lovey!” Award for Acting: Char Vine as a multi rolling maestro

The “Going Beyond the Call of Duty” Award: Char Vine for writing+making demos+mixing almost all of Ghoul songs single-handedly, while also doing all of the publicity content and sound editing, and turning up to every rehearsal in writer/unofficial assistant director capacity

Most Scintillating Musical Moment: Heroics theme tune

Best Moment of Dramatic Uncertainty/Plot Twist: Tom: ‘But I thought this train was going to Reading- ooooh. I see how it is.’ (8:39)

Best Publicity Picture: Char Vine as the Wilde Society leader aka “sheer sophisticated sexiness” (Lent Sketch)

Best Poster: Ghoul – Annabel Jupp & Char Vine

Best Play Script: Heroics for Beginners: Sarah Nolan

Best Sketch: The Noble Tale of Sir Arnold the Wee and Nigel the Beige – Nathan Galpin & Cian Morey

Best Stephen Fry Adorer: Tanya Brown as the writer of the sketch

Best New Thang on the Street: Tanya Brown

Best Tap Dancing Solo in a Radioplay: Balwinder – Val Sadksperm (WAS)

Best Original Song on the Much-Neglected Subject of Culinary Legumes: Beans (WAS)

Musical Chocolate Ganache (quote courtesy of Linseigh Green): Mia Willows

Most Committed Cast Member: Linseigh Green for coming to rehearsals despite health problems

Cutest Secretary: tie between Amy Meyer & Yelena Persaud

BONK! Most Likely to be sent to Horny Jail: Without question, everyone in the Easter sound editing chat

Juiciest Tropical Fruit: CONFUSION. Why does CULES care so much about fruit?

Best Heroic Character: Polly (In the Nick of Time)

Best Morally Ambiguous Character: Hotel Receptionist (Nothing to See Here)

Best Villanous Character: Val for being Val

Best Spurious Accent: Abraham for “Glaswegian” (In the Nick of Time)

Best Love/Seduction Scene: Gregory and Emma for Dave and Doreen from Pervy Tinder (Nothing to See Here)

Best Song: Thea and Katrina for Cycle Away! (In the Nick of Time)

Best Line from a Script: Grace and Henry for “The Jensmeister will take eine klein sleep now” (In the Nick of Time)

Best Quote/Heckle from Rehearsal: Nathan for the term “emergency inflection”

Best Rehearsal Cock-up: Ella for “dingly dangly balls” (In the Nick of Time)

Best Sketch: Pervy Tinder + The Sandwich Sketch + Russian Roulette

Best Sound Effect: Char for the sinister organ + Miffy for the grenade sound effect (“wheeeee boing boing BOOM!”) (Nothing to See Here)

Best Worst Sound Effect: Matt for deng (Nothing to See Here)

Craziest Interruption to Recording: Thea for the sound of clattering, followed by half a minute of guitar playing, followed by “Whoops I fell on my guitar”

Best Noise from a Cast Member: Thea for THE BIRDS!!! (yes, Thea’s birds are cast members)

Most Soothing Voice: Char both as themself and as the train announcer

Most Seductive Voice: Abraham for Corporal Jens Wittgenstein von Mullerdam + Thea for Susan flirting with Old Don (3)

Most Surpising Appearance Given Voice: Ella with Freddie’s magically lowered voice

The “Ooh You Lovey!” Award for Acting: Henry for the Cake Stall Lady

The “Going Beyond the Call of Duty” Award: Char for production, sound editing, art and general good vibes

Most Scintillating Musical Moment: Nothing to See Here’s introduction

Sexiest Moment: What we didn’t see when Freddie and Jens left for the cake stall (In the Nick of Time)

Best Moment of Dramatic Uncertainty: “DID JAMMIE DODGERS EVEN EXIST DURING WW2?” (In the Nick of Time)

Best Work Poodle: Polly

Most Likely to be Concealing a Dark and Terrible Secret: Val

Most Uncanny Imitation of a Human Being: Val