Vinette Robinson & Danny Webb win 2012 Clarence Derwent Awards

Vinette Robinson and Danny Webb (pictured) have won this year’s Clarence Derwent Awards, which are presented annually by Equity for the best individual male and female performances in a supporting role in a production in the West End.

Robinson won for her portrayal of Ophelia in Hamlet at the Young Vic, while Webb was recognise for his performance as Harry Kahn in Chicken Soup with Barley at the Royal Court.

Critic Michael Billington, one of the judges, said: “Vinette Robinson’s Ophelia was astonishing for its transition from sunny openness to a madness that was never exaggerated and suggested simply through emotional withdrawal and a stiffening of the limbs.

“Danny Webb was stunning as Harry Kahn in Chicken Soup, seeming to shrink before our eyes as, over the decades, he suffered the ravages of time and physical debility. These were two tremendous performances.”

The UK awards date back to 1948, with previous winners including Ian McKellen, Timothy West and Judi Dench. Last year’s winners were Sheridan Smith (for Flare Path) and William Gaunt (for playing Worcester and Shallow in Henry IV Parts I and II).

The Awards were presented today (23 November) during a lunchtime ceremony at the Duke of York’s Theatre on St Martin's Lane.

Equity also presented the 2012 Young Member and Student Bursaries, which total £2000 per year. The winners of the Young Member bursary were designer Rebecca Brower and actor Lewis Osborne; the Student bursary was awarded to Rose Bruford's Christopher Barclay and CPA Studios' Ria Lopez.

Equity are among the sponsors of this year's Whatsonstage.com Awards. To nominate (until 30 November), visit awards.whatsonstage.com, and to become a sponsor yourself click here. Also, don't forget to buy your tickets to the Awards Concert on 17 February!

- by Theo Bosanquet

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