By Rebecca Thomas BBC News Online entertainment staff in Edinburgh

Circus-style act Derevo has won the prestigious Total Theatre award for outstanding achievement for its silent play La Divina Commedia - its second trophy at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year.

Derevo, a troupe from St Petersburg, Russia, also won a Fringe First in the opening week of the festival for its provocative and shocking big-top show.

Seven shows were singled out for excellence in physical and visual performance by the Total Theatre Network - a group of around 500 arts professionals nationwide.

They include open-air dance act Go Go: The Boy with the Magic Feet from Theatrum Botanicum and play Scapegoat, from Wishbone company, about a husband and wife who run into trouble on holiday.

The honours are just one of a number of awards events that take place as the Fringe reaches its conclusion Sunday, and they include accolades for traditional theatre and comedy

Derevo is one of seven acts picked out

Previous winners of Total Theatre awards have been known to go on to enjoy national and international success and include actor and director Steven Berkoff and the company Spymonkey.

Toby Parks of Spymonkey said: "Winning a Total Theatre award has provided us with a whole new world of performance opportunities, making us less of an unknown quantity."

Courage

Elsewhere, US actress Nancy Walsh - who is suffering from a malignant brain tumour - was awarded a special Spirit of the Fringe award for her role in show Cincinnati.

Ms Walsh, who collapsed from her condition only a month before coming to Edinburgh, was praised by the Scotsman newspaper, which handed out the award, for her unfailing desire to perform.

The Scotsman also awarded the actress's husband John Clancy with the Best of the Fringe Firsts award for his play Horse Country.

Meanwhile, play Dog Well Done, by Stephen Keyworth, won the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression award.

The play was inspired by a newspaper account of a Kosvar man who was beaten to death in St James's Park, London. It explores the experiences of refugees who make their living by working as hot dog vendors in the city.

Laughs

There was prize-giving in comedy too, with the grand final of the newcomers stand-up competition So You Think You're Funny?

Used car salesman Matthew Osborn from London beat eight other contestants from around the country to take the �2,000 prize.

The So You Think You're Funny? final was the culmination of months of regional heats.

The competition is backed by Channel 4 and previous winners include Peter Kay and Ardal O'Hanlon.

All eyes are now on the Fringe's ultimate comedy contest, the Perrier awards, which take place on Saturday night.