Laurence Olivier Award

Laurence Olivier Award

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Laurence Olivier Award

The Laurence Olivier Award is regarded as the most prestigious award in British theatre, and is presented in recognition of artistic achievement in London theatre.

History
Judging
Award categories

Drama
Musical
Production
Dance/Opera
Other
Retired

Award record winners
See also
External links

History

Commonly referred to simply as the Olivier Awards, awards are presented annually across a range of categories covering plays, musicals, dance, opera and affiliate theatre. The majority of the awards are presented for the high profile commercial productions seen in the large theatres of London's West End, which is commonly known as Theatreland.

The awards were first established in 1976 as the The Society of West End Theatre Awards, however in 1984, the renowned British actor Sir Laurence Olivier gave consent for the awards to be renamed in his honour and they became known as the Laurence Olivier Awards. The awards are managed and financed by The Society of London Theatre and the awards ceremony is produced by West End producer Adam Spiegel.

In Broadway theatre, the equivalent of the Olivier Award is the Tony Award and a number of the world's longest-running and most successful shows have received award nominations for both West End theatre and Broadway productions, with a number of leading actors, directors, choreographers and designers receiving award nominations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Judging

The Awards are judged by four separate panels for theatre, opera, dance, and Affiliate.

The majority of the Olivier Awards are presented in the theatre categories, which cover plays and musical. The theatre categories are judged by the theatre panel, which consists of five specialist members who are chosen for their specialist knowledge and professional experience. The panel also consists of 8 members of the theatre going public, four who judge plays and four who judge musicals.

The Opera, Dance and Affiliate panels each consist of three professional members, each judging their specialist area of expertise. Each panel also includes two members of the theatre going public. The Affiliate Panel judges productions in theatres represented by Affiliate members of the Society of London Theatre. Affiliate theatres are typically recognised as being theatres outside of the London "Theatreland" district and includes repertory theatres such as the Old Vic, Young Vic and Royal Court Theatres.

Any new production that opens between January 1 and December 31 in a theatre represented in membership of the Society of London Theatre is eligible for entry for the Olivier Awards if it has run for a minimum of 30 performances. After a nomination has been received, it then has to be seconded by members of the Society and if it is successful, it is then seen by the relevant judging panel.

For awards in the Theatre categories, nominations are decided by a postal ballor of all members of the Theatre Panel and al members of the Society of London Theatre. For Affiliate, Opera and Dance categories, the nominations are decided only by members of the relevant panel, by way of a secret ballot.