Since inception, the awards have been held at various venues and theatres across London, from 2012 to 2016 at theRoyal Opera House, before moving to theRoyal Albert Hall in 2017. Television coverage is broadcast inprime time onITV1, who acquired the rights from 2013 onwards, with radio coverage byMagic Radio.
The awards were established in 1976 by the Society of London Theatre as the Society of West End Theatre Awards and were designed by artist Tom Merrifield. The first ceremony was in December 1976 at theCafé Royal. In 1984, British actorLaurence Olivier gave his consent for the awards to be renamed in his honour and they became known as the Laurence Olivier Awards.[1]
Every year, judging panels for theatre, opera, dance and affiliate shows are put together by the Society of London Theatre.[2]
For opera, dance and affiliates, each panel is made up of a mix of professional panellists (journalists, casting directors, arts administrators, publishers and other industry professionals chosen for their knowledge in the field) and members of the public who are passionate about London theatre. The panels first select the shows they consider most worthy of an Olivier Award nomination, then vote on a winner at the end of the judging period.[2]
For the theatre awards, a longlist is compiled by a panel made up of members of the public, and submitted to SOLT members to vote on. Members may still vote outside of the list at this stage, except for in the four Supporting Actor/Actress categories (as these each contain thousands of eligible performers). The members' votes are collated with those of the panellists to create the list of nominees. The nominees list is then voted on by both members and panellists to produce the winners.[2]
The first Laurence Olivier Awards to be broadcast on television was the 1981 ceremony, which was broadcast onBBC1. This continued until 1992, before a switch toBBC2 until 2003.[6] The awards ceremony was then only broadcast on radio until 2011, when the BBC broadcast live interactive red-button coverage of the event,[7] whilePaul Gambaccini presented a programme onBBC Radio 2 with live coverage and interviews.[3] The same coverage followed in 2012 beforeITV secured the broadcast rights, which saw the return of the Olivier Awards to mainstream television in 2013.[8] This has continued in recent years, and the ceremony has also been broadcast onMagic Radio.
The most Olivier Awards ever received in the history of the ceremony were given to the playHarry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2017, when it won nine awards including Best New Play.
The record for the most Olivier Awards ever received by a musical is tied betweenSunset Boulevard (2024),Cabaret (2022),Hamilton (2018) andMatilda (2012) each of which received seven awards including Best Musical (forMatilda andHamilton) or Best Musical Revival (forCabaret andSunset Boulevard)
Sonia Friedman is the producer with the most Olivier wins with 18. She is also the only producer to have won Best Play, Best Musical, Best Play Revival, and Best Musical Revival.
Judi Dench has a record seven competitive Oliviers, and also won a Special Olivier in 2004
Of those 10, Judi Dench is the only performer to win both the play and musical Olivier acting awards in the same year (1996) – for her performances inAbsolute Hell andA Little Night Music.
Imelda Staunton has won the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical four times.Julia McKenzie,Joanna Riding,Maria Friedman,Samantha Spiro andKatie Brayben have all won twice. Imelda Staunton also holds the record for the most Olivier nominations in the Best Actress in a Musical category, with eight nominations. Maria Friedman is next, with six nominations.
In 1984, Tim Flavin was the first American actor to win the Olivier Award for his performance inOn Your Toes at thePalace Theatre. He was nominated twice in the same year for Most Promising Newcomer and Best Actor in a Musical and the award was presented by DameAnna Neagle. In 1985,Patti LuPone was the first American actress to win an Olivier award for her work inThe Cradle Will Rock andLes Miserables.Jessica Lange was the first American actress nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance inLong Day's Journey into Night
Roles that have won awards for actors on more than one occasion include: Miss Adelaide inGuys and Dolls (1982 and 2006), George inSunday in the Park with George (1991 and 2007), The Baker's Wife inInto the Woods (1991 and 1999), Nicely Nicely Johnson inGuys and Dolls (1982 and 1997), Sweeney Todd inSweeney Todd (1980, 1994 and 2013), Mrs. Lovett inSweeney Todd (1994 and 2013), Frau Schneider inCabaret (1994 and 2007) and Eliza Doolittle inMy Fair Lady (2002 and 2003).
Shared wins: In 2022, all seven actors sharing the role of the Tiger inLife of Pi received the Olivier for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2012, all four actresses sharing the role of Matilda inMatilda the Musical received the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical. In 2006, all three actors sharing the role of Billy Elliot inBilly Elliot the Musical received the Olivier for Best Actor in a Musical.
Shared nominations: In 2017, the eight members of the cast (six leads and two understudies) ofOur Ladies of Perpetual Succour were jointly nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Also in 2017, the six cast members fromThe Girls were jointly nominated in the Best Actress in a Musical category. In 2019, the six cast members ofSix were jointly nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for their performances as the six wives of Henry VIII.[13]
On April 15, 2012, at age 10 years 299 days,Eleanor Worthington Cox became the youngest winner of an award, when she received the Olivier for Best Actress in a Musical forMatilda the Musical.
In 2018,Billie Piper became the first, and so far only, actor to have won all six of the currently available UK Theatre Best Actress awards for a single performance: Evening Standard Theatre Awards, What's On Stage Theatre Awards, Critic's Circle Theatre Awards, Broadway UK Theatre Awards, Glamour Awards and Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards. This accolade was achieved by her performance inYerma, which was hailed as "the performance of the decade", "shattering, exhausting, earthquaking" and "unbearably harrowing".[14]
Media related toLaurence Olivier Awards at Wikimedia Commons
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