Laurence Olivier Award

The Olivier Awards (or simply the Olivier's) are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, they were renamed in honour of the British actor Laurence Olivier in 1984.

The awards are given to those involved in West End shows and other leading non-commercial theatres based in London. The Olivier Awards are recognised internationally as the highest honour in British theatre, equivalent to Broadway's Tony Awards and France's Molière Award.

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 Society of West End Theatre Awards. In 1984, the British actor Lord Olivier gave consent for the awards to be renamed in his honour and they became known as the Laurence Olivier Awards. From 1976 to 1983, the awards were known as the S.W.E.T Awards and were designed by the artist Tom Merrifield. The awards are managed and financed by The Society of London Theatre.

2013 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards were held on Sunday 28 April 2013 at the Royal Opera House, London. The awards were sponsored by MasterCard for the third consecutive year and presented by Hugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith, with music from the BBC Concert Orchestra. Live coverage of the awards was provided by BBC Radio 2, presented by Ken Bruce and for the first time in over a decade, the awards were televised, with a highlights programme on ITV1.

Winners and nominees

The nominations were announced on 26 March 2013 in 24 categories.

Guest performers

2015 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 2015 Laurence Olivier Awards were held on Sunday 12 April 2015 at the Royal Opera House, London. The ceremony was hosted by Lenny Henry. A highlights show was shown on ITV shortly after the live event ended.

Gallery

Flavia Cacace

Flavia Cacace

Amanda Abbington

Amanda Abbington

Eligibility

Any new production that opened between 26 February 2014 and 25 February 2015 in a theatre represented in membership of the Society of London Theatre was eligible for consideration, provided it had performed at least 30 performances.

Event calendar