The Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Achievement in Opera |
| Location |  England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1977 |
| Currently held by | Antonio Pappano for music directing the Royal Opera House (2024) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was first presented in 1977, and covers the breadth of a commingled group of specialties, including individual or combinations of: opera companies, orchestras, conductors, composers, singers, stage directors, theatre directors and libretto translators. It served as the only Olivier Award focused solely on opera until the 1993 introduction of the award for Best New Opera Production.
Winners and nominees
edit1970s
edit| Year | Recipient | Production |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | ||
| Glyndebourne Festival Opera | Don Giovanni | |
| English National Opera | Toussaint | |
| The Royal Opera | The Ice Break | |
| English National Opera | Werther | |
| 1978 | ||
| English National Opera | Enterprising Repertoire | |
| Colin Davis | The Conduction of The Royal Opera | |
| 1979 | ||
| The Royal Opera | The Rake's Progress | |
| The Royal Opera | Die Zauberflote | |
| English National Opera | Manon | |
| English National Opera | The Adventures of Mr Brouček |
1980s
edit1990s
edit2000s
edit2010s
edit2020s
edit| Year | Nominee | Category | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | |||
| The Children's Ensemble | Performers | Noye's Fludde | |
| Martyn Brabbins and James Henshaw | Conductors | The Mask of Orpheus | |
| The Jette Parker Young Artists | Performers | Berenice, Death in Venice and Phaedra | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A] | ||
| 2022[A] | |||
| Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra | Artistic director and orchestra | Bajazet, Irish National Opera and Royal Opera | |
| Christine Rice | Performer | 4/4 | |
| takis | Set and costume designer | H.M.S. Pinafore | |
| 2023 | |||
| William Kentridge | Concept & Direction | Sybil | |
| Sinéad Campbell-Watson | Performer | Tosca by English National Opera | |
| Antony McDonald | Designer | Alcina by The Royal Opera | |
| 2024 | |||
| Antonio Pappano | Music Director | The Royal Opera | |
| Belarus Free Theatre Company | Theatre Company | King Stakh's Wild Hunt | |
| Marina Abramović | Concept & Design | 7 Deaths of Maria Callas | |
- ^ a b Due to late March 2020[1] to late July 2021[2] closing of London theatre productions during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, the 2022 awards recognise productions that launched anytime from February 2020 to February 2022[3]
References
edit- ^ Johnson, The Rt Hon Boris, MP (2020-03-23). Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020 [transcript] (Speech). Prime Minister's Televised Speech to the United Kingdom. www.gov.uk. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction — you must stay at home.
{{cite speech}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ McPhee, Ryan (2021-06-14). "U.K. Postpones Reopening Roadmap; West End Theatres Will No Longer Reopen in Full in June". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Step 4 of the roadmap will allow productions to play without capacity restrictions. June 21 was the goal; now, the government is eyeing July 19.
- ^ Thomas, Sophie (2022-03-08). "Everything you need to know about the Olivier Awards". londontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
Any new production that opened between 19 Feb. 2020 to 22 Feb. 2022 are eligible for categories in the 2022 Olivier Awards. With two years worth of shows set for honours in one year's ceremony, the 2022 Olivier Awards will prove tougher competition than before.
- London Theatre Guide (2008). "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976-2008" (.PDF). 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. p. 20. Retrieved 30 August 2008.