The Olivier Awards were established by the Society of London Theatre, a not-for-profit umbrella organization that represents West End theatre in London. They were originally named the Society of West End Theatre Awards. In 1984, renowned English actor and director Laurence Olivier agreed to be the namesake of the awards.
The Olivier Awards are presented in more than two dozen categories, divided into several groups: Drama, Musical, Production, Dance/Opera, and Other. The majority of them are presented in the categories covering plays and musicals. Any new production that has run for a minimum of 30 performances in a theatre represented in membership of the Society of London Theatre is eligible for entry. A production is considered new if it opened between February 16 and February 15 of the following year.
The winners of the Awards are selected by separate juries for different groups of categories. Each panel comprises anonymous specialist members who are chosen for their professional knowledge and experience, as well as members of the theatre going public.
The inaugural Olivier Awards were held at the Café Royal, a restaurant (now hotel) at 68 Regent Street. Since then, the ceremony has been held at various venues. In 2017, it moved to the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington. But the venue most closely associated with the Olivier Awards is the Grosvenor House Hotel, which has hosted the event four times and the after-show reception nine times.
The most decorated Olivier Award winners include actress Judi Dench, designer William Dudley, choreographer Matthew Bourne, composer and producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, actor Ian McKellen, playwright and actor Alan Bennett, director Richard Eyre, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, director Declan Donnellan, and lighting designer Mark Henderson.
Photo: olivierawards.com
