The Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial British 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, himself a 1979 recipient of this award.
| Laurence Olivier Award for Society of London Theatre Special Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Society of London Theatre Special Award |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First awarded | 1976 |
| Currently held by | Derek Jacobi and Arlene Phillips (2023) |
| Website | officiallondontheatre |
This award was introduced in 1976. In 2020, the award was expanded with additional Special Recognition Recipients, recognizing a larger number of people each year for their lifetime of contributions to commercial British theatre.
Award winners
edit1970s
edit| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Save London's Theatres Campaign |
| 1977 | Harry Loman |
| 1978 | Brian Clark |
| 1979 | Laurence Olivier |
1980s
edit| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Ralph Richardson |
| 1981 | |
| 1982 | Charles Wintour |
| 1983 | Joan Littlewood |
| 1984 | Arnold Goodman |
| 1985 | John Gielgud |
| 1986 | |
| 1987 | |
| 1988 | Alec Guinness |
1990s
edit| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Peggy Ashcroft |
| 1992 | Ninette de Valois |
| 1993 | Kenneth MacMillan |
| 1994 | Sam Wanamaker |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | Harold Pinter |
| 1997 | Margaret Harris |
| 1998 | David Mirvish |
| Ed Mirvish | |
| 1999 | Peter Hall |
2000s
edit| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | Rupert Rhymes |
| 2003 | Sam Mendes |
| 2004 | Judi Dench |
| 2005 | Alan Bennett |
| 2006 | Ian McKellen |
| 2007 | John Tomlinson |
| 2008 | Andrew Lloyd Webber |
| 2009 | Alan Ayckbourn |
2010s
edit| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Maggie Smith |
| 2011 | Stephen Sondheim |
| 2012 | Monica Mason |
| Tim Rice | |
| 2013 | Michael Frayn |
| Gillian Lynne | |
| 2014 | Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr |
| Michael White | |
| 2015 | Sylvie Guillem |
| Kevin Spacey | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Kenneth Branagh |
| 2018 | David Lan |
| 2019 | Matthew Bourne |
2020s
edit| Year | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Special Award | Don Black Ian McKellen |
| Special Recognition | Jo Hawes Thelma Holt Stephen Jameson and Sarah Preece Peter Roberts | |
| 2021 | Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[A] | |
| 2022[A] | Special Award | none |
| Special Recognition | Lisa Burger Bob King Gloria Louis Susie Sainsbury Sylvia Young | |
| 2023 | Special Award | none |
| Special Recognition | Derek Jacobi Arlene Phillips | |
- ^ 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]
See also
editReferences
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.