Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Annual award for London theatre
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The Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of the "world-class status of London theatre."[1][2] 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.
England| Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Achievement in Opera |
| Location | England |
| Presented by | Society of London Theatre |
| First award | 1977 |
| Currently held by | Allan Clayton for his performance in Festen (2025) |
| 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
1970s
| 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
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
| 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-Wallace | 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 | |
| 2025 | |||
| Allan Clayton | Performer | Festen | |
| Aigul Akhmetshina | Performer | Carmen | |
| Jung Young-doo | Director | Lear | |
- Due to late March 2020[3] to late July 2021[4] 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[5]