The Olivier Awards 2024 with Mastercard, theatre’s most prestigious honours, has announced its nominations. The annual awards will take place on Sunday 14 April at the iconic Royal Albert Hall with a highlights package broadcast on ITV that evening.
The competition for nominations has been fierce during an outstanding year for theatre with significantly more productions than last year. There has been a record-breaking number of new plays gracing the stage and a stunning array of on-screen stars treading the boards – including those in striking one-person performances. The nominees in the craft awards have stunned with their groundbreaking creativity.
The National Theatre has had an excellent year with a total of 15 nominations, with “Dear England” “The Motive And The Cue”, “Till The Stars Come Down” and “The Effect” all in the running for various accolades. The National Theatre’s footballing drama “Dear England” is the most nominated play with a total of nine nominations including Joseph Fiennes for Best Actor, Will Close for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Gina McKee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Rupert Goold for Best Director and The Londoner Award for Best New Play. This is alongside nominations for the Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design (Es Devlin), White Light Award for Best Lighting Design (Jon Clark) and d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design (Dan Balfour & Tom Gibbons). “Dear England” is also the only play with a nomination for Best Theatre Choreographer (Ellen Kane & Hannes Langolf).
This year’s most nominated production is Jamie Lloyd’s musical “Sunset Boulevard”, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ballad to Hollywood starring Nicole Scherzinger (Best Actress in a Musical nominee) and Tom Francis (Best Actor in a Musical nominee). The production also received nominations for all acting categories in a musical including Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for David Thaxton and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Grace Hodgett Young, as well as recognition for Best Musical Revival, the Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director for Jamie Lloyd and an Outstanding Musical Contribution nomination for Alan Williams for Musical Supervision & Musical Direction. Further to these accolades are the production team nominations including Jack Knowles nominated for White Light Award for Best Lighting Design, Adam Fisher nominated for d&b audiotechnik Award for Best Sound Design, Soutra Gilmour nominated for Blue-i Theatre Technology Award for Best Set Design and Fabian Aloise nominated for Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer.
Here are the key categories and nominees…
Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play
Accidental Death Of An Anarchist at the Lyric Hammersmith & Theatre Royal Haymarket
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends at the Gielgud Theatre
Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre
Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial at the Ambassadors Theatre
Best Family Show
Bluey’s Big Play at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
Dinosaur World Live at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
The House With Chicken Legs at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Smeds And The Smoos at the Lyric Theatre
Best Revival
The Effect at the National Theatre – Lyttelton
Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse
Shirley Valentine at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
Vanya at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
Best Musical Revival
Groundhog Day at The Old Vic
Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre
Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Close for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier & Prince Edward Theatre
Paul Hilton for An Enemy Of The People at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
Giles Terera for Clyde’s at the Donmar Warehouse
Luke Thompson for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre & Savoy Theatre
Zubin Varla for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre & Savoy Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Lorraine Ashbourne for Till The Stars Come Down at the National Theatre – Dorfman
Priyanga Burford for An Enemy Of The People at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
Haydn Gwynne for When Winston Went To War With The Wireless at the Donmar Warehouse
Gina McKee for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier
Tanya Reynolds for A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre & Trafalgar Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role In a Musical
Grace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Zoë Roberts for Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
Amy Trigg for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace
Eleanor Worthington-Cox for Next To Normal at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor in a Supporting Role In a Musical
Jak Malone for Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
Cedric Neal for Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
David Thaxton for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Jack Wolfe for Next To Normal at the Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor in a Musical
David Cumming for Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
Tom Francis for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Daniel Mays for Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
Charlie Stemp for Crazy For You at the Gillian Lynne Theatre
Best Actress in a Musical
Natasha Hodgson for Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
Caissie Levy for Next To Normal at the Donmar Warehouse
Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Marisha Wallace for Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre
Blue Mist at the Royal Court Theatre
A Playlist For The Revolution at the Bush Theatre
Sleepova at the Bush Theatre
The Swell at the Orange Tree Theatre
The Time Machine: A Comedy at the Park Theatre
Best Director
Stephen Daldry & Justin Martin for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre
Rupert Goold for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier & Prince Edward Theatre
Jamie Lloyd for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
Sam Mendes for The Motive And The Cue at the National Theatre – Lyttelton & Noël Coward Theatre
Best Actress
Laura Donnelly for The Hills Of California at the Harold Pinter Theatre
Sophie Okonedo for Medea at @sohoplace
Sarah Jessica Parker for Plaza Suite at the Savoy Theatre
Sheridan Smith for Shirley Valentine at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
Sarah Snook for The Picture Of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Actor
Joseph Fiennes for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier & Prince Edward Theatre
Mark Gatiss for The Motive And The Cue at the National Theatre – Lyttelton & Noël Coward Theatre
James Norton for A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre & Savoy Theatre
Andrew Scott for Vanya at the Duke Of York’s Theatre
David Tennant for Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse
Best New Play
Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier & Prince Edward Theatre
The Hills Of California at the Harold Pinter Theatre
The Motive And The Cue at the National Theatre – Lyttelton & Noël Coward Theatre
Till The Stars Come Down at the National Theatre – Dorfman
Mastercard Best New Musical
The Little Big Things
Next To Normal
Operation Mincemeat
A Strange Loop
