Olivier awards 2024: full list of nominees

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The Oliviers are crazy about Sunset Boulevard​! The cinematic revival of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has picked up an incredible 11 nominations at the 2024 awards, including Best Director, Best Musical Revival and Best Theatre Choreographer, as well as nods for its leads Nicole Scherzinger and Tom Francis. Dear England is hot on their heels (we hope they don't get a foul for it), with the National Theatre production scoring nine nominations - the most for any play this year. 

We'll have to wait until Sunday 14 April 2024 to know whether the prized statue will be 'coming home' to Rupert Goold (Dear England) or if they get knocked out of the group stages. Stranger Things have happened...

The ceremony will return to the Royal Albert Hall, and will be presented by Emmy winner and multi-Olivier nominee Hannah Waddingham. See the full list of nominees below:



Best new play
Dear England by James Graham at the National Theatre – Olivier and Prince Edward theatre
The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth at the Harold Pinter theatre
The Motive and the Cue by Jack Thorne at the National Theatre – Lyttelton and Noël Coward theatre
Till the Stars Come Down by Beth Steel at the National Theatre – Dorfman

Best new musical
The Little Big Things, music by Nick Butcher, lyrics by Nick Butcher and Tom Ling, book by Joe White at @sohoplace
Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey at the Donmar Warehouse
Operation Mincemeat, music, lyrics and book by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts at the Fortune theatre
A Strange Loop, music, lyrics and book by Michael R Jackson at the Barbican theatre

Best revival

The Effect by Lucy Prebble at the National Theatre – Lyttelton
Macbeth by William Shakespeare at the Donmar Warehouse
Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell at the Duke of York’s theatre
Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Simon Stephens at the Duke of York’s theatre

Best musical revival
Groundhog Day, music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, book by Danny Rubin at The Old Vic
Guys and Dolls, music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows at the Bridge theatre
Hadestown, music, lyrics and book by Anaïs Mitchell at the Lyric theatre
Sunset Boulevard, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton at the Savoy 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 and Prince Edward theatre
Mark Gatiss for The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre – Lyttelton and 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 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 and Dolls at the Bridge theatre

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 and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Charlie Stemp for Crazy for You at the Gillian Lynne theatre

Sir Peter Hall award for best director
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix theatre
Rupert Goold for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and 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 and Noël Coward 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 and Trafalgar theatre

Best actor in a supporting role

Will Close for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and 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 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 and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
David Thaxton for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre
Jack Wolfe for Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse

Noël Coward award for best new entertainment or comedy play
Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo and Franca Rame, adapted by Tom Basden at the Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Haymarket
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at the Gielgud theatre
Stranger Things: The First Shadow by Kate Trefry at the Phoenix theatre
Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, adapted by Liv Hennessy at the Ambassadors theatre

Best family show
Bluey’s Big Play by Joe Brumm at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
Dinosaur World Live by Derek Bond at Regent’s Park Open Air theatre
The House With Chicken Legs, book by Sophie Anderson, adapted by Oliver Lansley at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Smeds and the Smoos, book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, adapted by Tall Stories at the Lyric theatre

Gillian Lynne award for best theatre choreographer
Fabian Aloise for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre
Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and Prince Edward theatre
Arlene Phillips with James Cousins for Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Mark Smith for The Little Big Things at @sohoplace
Susan Stroman for Crazy for You at the Gillian Lynne theatre

Best costume design
Bunny Christie and Deborah Andrews for Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Ryan Dawson Laight for La Cage Aux Folles at Regent’s Park Open Air theatre
Hugh Durrant for Peter Pan at The London Palladium
Marg Horwell for The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best sound design
Paul Arditti for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix theatre
Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and Prince Edward theatre
Adam Fisher for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre
Gareth Fry for Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse

Outstanding musical contribution
Tom Brady for musical supervision and arrangements and Charlie Rosen for orchestrations for Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Matt Brind for musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for Just for One Day at The Old Vic
Steve Sidwell for orchestrations and Joe Bunker for musical direction for Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune theatre
Alan Williams for musical supervision and musical direction for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre

Best set design
Miriam Buether for Set Design and 59 Productions for video design for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix theatre
Bunny Christie for set design for Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Es Devlin for set design and Ash J Woodward for video design for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and Prince Edward theatre
Soutra Gilmour for set design and Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom for video design for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre

Best lighting design
Jon Clark for Dear England at the National Theatre – Olivier and Prince Edward theatre
Jon Clark for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix theatre
Paule Constable for Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre
Jack Knowles for Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy theatre

Best new opera production
Blue by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Innocence by the Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House
Picture a Day Like This by the Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House – Linbury theatre
The Rhinegold by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum

Outstanding achievement in opera
Antonio Pappano for his role as Musical Director of the Royal Opera House
Belarus Free Theatre Company for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt at the Barbican theatre
Marina Abramović for her concept and design of 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at the London Coliseum

Best new dance production
Broken Chord by Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi at Sadler’s Wells
The Rite of Spring by Seeta Patel at Sadler’s Wells
La Ruta by Gabriela Carrizo, part of Nederlands Dans Theater – NDT 1 at Sadler’s Wells
Time Spell by Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers and Tiler Peck, part of Turn It Out With Tiler Peck and Friends at Sadler’s Wells

Outstanding achievement in dance
Isabela Coracy for her performance in NINA: By Whatever Means, part of Ballet Black: Pioneers at the Barbican theatre
Jonzi D for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention 2023 International festival of hip-hop Dance theatre at Sadler’s Wells
Rhiannon Faith for her community focused conception of Lay Down Your Burdens at The Pit at Barbican

Outstanding achievement in affiliate theatre
Blue Mist by Mohamed-Zain Dada at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court theatre
A Playlist for The Revolution by AJ Yi at the Bush theatre
Sleepova by Matilda Feyişayo at the Bush theatre
The Swell by Isley Lynn at the Orange Tree theatre
The Time Machine: A Comedy by Steven Canny and John Nicholson at the Park theatre


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