Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production

The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London 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.

Laurence Olivier Award
for Best New Opera Production
Awarded forBest New Opera Production
Location England
Presented bySociety of London Theatre
First awarded1993
Currently held byInnocence by The Royal Opera (2024)
Websiteofficiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/ Edit this at Wikidata

This award was first presented in 1993, becoming only the second Olivier Award focused solely on opera, along with the award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera (introduced in 1977).

Winners and nominees edit

1990s edit

Year Production Company
1993
Stiffelio The Royal Opera
Death in Venice The Royal Opera
Der Fliegende Hollander
The Fiery Angel
1994
La damnation de Faust The Royal Opera
Ariodante English National Opera
Gloriana Opera North
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg The Royal Opera
1995
Khovanshchina English National Opera
Così fan tutte The Royal Opera
Don Quixote English National Opera
Roméo et Juliette The Royal Opera
1996
Billy Budd The Royal Opera
A Midsummer Night's Dream English National Opera
Salome The Royal Opera
Siegfried
1997
Tristan und Isolde English National Opera
Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci Welsh National Opera
Fidelio English National Opera
1998
Paul Bunyan The Royal Opera
Falstaff English National Opera and Opera North
Palestrina The Royal Opera
Platée
1999
La clemenza di Tito Welsh National Opera
Boris Godunov English National Opera
L'Orfeo Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie
Il trittico English National Opera

2000s edit

Year Production Company
2000
Hansel and Gretel Welsh National Opera
Alcina English National Opera
Parsifal
Semele
2001
The Greek Passion The Royal Opera
Pelléas and Mélisande English National Opera
L'incoronazione di Poppea
War and Peace The Kirov Opera
2002
Boulevard Solitude The Royal Opera
Jenůfa The Royal Opera
The Rape of Lucretia English National Opera
Rigoletto The Royal Opera
2003
Wozzeck The Royal Opera
Ariadne auf Naxos The Royal Opera
Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung
Lulu English National Opera
2004
Les Troyens (Parts I and II) English National Opera
Così fan tutte English National Opera
Madama Butterfly The Royal Opera
Orlando
2005
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District The Royal Opera
Les Paladins Les Arts Florissants
Peter Grimes The Royal Opera
2006
Madama Butterfly English National Opera
Billy Budd English National Opera
La clemenza di Tito
On the Town
2007
Jenůfa English National Opera
The Makropulos Affair English National Opera
Orfeo
Peter Grimes Opera North
2008
Pelléas et Mélisande The Royal Opera
Agrippina English National Opera
La fille du régiment The Royal Opera
The Turn of the Screw English National Opera
2009
Partenope English National Opera
Don Carlos The Royal Opera
The Minotaur
I Pagliacci English National Opera

2010s edit

Year Production Company
2010
Tristan und Isolde The Royal Opera
Der Fliegende Holländer The Royal Opera
Lulu
Peter Grimes English National Opera
2011
Bohème OperaUpClose (at Soho Theatre)
A Dog's Heart English National Opera
Adriana Lecouvreur The Royal Opera
Elegy for Young Lovers English National Opera
2012
Castor et Pollux English National Opera
Clemency ROH2
A Midsummer Night's Dream English National Opera
The Passenger
2013
Einstein on the Beach Robert Wilson and Philip Glass
Billy Budd English National Opera
Caligula
La traviata
2014
Les vêpres siciliennes The Royal Opera
The Firework-Maker's Daughter The Royal Opera
Wozzeck English National Opera
2015
The Mastersingers of Nuremberg English National Opera
Benvenuto Cellini English National Opera
Dialogues des Carmélites The Royal Opera
Die Frau ohne Schatten
2016
Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci The Royal Opera
Morgen und Abend The Royal Opera
The Force of Destiny English National Opera
2017
Akhnaten English National Opera
4.48 Psychosis The Royal Opera
Così Fan Tutte
Lulu English National Opera
2018
Semiramide The Royal Opera
La bohème King's Head Theatre
The Exterminating Angel The Royal Opera
2019
Katya Kabanova Royal Opera House[a]
Lessons in Love and Violence Royal Opera House[a]
The Turn of the Screw Regent's Park Open Air Theatre[a]
  1. ^ a b c The official Olivier Award website only credits the venue as the 2019 nominee, with no mention of the theatre company that performed, so can not assume that The Royal Opera (operating in Royal Opera House) nor the English National Opera (operating in, and co-producing with, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) were nominated.[1]

2020s edit

Year Production Company
2020
Billy Budd Royal Opera House[A]
Berenice Royal Opera House[A]
Hansel and Gretel Regent's Park Open Air Theatre and English National Opera
Noye's Fludde Theatre Royal Stratford East and English National Opera
2021 Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic[B]
2022[B]
Jenůfa The Royal Opera
Bajazet Irish National Opera and The Royal Opera
The Cunning Little Vixen English National Opera
Theodora The Royal Opera
2023
Alcina The Royal Opera
Least Like the Other Irish National Opera & The Royal Opera
Peter Grimes The Royal Opera
Sibyl William Kentridge
2024
Innocence The Royal Opera
Blue English National Opera
Picture A Day Like This The Royal Opera
The Rhinegold English National Opera
  1. ^ a b The official Olivier Award website only credits the venue as the 2020 nominee, with no mention of the company that performed, so can not assume that The Royal Opera company was nominated.[2]
  2. ^ a b 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]


References edit

  1. ^ "Olivier Awards 2019". Society of London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  2. ^ "Olivier Awards 2020". Society of London Theatre. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.

External links edit