Features

Olivier Awards 2024: everything you need to know

All roads lead to the Royal Albert Hall this Sunday!

Tom Millward

| London |

9 April 2024

Olivier Awards statues — Olivier Awards, © Christie Goodwin

As the prestigious Olivier Awards approach, here’s everything you need to know about the big event.

What are the Olivier Awards?

Only one of the most prolific nights of the theatrical calendar – when the crème de la crème of the theatre world gather together and celebrate the performing arts in London. They have been running since 1976, and winning an Olivier Award is a stamp of the highest approval by representatives from across the industry.

The awards ceremony itself, taking place this Sunday, 14 April, will once again be returning to the 5000-seater Royal Albert Hall – kicking off at 5:45pm, with the green carpet from 4pm (and we’ll be there live-tweeting and revelling in all the glitz and glamour)!

Who’s hosting and presenting?

Hannah Waddingham at the Olivier Awards, © Christie Goodwin

WhatsOnStage Award winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) will be taking on hosting duties for a second consecutive year, emceeing the event after her much-lauded efforts in 2023.

Meera Syal (Noises Off) will provide the voiceover for the evening.

Presenting individual awards during the evening will be (deep breath) Carlos Acosta, Freema Agyeman, Michael Ball, Ryan Calais Cameron, Billy Crudup, Cara Delevingne, Adrian Dunbar, Edward Enninful, Denise Gough, Lenny Henry, Ruth Jones, Beverley Knight, Henry Lewis, Anna Maxwell Martin, Lucian Msamati, Georgina Onuorah, Rosalind Plowright, Jonathan Sayer, Michael Sheen, Luke Treadaway, Anjana Vasan, Michelle Visage and Dominic West.

Who’s performing on the night?

Scenes from Guys and Dolls, Operation Mincemeat and Hadestown — Scenes from Guys and Dolls (© Manuel Harlan), Operation Mincemeat (© Matt Crockett) and Hadestown (© Marc Brenner)

The ceremony will feature performances from all of the Best New Musical nominees including The Little Big Things, Next to Normal, Operation Mincemeat, and A Strange Loop, as well as Best Musical Revival nominees Guys and Dolls and Hadestown, and a “special moment” from the Australian production of Groundhog Day.

In addition, Waddingham will open the event performing with singer and pianist Joe Stilgoe and there will also be a grand finale, dedicated to the National Theatre to coincide with its 60th anniversary.

Who are the nominees?

Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Sunset Boulevard leads the pack with a grand total of 11 nominations, with Dear England as the most nominated play with nine nods.

You can read the full list here.

Notable names among the 2024 nominees include the likes of Laura Donnelly (The Hills of California), Joseph Fiennes (Dear England), Mark Gatiss (The Motive and the Cue), Haydn Gwynne (When Winston Went to War with the Wireless), Caissie Levy (Next to Normal), Daniel Mays (Guys and Dolls), Gina McKee (Dear England), Cedric Neal (Guys and Dolls), James Norton (A Little Life), Sophie Okonedo (Medea), Sarah Jessica Parker (Plaza Suite), Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Boulevard), Andrew Scott (Vanya), Sheridan Smith (Shirley Valentine), Sarah Snook (The Picture of Dorian Gray), Charlie Stemp (Crazy for You), David Tennant (Macbeth), Giles Terera (Clyde’s), Luke Thompson (A Little Life), Marisha Wallace (Guys and Dolls) and Jack Wolfe (Next to Normal) to name just a few.

You can watch our winner predictions in the video below:

How can I stay in the loop?

We’ll be providing live updates on Facebook, X and Instagram, so keep an eye out for the latest news, photos and videos from the green carpet, the winners’ room and the auditorium!

The event won’t be broadcast live in the UK (but can be streamed on YouTube abroad), however, a highlights package will air on ITV1 from 10:10pm on Sunday, 14 April.