Oliviers announce Award presenters, Royal Ballet’s Monica Mason honoured

Click here for the list of nominees with photos and full analysis of the 2012 Oliver Awards nominations.

The event’s organisers the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) have also announced the list of presenters for this year’s Awards including Hayley Atwell, Douglas Booth, Zach Braff, Jim Carter, Tom Chambers, Tyne Daly, Jack Davenport, Agyness Deyn, Jonathan Edwards, Susannah Fielding, Vittorio Grigolo, Lenny Henry, Ronan Keating, Katherine Kelly, Harry Lloyd, James McAvoy, Natascha McElhone, Laurie Metcalf, Elaine Paige, Dan Stevens, Sir Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Kara Tointon, Will Young, Zoe Wanamaker, Jodie Whittaker and Barbara Windsor.

SOLT go on to promise “a few more surprises on the night” with performances from a number of the nominated musicals and tributes to this year’s Special Award winners as well as a special appearance by Ronan Keating.

Listings for this year’s live BBC Radio 2 coverage promise performances from Matilda, Singin’ In The Rain, South Pacific, Ghost the Musical, Betty Blue Eyes, The Wizard of Oz, London Road and Shrek the Musical all accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Dame Monica Mason, outgoing Director of the Royal Ballet, joins the previously reported Tim Rice, as a recipient of an Special Award, marking their lifetime contribution to theatre and the arts.

Mason’s career with the Royal Ballet spans half a century and has seen her grow from a celebrated dancer into a hugely admired and influential leader in her field.

Nominations for the 2012 Olivier Awards are lead by Matilda the Musical receiving nods in all its eligible categories. Comedies One Man, Two Guvnors and The Ladykillers both received five nominations each.

Amongst other nominated musical theatre productions Ghost the Musical at the Piccadilly and the National Theatre’s London Road, both winners at the Whatsonstage.com Awards, have five and four nominations respectively.

Winners will be announced at the Olivier Awards Ceremony held at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 15 April 2012 hosted by West End stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton.

The BBC will be giving the awards extensive live coverage on television (via the Red Button), on Radio 2, hosted by Ken Bruce, and online, with red carpet coverage from 5.30pm and the Ceremony starting at 6pm.

For the first time there will also be a free live event in Covent Garden piazza from 4pm with a big-screen relay of the Awards and live performances from Olivier Audience Award nominees Billy Elliot the Musical, Jersey Boys, Les Miserables and Wicked.