The Laurence Olivier Awards are a series of awards presented annually by The Society of London Theatre. They are presented in recognition of achievements in commercial British theatre, most notably plays and musicals in the West End of London, an area commonly referred to as "Theatreland". The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976 and, in 1984 they we renamed in honour of the renowned British actor Lord Olivier. The Olivier Awards are the most prestigious theatrical awards in the United Kingdom and are the UK equivalent of the Tony Awards. In the history of the awards Philip Quast has been the most decorated, receiving three Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actor in a Musical, the most one person has even been awarded.
Famous quotes containing the words laurence, award, actor and/or musical:
“With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.”
—Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)
“The award of a pure gold medal for poetry would flatter the recipient unduly: no poem ever attains such carat purity.”
—Robert Graves (1895–1985)
“An actor rides in a bus or railroad train; he sees a movement and applies it to a new role. A woman in agony of spirit might turn her head just so; a man in deep humiliation probably would wring his hands in such a way. From straws like these, drawn from completely different sources, the fabric of a character may be built. The whole garment in which the actor hides himself is made of small externals of observation fitted to his conception of a role.”
—Eleanor Robson Belmont (1878–1979)
“That vast moth-eaten musical brocade
Created to pretend we never die ...”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)