Audience vote for new Laurence Olivier Award

With the launch this year of the new Audience Award, theatrelovers have an exciting opportunity to be part of the Laurence Olivier Awards.

The inaugural award marks the first time that members of the public will be able to select a long-running show winner at the premier London theatre awards.

The new award for 2010 is for the country’s favourite long-running London show of 2009, voted for entirely by the public.

Theatre fans can find out which shows are eligible, and choose their favourite, by visiting the Society of London Theatre’s official site for the Laurence Olivier Awards - www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/olivier_awards/vote.

The Laurence Olivier Awards began in 1976 to recognise excellence on the London stage, including theatre, opera and dance.

Since the beginning, winners of the prestigious award have included a roll-call of legendary names.

It was in 1984 that the prizes, originally called The Society of West End Theatre Awards, were renamed the Laurence Olivier Awards.

Today, the addition of the Audience Award provides an extra dimension to the already hotly anticipated ceremony - voters have until 12 noon on Monday 1 February to make their choice, with the awards ceremony taking place on Sunday 21 March 2010.

From the current list of 20 eligible shows, a shortlist will be created based on the first round of voting. A second stage of voting, which will open once the nominations have been announced, gives theatregoers the chance to choose the overall winner.

Nominated productions will be announced alongside the other eagerly anticipated Olivier Award nominations in the week commencing Monday 8 February.

The new category is specifically for shows which opened before 1 January 2009 and ran throughout 2009. For all other categories, only shows that opened during 2009 are eligible for the 2010 awards.

For lucky theatre fans, further audience involvement is guaranteed.

Everyone who votes in the first round will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of money-can’t-buy tickets to the star-studded Laurence Olivier Award ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on 21 March.

For full live coverage of the event, visit http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/ on the night.

Contact Information

Helen Richie

Offical London Theatre

MediaCo

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