Zubin Varla, Pyiyanga Burford among nominees at Olivier Awards 2024

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 14 April.

• Mohnish Singh
• 15 March, 2024

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By: Mohnish Singh

The UK’s most important and prestigious theatre awards, the Olivier Awards, have announced its nominees with Zubin Varla and Pyiyanga Burford bagging nominations for top honours. While Varna has been nominated as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for A Little Life, Burford has been nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for An Enemy of the People.

Here is the full list of nominees for the Olivier Awards 2024:

Noël Coward Award for Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play

• Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo and Franca Rame – adapted by Tom Basden at the Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Haymarket
• Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends – music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim at the Gielgud Theatre
• Stranger Things: The First Shadow by Kate Trefry – at the Phoenix Theatre
• Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – adapted by Liv Hennessy at the Ambassadors Theatre

Best Family Show

• Bluey’s Big Play by Joe Brumm – at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
• Dinosaur World Live by Derek Bond – at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• The House With Chicken Legs – book by Sophie Anderson, adapted by Oliver Lansley at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall
• The Smeds and the Smoos – book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, adapted by Tall Stories at the Lyric Theatre

Gillian Lynne Award for Best Theatre Choreographer

• Fabian Aloise – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Arlene Phillips with James Cousins – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Mark Smith – The Little Big Things at Soho Place
• Susan Stroman – Crazy for You at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

Best Costume Design

• Bunny Christie and Deborah Andrews – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Ryan Dawson Laight – La Cage Aux Folles at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
• Hugh Durrant – Peter Pan at The London Palladium
• Marg Horwell – The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Revival

• The Effect by Lucy Prebble – at the National Theatre, Lyttelton
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare – at the Donmar Warehouse
• Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell – at the Duke of York’s Theatre
• Vanya by Anton Chekhov – adapted by Simon Stephens at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Best Musical Revival

• Groundhog Day – music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, book by Danny Rubin at The Old Vic
• Guys & Dolls – music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows at the Bridge Theatre
• Hadestown – music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell at the Lyric Theatre
• Sunset Boulevard – music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton at the Savoy Theatre

Best Sound Design

• Paul Arditti – Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre
• Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbins – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Adam Fisher – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Gareth Fry – Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse

Outstanding Musical Contribution

• Tom Brady for Musical Supervision and Arrangements and Charlie Rosen for Orchestrations – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Matt Brind for Musical Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations – Just for One Day at The Old Vic
• Steve Sidwell for Orchestrations and Joe Bunker for Musical Direction – Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
• Alan Williams for Musical Supervision and Musical Direction – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Will Close – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Paul Hilton – An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York’s Theatre
• Giles Terera – Clyde’s at the Donmar Warehouse
• Luke Thompson – A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre
• Zubin Varla – A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Lorraine Ashbourne – Till the Stars Come Down at the National Theatre, Dorfman
• Priyanga Burford – An Enemy of the People at the Duke of York’s Theatre
• Haydn Gwynne – When Winston Went to War With the Wireless at the Donmar Warehouse
• Gina McKee – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier
• Tanya Reynolds – A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre and Trafalgar Theatre

Best Set Design

• Miriam Buether for Set Design and 59 Productions for Video Design – Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre
• Bunny Christie for Set Design – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Es Devlin for Set Design and Ash J. Woodward for Video Design – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Soutra Gilmour for Set Design and Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom for Video Design – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre

Best Lighting Design

• Jon Clark – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Jon Clark – Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre
• Paule Constable – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Jack Knowles – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical

• Grace Hodgett Young – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Zoë Roberts – Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
• Amy Trigg – The Little Big Things at Soho Place
• Eleanor Worthington-Cox – Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

• Jak Malone – Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
• Cedric Neal – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• David Thaxton – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Jack Wolfe – Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse

Best New Opera Production

• Blue by the English National Opera – at the London Coliseum
• Innocence by the Royal Opera – at the Royal Opera House
• Picture a Day Like This by the Royal Opera – at the Royal Opera House, Linbury Theatre
• The Rhinegold by the English National Opera – at the London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement in Opera

• Antonio Pappano for his role as Musical Director of the Royal Opera House
• Belarus Free Theatre Company for King Stakh’s Wild Hunt – at the Barbican theatre
• Marina Abramović for her concept and design of 7 Deaths of Maria Callas – at the London Coliseum

Best Actor in a Musical

• David Cumming – Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
• Tom Francis – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Daniel Mays – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre
• Charlie Stemp – Crazy for You at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

Best Actress in a Musical

• Natasha Hodgson – Operation Mincemeat at the Fortune Theatre
• Caissie Levy – Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse
• Nicole Scherzinger – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Marisha Wallace – Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre

Best New Dance Production

• Broken Chord by Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi – at Sadler’s Wells
• The Rite of Spring by Seeta Patel – at Sadler’s Wells
• La Ruta by Gabriela Carrizo – part of Nederlands Dans Theater, NDT 1 at Sadler’s Wells
• Time Spell by Michelle Dorrance, Jillian Meyers, and Tiler Peck – part of Turn It Out With Tiler Peck and Friends at Sadler’s Wells

Outstanding Achievement in Dance

• Isabela Coracy for her performance in NINA: By Whatever Means – part of Ballet Black: Pioneers at the Barbican Theatre
• Jonzi D for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention 2023 International festival of hip-hop dance theatre – at Sadler’s Wells
• Rhiannon Faith for her community-focused conception of Lay Down Your Burdens – at The Pit at Barbican

Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre

• Blue Mist by Mohamed-Zain Dada – at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court Theatre
• A Playlist for The Revolution by AJ Yi – at the Bush Theatre
• Sleepova by Matilda Feyişayo – at the Bush Theatre
• The Swell by Isley Lynn – at the Orange Tree Theatre
• The Time Machine: A Comedy by Steven Canny and John Nicholson – at the Park Theatre

Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director

• Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin – Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix theatre
• Rupert Goold – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Jamie Lloyd – Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre
• Sam Mendes – The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre, Lyttelton and Noël Coward Theatre

Best Actress

• Laura Donnelly – The Hills of California at the Harold Pinter Theatre
• Sophie Okonedo – Medea at Soho Place
• Sarah Jessica Parker – Plaza Suite at the Savoy Theatre
• Sheridan Smith – Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York’s Theatre
• Sarah Snook – The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Actor

• Joseph Fiennes – Dear England at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• Mark Gatiss – The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre, Lyttelton and Noël Coward Theatre
• James Norton – A Little Life at the Harold Pinter Theatre and Savoy Theatre
• Andrew Scott – Vanya at the Duke of York’s Theatre
• David Tennant – Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse

Best New Play

• Dear England by James Graham – at the National Theatre, Olivier and Prince Edward Theatre
• The Hills of California by Jez Butterworth – at the Harold Pinter Theatre
• The Motive and the Cue by Jack Thorne – at the National Theatre, Lyttelton and Noël Coward Theatre
• Till the Stars Come Down by Beth Steel – at the National Theatre, Dorfman

Best New Musical

• The Little Big Things – music by Nick Butcher, lyrics by Nick Butcher and Tom Ling, book by Joe White at Soho Place
• Next to Normal – music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey at the Donmar Warehouse
• Operation Mincemeat – music, lyrics, and book by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts at the Fortune Theatre
• A Strange Loop – music, lyrics, and book by Michael R. Jackson at the Barbican Theatre

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 14 April.