Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director

This is a list of winners of the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director presented from 1976 to honour directors of plays and directors of musicals. In 1991 the category was briefly retired and divided into the categories Best Director of a Play and Best Director of a Musical. These two categories were in turn retired in 1995, and the Best Director Award was reinstated.

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.

Award winners

1970s

1976: Jonathan Miller – The Three Sisters Buzz Goodbody – Occupations and King Lear Terry Hands – Old World, Henry IV and Henry V Alan Ayckbourn – Confusions, Shakespeare's People and Yahoo 1977: Clifford Williams – Wild Oats Michael Blakemore – Privates on Parade Bernard Miles – The Fire that Consumes Trevor Nunn – Macbeth

1978: Terry Hands – Henry VI Bill Bryden and Sebastian Graham-Jones – Lark Rise Christopher Morahan – The Philanderer Harold Prince – Evita 1979: Michael Bogdanov – The Taming of the Shrew Michael Elliott – The Family Reunion Trevor Nunn – Once in a Lifetime Michael Rudman – Death of a Salesman

1980s

1980: Trevor Nunn and John Caird – Nicholas Nickleby John Barton – The Greeks Peter Hall – Amadeus John Dexter – The Life of Galileo 1981: Peter Wood – On the Razzle Donald McWhinnie – Translations Trevor Nunn – Cats Harold Pinter – Quartermaine's Terms 1982: Richard Eyre – Guys and Dolls Michael Bogdanov – Uncle Vanya Adrian Noble – Doll's House James Roose-Evans – 84 Charing Cross Road 1983: Terry Hands – Cyrano de Bergerac Bill Bryden – A Midsummer Night's Dream Barry Kyle – The Taming of the Shrew Peter Wood – The Rivals 1984: Christopher Morahan – Wild Honey John Barton – Life's a Dream Michael Blakemore – Benefactors Adrian Noble – The Comedy of Errors

1985: Bill Bryden – The Mysteries Bill Alexander – Richard III Garry Hines – The Playboy of the Western World Barry Kyle – Golden Girls and Love's Labour's Lost 1986: Bill Alexander – The Merry Wives of Windsor Howard Davies – Les Liaisons Dangereuses Declan Donnellan – A Midsummer Night's Dream Peter Wood – The American Clock 1987: Declan Donnellan – Le Cid, Twelfth Night and Macbeth Alan Ayckbourn – A View from the Bridge Yukio Ninagawa – Macbeth and Medea Peter Stein – The Hairy Ape 1988: Deborah Warner – Titus Andronicus Howard Davies – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Secret Rapture and The Shaughraun Max Stafford-Clark – The Recruiting Officer and Our Country's Good David Thacker – A Touch of the Poet and An Enemy of the People

1990s

1989/1990: Michael Bogdanov – The Wars of the Roses Richard Eyre – Racing Demon and The Voysey Inheritance Nicholas Hytner – Ghetto and Miss Saigon Trevor Nunn – Othello 1996: Sam Mendes – Company and The Glass Menagerie Richard Eyre – Skylight and La Grande Magia Adrian Noble – A Midsummer Night's Dream Matthew Warchus – Volpone and Henry V 1997: Des McAnuff – Tommy Richard Eyre – John Gabriel Borkman Anthony Page – A Doll's House Matthew Warchus – 'Art'

1998: Richard Eyre – King Lear Walter Bobbie – Chicago Sam Mendes – Othello Matthew Warchus – Hamlet 1999: Howard Davies – The Iceman Cometh Sam Mendes – The Blue Room Trevor Nunn – Oklahoma! Ian Rickson – The Weir

2000s

2000: Trevor Nunn – Summerfolk, The Merchant of Venice and Troilus and Cressida David Levaux – The Real Thing Jeremy Sams – Spend Spend Spend Julie Taymor – The Lion King 2001: Howard Davies – All My Sons Michael Grandage – Passion Play Nicholas Hytner – Orpheus Descending Trevor Nunn – The Cherry Orchard Ian Talbot – The Pirates of Penzance 2002: Michael Boyd – Henry VI and Richard III Michael Blakemore – Kiss Me, Kate Howard Davies – Private Lives Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch – Shockheaded Peter Ian Rickson – Mouth to Mouth 2003: Sam Mendes – Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya Matthew Bourne – Play Without Words Richard Eyre – Vincent in Brixton Edward Hall – Rose Rage 2004: Michael Grandage – Caligula Stafford Arima – Ragtime Gary Griffin – Pacific Overtures Stewart Lee – Jerry Springer: The Opera

2005: Nicholas Hytner – The History Boys Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne – Mary Poppins Rufus Norris – Festen Susan Stroman – The Producers 2006: Richard Eyre – Hedda Gabler Stephen Daldry – Billy Elliot the Musical Michael Grandage – Don Carlos Phyllida Lloyd – Mary Stuart Melly Still – Coram Boy 2007: Dominic Cooke – The Crucible Sam Buntrock – Sunday in the Park with George Joe Mantello – Wicked 2008: Rupert Goold – Macbeth Rob Ashford – Parade Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris – War Horse Jack O'Brien – Hairspray 2009: John Tiffany – Black Watch Terry Johnson – La Cage aux Folles Des McAnuff – Jersey Boys Emma Rice – Brief Encounter

2010s

• 2010: Rupert Goold – Enron
  • Michael Grandage – Hamlet
  • Lindsay Posner – A View from the Bridge
  • Ian Rickson – Jerusalem
  • Bijan Sheibani – Our Class

• 2011: Howard Davies – The White Guard
  • Dominic Cooke – Clybourne Park
  • Michael Grandage – King Lear
  • Thea Sharrock – After the Dance

See also

• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical
• Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical

References

• London Theatre Guide (2008) (.PDF). The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners 1976-2008. The Society of London Theatre. http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/servlet/file/LOA_fullist.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=101095&ITEM_VERSION=1&COLLSPEC_ENT_ID=8. Retrieved 2008-08-30. 

External links

• Laurence Olivier Awards official website