The Olivier Awards 2026 will take place on Sunday 12 April at the Royal Albert Hall, celebrating their 50th anniversary.
The Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre, and are one of theatre’s most prestigious stage honours.
Launched in 1976, the awards were previously known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards (or SWET awards!) after our previous name. The illustrious ceremony was renamed in 1984 after Laurence Olivier, in recognition of his contribution to British theatre both as an actor and a director.
In Memoriam
Each year the Olivier Awards takes a moment during the ceremony to remember those members of the London theatre community who have sadly passed away in the previous year, you can read more about this here.
Olivier Awards categories
The Olivier Awards celebrate the wide range of talent and craft that make theatre possible. Over time, the Awards have evolved to reflect the changing nature of theatre-making and the many disciplines that contribute to productions on stage.
The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) periodically receives representations from different professional groups regarding the introduction of additional award categories. These proposals are considered carefully by the SOLT Board, recognising both the importance of the disciplines involved and the need to ensure the Awards remain balanced and representative of the breadth of theatre-making.
Changes to award categories have wider implications for the structure and operation of the Olivier Awards, including the voting framework, fairness across categories, and the format of the ceremony. For this reason, decisions about categories must be approached with care.
We value the contribution of all theatre professionals and will continue to engage with the industry as these discussions arise.