# 1977 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 1977 Society of West End Theatre Awards were held in 1977 in London celebrating excellence in West End theatre by the Society of West End Theatre. The awards would not become the Laurence Olivier Awards, as they are known today, until the 1984 ceremony.

## Winners and nominees

Details of winners (in bold) and nominees, in each award category, per the Society of London Theatre.
| Play of the Year | Musical of the Year |
| The Fire That Consumes by Henry de Montherlant – Mermaid Cause Célèbre by Terence Rattigan – Mayfair Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi by Pam Gems – National Theatre State of Revolution by Robert Bolt – National Theatre | The Comedy of Errors – RSC at the Aldwych Bubbling Brown Sugar – Royalty I Love My Wife – Prince of Wales Something's Afoot – Ambassadors |
| Comedy of the Year |
| Privates on Parade by Peter Nichols – RSC at the Aldwych Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn – National Theatre Once a Catholic by Mary O'Malley – Royal Court / Wyndham's The Kingfisher by William Douglas-Home – Lyric |
| Actor of the Year in a New Play | Actress of the Year in a New Play |
| Michael Bryant as Vladimir Lenin in State of Revolution – National Theatre Colin Blakely as Dennis in Just between Ourselves – Queen's Alec Guinness as Hilary in The Old Country – Queen's Ralph Richardson as The Author in The Kingfisher – Lyric | Alison Fiske as Fish in Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi – Mayfair Glenda Jackson as Stevie Smith in Stevie – Vaudeville Glynis Johns as Alma Rattenbury in Cause Célèbre – Her Majesty's Rosemary Leach as Vera in Just between Ourselves – Queen's |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | Actress of the Year in a Revival |
| Ian McKellen as Karsten Bernick in Pillars of the Community – RSC at the Aldwych Alan Howard as Jack Rover in Wild Oats – RSC at the Aldwych Derek Jacobi as Prince Hamlet in Hamlet – Old Vic Donald Sinden as Lear in King Lear – RSC at the Aldwych | Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth – RSC at the Warehouse Francesca Annis as Cressida in Troilus and Cressida – RSC at the Aldwych Susan Fleetwood as Nora Clitheroe in The Plough and the Stars – National Theatre Janet Suzman as Hedda Gabler Tesman in Hedda Gabler – Duke of York's |
| Performance of the Year in a Musical | Comedy Performance of the Year |
| Anna Sharkey as Maggie Wylie in Maggie – Shaftesbury Charles Augins as Performer in Bubbling Brown Sugar – Royalty Helen Glezer as Performer in Bubbling Brown Sugar – Royalty Wayne Sleep as Oblio in The Point! – Mermaid | Denis Quilley as Terri Dennis in Privates on Parade – RSC at the Aldwych Jane Carr as Mary Mooney in Once a Catholic – Royal Court / Wyndham's Joan Hickson as Delia in Bedroom Farce – National Theatre Leslie Phillips in Sextet – Criterion |
| Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role | Actress of the Year in a Supporting Role |
| Nigel Hawthorne as Major Giles Flack in Privates on Parade – RSC at the Aldwych Michael Pennington as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet – RSC at the Aldwych Paul Rogers as Henry Huxtable in The Madras House – National Theatre Patrick Ryecart as Eugene Marchbanks in Candida – Albery | Mona Washbourne as Aunt in Stevie – Vaudeville Constance Chapman as Marjorie in Just between Ourselves – Queen's Anna Manahan as Bessie Burgess in The Plough and the Stars – National Theatre Elizabeth Spriggs as Lady Would-Be in Volpone – National Theatre |
| Director of the Year |
| Clifford Williams for Wild Oats – RSC at the Aldwych Michael Blakemore for Privates on Parade – RSC at the Aldwych Bernard Miles for The Fire That Consumes – Mermaid Trevor Nunn for Macbeth – RSC at the Warehouse |
| Designer of the Year |
| John Napier for King Lear – RSC at the Aldwych John Bury for Volpone – National Theatre Tazeena Firth and Timothy O'Brien for Tales from the Vienna Woods – National Theatre Ralph Koltai for Rosmersholm – Theatre Royal Haymarket |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Outstanding Achievement in Opera |
| Romeo and Juliet, London Festival Ballet – London Coliseum Maurice Béjart, Ballet of the 20th Century – London Coliseum The Sleeping Beauty, The Royal Ballet – Royal Opera House Rudolf Nureyev for choreographing and performing Nureyev and Friends – London Coliseum | Don Giovanni, Glyndebourne Festival Opera – National Theatre Lyttelton The Ice Break, The Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Toussaint, English National Opera – London Coliseum Werther, English National Opera – London Coliseum |
| Society Special Award |
| Harry Loman, stage doorman – Criterion |

## Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 15 productions received multiple nominations:
* 4: Privates on Parade
* 3: Bubbling Brown Sugar and Just between Ourselves
* 2: Bedroom Farce, Cause Célèbre, Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi, King Lear, Macbeth, Once a Catholic , State of Revolution, Stevie, The Fire That Consumes, The Kingfisher, The Plough and the Stars, Volpone and Wild Oats
The following production received multiple awards:
* 2: Privates on Parade