# 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards

The 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards were held on Sunday 3 April 2016 at the Royal Opera House, London. The 40th anniversary ceremony was hosted by Michael Ball. A highlights show was broadcast on ITV shortly after the live event ended.

## Eligibility

Any new production that opened between 26 February 2015 and 16 February 2016 in a theatre represented in membership of the Society of London Theatre was eligible for consideration, provided it had performed at least 30 performances.

## Event calendar

* 13 February: Voting opens for the Audience Award for Most Popular Show
* 29 February: Nominations announced by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton
* 11 March: Voting closes for the Audience Award
* 14 March: Nominations announced for the Audience Award
* 3 April: Award ceremony held

## Winners and nominees

The nominations were announced on 29 February 2016 in 26 categories.
| Best New Play | Best New Musical |
| Hangmen by Martin McDonagh – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court / Wyndham's Farinelli and the King by Claire van Kampen – Duke of York's People, Places and Things by Duncan MacMillan – National Theatre Dorfman The Father by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton – Wyndham's | Kinky Boots – Adelphi Bend It Like Beckham – Phoenix In the Heights – King's Cross Mrs Henderson Presents – Noël Coward |
| Best Revival | Best Musical Revival |
| Ma Rainey's Black Bottom – National Theatre Lyttelton Hamlet – Barbican Les liaisons dangereuses – Donmar Warehouse The Winter's Tale – Garrick | Gypsy – Savoy Bugsy Malone – Lyric Hammersmith Guys and Dolls – Savoy Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – Regent's Park Open Air |
| Best New Comedy | Best Entertainment and Family |
| Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale – Apollo A Christmas Carol by Patrick Barlow – Noël Coward Hand to God by Robert Askins – Vaudeville Peter Pan Goes Wrong by Henry Shields, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Lewis – Apollo | Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Apollo Alice's Adventures Underground – Vaults I Want My Hat Back – National Theatre Temporary The Lorax – Old Vic Peter Pan – Regent's Park Open Air |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| Kenneth Cranham as André in The Father – Wyndham's Kenneth Branagh as King Leontes in The Winter's Tale – Garrick Benedict Cumberbatch as Prince Hamlet in Hamlet – Barbican Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge in Red Velvet – Garrick Mark Rylance as King Philippe V of Spain in Farinelli and the King – Duke of York's | Denise Gough as Emma in People, Places and Things – National Theatre Dorfman Gemma Arterton as Nell Gwynn in Nell Gwynn – Apollo Nicole Kidman as Rosalind Franklin in Photograph 51 – Noël Coward Janet McTeer as Marquise de Merteuil in Les liaisons dangereuses – Donmar Warehouse Lia Williams as Clytemnestra in Oresteia – Almeida |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Best Actress in a Musical |
| Matt Henry as Lola in Kinky Boots – Adelphi Ian Bartholomew as Vivian Van Damm in Mrs Henderson Presents – Noël Coward Killian Donnelly as Charlie Price in Kinky Boots – Adelphi David Haig as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls – Savoy Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls – Savoy | Imelda Staunton as Mama Rose in Gypsy – Savoy Tracie Bennett as Laura Henderson in Mrs Henderson Presents – Noël Coward Natalie Dew as Jess Bhamra in Bend It Like Beckham – Phoenix Laura Pitt-Pulford as Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – Regent's Park Open Air Sophie Thompson as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls – Savoy |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Best Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Mark Gatiss as Shpigelsky in Three Days in the Country – National Theatre Lyttelton Michael Pennington as Antigonus in The Winter's Tale – Garrick Tom Sturridge as Bobby in American Buffalo – Wyndham's David Suchet as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest – Vaudeville | Judi Dench as Paulina in The Winter's Tale – Garrick Michele Dotrice as Nancy in Nell Gwynn – Apollo Melody Grove as Isabella Farnese in Farinelli and the King – Duke of York's Catherine Steadman as Jean Tatlock in Oppenheimer – Vaudeville |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical |
| David Bedella as Kevin Rosario in In the Heights – King's Cross Dan Burton Tulsa in Gypsy – Savoy Peter Davison as Herbie in Gypsy – Savoy Gavin Spokes as Nicely Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls – Savoy | Lara Pulver as Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy – Savoy Preeya Kalidas as Pinky in Bend It Like Beckham – Phoenix Amy Lennox as Lauren in Kinky Boots – Adelphi Emma Williams as Maureen in Mrs Henderson Presents – Noël Coward |
| Best Director | Best Theatre Choreographer |
| Robert Icke for Oresteia – Almeida Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh for The Winter's Tale – Garrick Matthew Dunster for Hangmen – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court / Wyndham's Jonathan Kent for Gypsy – Savoy | Drew McOnie for In the Heights – King's Cross Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright for Guys and Dolls – Savoy Stephen Mear for Gypsy – Savoy Jerry Mitchell for Kinky Boots – Adelphi |
| Best Set Design | Best Costume Design |
| Anna Fleischle for Hangmen – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court / Wyndham's Hildegard Bechtler for Oresteia – Almeida Es Devlin for Hamlet – Barbican Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli and the King – Duke of York's | Gregg Barnes for Kinky Boots – Adelphi Hugh Durrant for Nell Gwynn – Apollo Jonathan Fensom for Farinelli and the King – Duke of York's Katrina Lindsay for Bend It Like Beckham – Phoenix |
| Best Lighting Design | Best Sound Design |
| Mark Henderson for Gypsy – Savoy Neil Austin for The Winter's Tale – Garrick Natasha Chivers for Oresteia – Almeida James Farncombe for People, Places and Things – National Theatre Dorfman | Tom Gibbons for People, Places and Things – National Theatre Dorfman George Dennis for The Homecoming – Trafalgar Studios 1 Christopher Shutt for The Father – Wyndham's Christopher Shutt for Hamlet – Barbican |
| Outstanding Achievement in Music ||
| Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman for arranging and orchestrating and Lin-Manuel Miranda for lyricising and scoring In the Heights – King's Cross Kuljit Bhamra and Howard Goodall for orchestrating, Howard Goodall for scoring and Charles Hart for lyricising Bend It Like Beckham – Phoenix Iestyn Davies, the Musicians and the Singers for performing and Claire van Kampen for arranging Farinelli and the King – Duke of York's Cyndi Lauper for lyricising and scoring and Stephen Oremus for arranging, orchestrating and music supervising Kinky Boots – Adelphi ||
| Outstanding Achievement in Dance | Best New Dance Production |
| Alessandra Ferri in Chéri and Woolf Works – Royal Opera House Javier de Frutos for choreographing Anatomy of a Passing Cloud – Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House Sasha Waltz for choreographing Sacre – Sadler's Wells | Woolf Works, Wayne McGregor – Royal Opera House He Who Falls (Celui Qui Tombe), Compagnie Yoann Bourgeois – Barbican Roméo et Juliette, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo – London Coliseum |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | Best New Opera Production |
| English National Opera Chorus and Orchestra of The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and The Queen of Spades – London Coliseum Felicity Palmer in The Queen of Spades – London Coliseum Antonio Pappano for conducting Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Król Roger – Royal Opera House Tamara Wilson in The Force of Destiny – London Coliseum | Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci – Royal Opera House Morgen und Abend – Royal Opera House The Force of Destiny – London Coliseum |
| Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre ||
| Pat Kinevane for Fishamble for Silent – Soho Barbarians – Clare, Young Vic Phil Dunster in Pink Mist – Bush Violence and Son – Jerwood Upstairs, Royal Court ||
| Audience Award ||
| The Phantom of the Opera – Her Majesty's Jersey Boys – Piccadilly Les Misérables – Queen's Matilda – Cambridge ||

## Productions with multiple nominations and awards

The following 20 productions, including three operas and one dance, received multiple nominations:
* 8: Gypsy
* 7: Kinky Boots
* 6: Farinelli and the King, Guys and Dolls, The Winter's Tale
* 5: Bend It Like Beckham
* 4: Hamlet, In the Heights, Mrs Henderson Presents, Nell Gwynn, Oresteia, People, Places and Things
* 3: The Father, The Force of Destiny, Hangmen
* 2: Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci, Les liaisons dangereuses, The Queen of Spades, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Woolf Works
The following six productions, including one dance, received multiple awards:
* 4: Gypsy
* 3: In the Heights, Kinky Boots
* 2: Hangmen, People, Places and Things, Woolf Works