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The 2026 Laurence Olivier Awards were held on 12 April 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall. It recognised excellence in professional theatre in London, as determined by the Society of London Theatre, and marked the 50th anniversary of the Laurence Olivier Awards. British comedian and actor Nick Mohammed hosted the ceremony for the first time. The nominations were announced on 5 March 2026, with Into the Woods and Paddington each receiving the most nominations with eleven.^[1] Paddington received the most awards with seven, tying for the record number of Olivier awards won by a musical with Sunset Boulevard (2024), Cabaret (2022), Hamilton (2018) and Matilda (2012).^[2]

Event calendar

3 December 2025: Ceremony date set for 12 April 2026 and venue confirmed as Royal Albert Hall.^[3]
17 February 2026: Eligibility cut-off.^[4]
24 February 2026: Industry Recognition and Outstanding Contribution recipients announced.^[5]
3 March 2026: Nick Mohammed announced as host.^[6]
5 March 2026: Nominations announced by Mohammed.^[7]
6 March 2025: Special Award recipient announced.^[8]
12 April 2026: Award ceremony scheduled.

Winners and nominees

The nominations were announced in 24 categories on 5 March 2026. The ceremony were held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 12, 2026, hosted by Nick Mohammed.^[9] James Graham's Punch won two prizes including Best New Play and Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role to Julie Hesmondhalgh as Joan.^[10]^[11] Paddington won seven prizes out of 11 nominations, including Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical for James Hameed and Arti Shah.^[12] Rachel Zegler won the Best Actress in a Musical as Eva Perón in Evita.^[12] Its choreographer, Fabian Aloise, also won the Best Theatre Choreographer. Evita was also nominated for Best Musical Revival, but the award went to Into the Woods, which had 11 nominations and also won Best Lighting Design to Roland Horvath and Aideen Malone.^[13]^[14] All My Sons won two prizes including Best Revival and Best Actor in a Supporting Role to Paapa Essiedu as Chris Keller.^[13]^[15]^[16]

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).

Best New Play	Best New Musical
Punch by James Graham – Young Vic and Apollo Theatre‡ 1536 by Ava Pickett – Almeida Theatre Inter Alia by Suzie Miller – National Theatre Lyttelton Kenrex by Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian – The Other Palace	Paddington – Savoy Theatre‡ Here We Are – National Theatre Lyttelton Shucked – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Revival	Best Musical Revival
All My Sons – Wyndham's Theatre‡ Arcadia – The Old Vic Much Ado About Nothing – Theatre Royal Drury Lane The Seagull – Barbican Theatre	Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre‡ American Psycho – Almeida Theatre Evita – London Palladium The Producers – Garrick Theatre
Best Entertainment or Comedy Play	Best Family Show
Oh, Mary! by Cole Escola – Trafalgar Theatre‡ The Comedy about Spies by Henry Lewis and Henry Shields – Noël Coward Theatre Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe – @sohoplace Paranormal Activity by Levi Holloway (based on original text by Oren Peli) – Ambassadors Theatre	The Boy at the Back of the Class – Rose Theatre‡ The Boy with Wings – Polka Theatre The Firework-Maker's Daughter – Polka Theatre The Three Little Pigs – Unicorn Theatre
Best Actor	Best Actress
*Jack Holden as Performer in Kenrex* – The Other Palace*‡ Bryan Cranston as Joe Keller in All My Sons* – Wyndham's Theatre Sean Hayes as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar – Barbican Theatre Tom Hiddleston as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing – Theatre Royal, Drury Lane David Shields as Jacob Dunne in Punch – Young Vic and Apollo Theatre	*Rosamund Pike as Jessica Parks in Inter Alia* – National Theatre Lyttelton*‡ Cate Blanchett as Irina Arkadina in The Seagull* – Barbican Theatre Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Kate Keller in All My Sons – Wyndham's Theatre Julia McDermott as Stacey in Weather Girl – Soho Theatre Rosie Sheehy as Her in Guess How Much I Love You? – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical	Best Actress in a Musical
*James Hameed as Young Man / Paddington (voice and remote puppeteer) and Arti Shah as Paddington (on stage) in Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Marc Antolin as Leo Bloom in The Producers* – Garrick Theatre Andy Nyman as Max Bialystock in The Producers – Garrick Theatre Jamie Parker as The Baker in Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre Diego Andres Rodriguez as Che in Evita – London Palladium	*Rachel Zegler as Eva Perón in Evita* – London Palladium*‡ Katie Brayben as The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods* – Bridge Theatre Danielle Fiamanya and Georgina Onuorah as Fiona Maclaren in Brigadoon – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Jane Krakowski as Marianne Brink in Here We Are – Royal National Theatre Jenna Russell as Maureen Fry in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Theatre Royal Haymarket
Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Best Actress in a Supporting Role
*Paapa Essiedu as Chris Keller in All My Sons* – Wyndham's Theatre*‡ Hammed Animashaun as Mugsy in Dealer's Choice* – Donmar Warehouse Zachary Hart as Semyon Medvedenko in The Seagull – Barbican Theatre Zachary Hart as Reg in Stereophonic – Duke of York's Theatre Giles Terera as Mary's Husband in Oh, Mary! – Trafalgar Theatre	*Julie Hesmondhalgh as Joan in Punch* – Apollo Theatre*‡ Isis Hainsworth as Thomasina Coverley in Arcadia* – The Old Vic Lucy Karczewski as Diana in Stereophonic – Duke of York's Theatre Hayley Squires as Ann Deever in All My Sons – Wyndham's Theatre Sophie Thompson as Maria Helliwell in When We Are Married – Donmar Warehouse
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical	Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
*Tom Edden as Mr. Curry in Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Trevor Ashley as Roger De Bris in The Producers* – Garrick Theatre Corbin Bleu as Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby - London Coliseum Jo Foster as Jack in Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre Oliver Savile as The Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre	*Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Millicent Clyde in Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Tracie Bennett as Woman in Here We Are* – Royal National Theatre Amy Booth-Steel as Lady Sloane in Paddington – Savoy Theatre Kate Fleetwood as The Witch in Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre Georgina Onuorah as Lulu in Shucked – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Best Director	Best Theatre Choreographer
*Luke Sheppard for Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Jordan Fein for Into the Woods* – Bridge Theatre Ed Stambollouian for Kenrex – The Other Palace Lyndsey Turner for 1536 – Almeida Theatre Ivo van Hove for All My Sons – Wyndham's Theatre	*Fabian Aloise for Evita* – London Palladium*‡ Ellen Kane for Paddington* – Savoy Theatre Drew McOnie for Brigadoon – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Lynne Page for American Psycho – Almeida Theatre
Best Set Design	Best Costume Design
*Tom Pye for scenic designing and Ash J Woodward for video designing Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Paul Tate dePoo III for projection designing and scenic designing The Great Gatsby* - London Coliseum Tom Scutt for scenic designing Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre David Zinn for scenic designing Stereophonic – Duke of York's Theatre	*Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar for Paddington* – Savoy Theatre*‡ Enver Chakartash for Stereophonic* – Duke of York's Theatre Linda Cho for The Great Gatsby – London Coliseum Tom Scutt for Into the Woods – Bridge Theatre
Best Lighting Design	Best Sound Design
*Roland Horvath and Aideen Malone for Into the Woods* – Bridge Theatre*‡ Robbie Butler for Punch* – Young Vic and Apollo Theatre Jon Clark for Evita – London Palladium Joshua Pharo for Kenrex – The Other Palace	*Giles Thomas for Kenrex* – The Other Palace*‡ Adam Fisher for Into the Woods* – Bridge Theatre Gareth Owen for Paddington – Savoy Theatre Ryan Rumery for Stereophonic – Duke of York's Theatre
Outstanding Musical Contribution
*Chris Fenwick for arranging and music supervising and Sean Hayes for live piano of Rhapsody in Blue* in Good Night, Oscar – Barbican Theatre*‡ Matthew Brind for arranging and orchestrating Paddington* – Savoy Theatre Will Butler for orchestrating and songwriting and Justin Craig for orchestrating Stereophonic – Duke of York's Theatre John Patrick Elliott for Kenrex – The Other Palace
Best New Dance Production	Best New Opera Production
Into the Hairy by Sharon Eyal, S-E-D – Sadler's Wells‡ Mimi's Shebeen by KVS and Alesandra Seutin – Sadler's Wells East Random Taranto by María del Mar Suárez (La Chachi), Dance Umbrella: Change Tempo – The Pit at Barbican She's Auspicious by Mythili Prakash – Sadler's Wells East	Dead Man Walking, English National Opera – London Coliseum‡ The Makropulos Case, Royal Opera – Royal Opera House Tosca, Royal Opera – Royal Opera House The Valkyrie, Royal Opera – Royal Opera House
Best New Production in an Affiliate Theatre
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams – Yard Theatre‡ Ben and Imo by Mark Ravenhill – Orange Tree Theatre The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs by Iman Qureshi – Kiln Theatre Miss Myrtle's Garden by Danny James King – Bush Theatre The Shitheads by Jack Nicholls – Royal Court Theatre
Special Award	Industry Recognition Award
Elaine Paige‡	Betty Laine‡ Linda Tolhurst‡ David Wood‡
Outstanding Contribution for Dance	Outstanding Contribution for Opera
Wayne McGregor‡	Danielle de Niese‡

Productions with multiple wins and nominations

Multiple wins

The following 6 productions received multiple awards:

7: Paddington
2: All My Sons, Evita, Into the Woods, Kenrex, Punch

Multiple nominations

The following 20 productions received multiple nominations:

11: Into the Woods, Paddington
6: All My Sons, Kenrex, Stereophonic
5: Evita
4: The Producers, Punch
3: The Great Gatsby, Here We Are, The Seagull
2: 1536, American Psycho, Arcadia, Brigadoon, Inter Alia, Much Ado About Nothing, Oh, Mary!, Shucked, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

References

↑ Wiegand, Chris (5 March 2026). "Paddington and Into the Woods up for 11 Olivier awards each". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ Wiegand, Chris (12 April 2026). "No need for hard stares as Paddington: The Musical triumphs at Olivier awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
↑ "Olivier Awards reveals 2026 date and venue". The Stage. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ Raven, Paul (26 February 2026). "Olivier Awards 2026 – Everything you need to know about this year's awards | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ Raven, Paul (24 February 2026). "Olivier Awards announce 2026 Industry Recognition & Outstanding Contribution Awards | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ "Olivier Awards announces Nick Mohammed as 2026 host". 3 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ Rook, Olivia (5 March 2026). "2026 Olivier Awards nominations announced, with Paddington and Into The Woods leading". London Theatre. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
↑ "Dame Elaine Paige to receive Special Award | Official London Theatre". officiallondontheatre.com. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
↑ "Olivier Awards 2026: Winners, timings & how to watch today's 50th Anniversary ceremony". West End Theatre. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
↑ "2026 Olivier Award Winners: Rachel Zegler, Paapa Essiedu & Rosamund Pike Take Home Prizes — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
↑ "Olivier Awards 2026 viewers make same observation minutes into ceremony". Wales Online. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
1 2 "Paddington musical dominates Olivier Awards". BBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
1 2 "Paddington: The Musical Reigns Supreme at 2026 Olivier Awards; Read the Full List Here". Paybill. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
↑ "'Paddington' Wins Big at the Olivier Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
↑ "Olivier Awards 2026 Full Winners List (Updating): Winners Announced So Far with Category-Wise Results as 50th Anniversary Ceremony Continues; Major Awards Still Awaited". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
↑ "'Paddington' and 'Punch' win big at 2026 Olivier Awards — see full list of winners". Broadway News. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

External links

Olivier Awards official website

[1] Wiegand, Chris (5 March 2026). "Paddington and Into the Woods up for 11 Olivier awards each". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[2] Wiegand, Chris (12 April 2026). "No need for hard stares as Paddington: The Musical triumphs at Olivier awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2026.

[3] "Olivier Awards reveals 2026 date and venue". The Stage. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[4] Raven, Paul (26 February 2026). "Olivier Awards 2026 – Everything you need to know about this year's awards | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[5] Raven, Paul (24 February 2026). "Olivier Awards announce 2026 Industry Recognition & Outstanding Contribution Awards | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[6] "Olivier Awards announces Nick Mohammed as 2026 host". 3 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[7] Rook, Olivia (5 March 2026). "2026 Olivier Awards nominations announced, with Paddington and Into The Woods leading". London Theatre. Retrieved 6 March 2026.

[8] "Dame Elaine Paige to receive Special Award | Official London Theatre". officiallondontheatre.com. 9 March 2026. Retrieved 9 June 2026.

[oa16-9] "Olivier Awards 2026: Winners, timings & how to watch today's 50th Anniversary ceremony". West End Theatre. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa14-10] "2026 Olivier Award Winners: Rachel Zegler, Paapa Essiedu & Rosamund Pike Take Home Prizes — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa17-11] "Olivier Awards 2026 viewers make same observation minutes into ceremony". Wales Online. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa12-12] 1 2 "Paddington musical dominates Olivier Awards". BBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa19-13] 1 2 "Paddington: The Musical Reigns Supreme at 2026 Olivier Awards; Read the Full List Here". Paybill. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa20-14] "'Paddington' Wins Big at the Olivier Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa15-15] "Olivier Awards 2026 Full Winners List (Updating): Winners Announced So Far with Category-Wise Results as 50th Anniversary Ceremony Continues; Major Awards Still Awaited". The Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

[oa18-16] "'Paddington' and 'Punch' win big at 2026 Olivier Awards — see full list of winners". Broadway News. Retrieved 13 April 2026.

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Laurence Olivier Awards
Drama	New Play Entertainment or Comedy Play Revival Actor Actress Actor in a Supporting Role Actress in a Supporting Role
Musical	New Musical Musical Revival Actor in a Musical Actress in a Musical Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Musical Contribution
Production/Creatives	Director Theatre Choreographer Set Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design
Dance/Opera	New Dance Production New Opera Production Achievement in Dance Achievement in Opera
Special/Other	Special Award Family Show Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre
Retired	Actor of the Year in a New Play Actress of the Year in a New Play Actor of the Year in a Revival Actress of the Year in a Revival Comedy Performance Performance in a Musical Supporting Artist of the Year Performance in a Supporting Role Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Newcomer in a Play Most Promising Performer Company Performance Director of a Play Director of a Musical Most Promising Playwright Achievement in a Musical Audience Award
Ceremonies	1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 ~~1989 (see 1989/90)~~ 1989/90 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 ~~2021 (COVID-19)~~ 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026