The 2020 Olivier Awards officially move forward October 25 with a celebration revealing this year’s winners and including several performances from popular shows in the West End. The night's biggest contenders are & Juliet, a revival of Fiddler on the Roof, and Dear Evan Hansen.
The evening, hosted by Jason Manford (a frequent emcee for the festivities), kicks off at 5:30 PM ET (9:30 PM GMT) on Official London's YouTube. The broadcast moves to ITV following a pre-show, but the full ceremony will remain available to international audiences via YouTube.
In addition to winners being announced (check out the full list of nominees here), viewers can expect performances from current nominees Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen) and Miriam-Teak Lee (& Juliet). Olivier winner Sharon D. Clarke will honor Sunset Boulevard and Aspects of Love lyricist Don Black, who is receiving the Olivier Special Award for contribution to theatre. Black will be presented his award by Andrew Lloyd Webber and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. Ian McKellen will also be honored in his for his solo show, Ian McKellen On Stage, which toured over 80 venues, raising funds for different charities at each stop.
The majority of the show was pre-filmed in the days leading up to the broadcast, with a majority of filming taking place in and around the London Palladium, featuring a mixture of the winner’s announcements, performances, interviews, and more.
Due to the minimal amount of new productions that have been able to open this year, SOLT anticipates the next Olivier Awards ceremony taking place in April 2022, with plans to celebrate the theatre industry at large in 2021. In addition, SOLT is establishing a group to carefully review criteria for the awards in future years to ensure all aspects of diversity and inclusion are considered.
