Former Olivier Award winners Michael Frayn and Gillian Lynne are to be honoured with Special Awards at this year’s Olivier Awards with MasterCard for their outstanding contributions to theatre.
Multi Olivier Award-winning playwright Frayn, who has seen two of his plays – Democracy and Noises Off – revived on the Old Vic theatre’s stage in the past two years, with the latter transferring to the West End, has won three of London theatre’s most coveted accolades throughout the course of his remarkable career, winning for Donkeys’ Years, Benefactors and Noises Off in the 1970s and 80s.
Frayn’s career began as a Russian interpreter at the Joint Services School for Linguists during his National Service, after which he went on to utilise his language skills to translate four of Anton Chekhov’s major plays – The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard – as well as an untitled work he named Wild Honey and a selection of short plays entitled The Sneeze. The playwright’s other stage plays include Tony Award-winning historical drama Copenhagen and Afterlife, a biographical play based on the life of Austrian director and actor Max Reinhardt, but he has also enjoyed success with his screen work, writing for British comedy film Clockwise and television series Making Faces.
Best known for her groundbreaking work on world-renowned musicals Cats and The Phantom Of The Opera, Lynne won the 1981 award for Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Musicals for her choreography in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, which won the Best New Musical accolade the same year. More recently, the acclaimed director and choreographer has worked on Jerry Herman musical Dear World, which received its UK premiere earlier this year at the Charing Cross theatre.
Beginning her career as a dancer for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, Lynne went on to star in numerous stage and screen productions before turning her hand to directing and choreography, working on productions including The Matchgirls, Aspects Of Love, My Fair Lady, Cabaret and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Twice nominated for a Tony Award, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s 1997 Honours list for her services to dance.
Talking about the acclaimed pair, Mark Rubinstein, President of the Society of London Theatre, which runs the Olivier Awards, said: “I am delighted that the Society of London Theatre has recognised the prolific work of Michael and Gillian who, in very different ways, have both had a vital and lasting influence on our theatre and dance stages. It is only fitting that these two ambassadors of British theatre be recognised with the Special Award at this year’s ceremony.”
Frayn and Lynne will collect their awards at the star-studded ceremony on 28 April at the Royal Opera House, where the nominees for this year’s awards – which are to be announced on Tuesday at a special event presented by Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige at the May Fair Hotel – and special guests will gather in order to celebrate the very best of London theatre.
Hosted by two-time Olivier Award winner Sheridan Smith and Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, the ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2 and followed by a fantastic highlights programme screened on ITV later in the evening.
There will also be a public event for avid theatre fans who are invited to celebrate the evening’s proceedings at the Covent Garden piazza, where they can watch the excitement unfold on the big screen, enjoy live performances from the four long-running shows shortlisted for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award and much more.
Don’t forget that you can get involved by uploading photos and videos to our Olivier Awards live-streaming wall by tagging them on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Tumbler with #Oliviers.
