The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of the "world-class status of London theatre." The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awards in 1976, and renamed in 1984 in honour of English actor and director Laurence Olivier.
This award was introduced in 1991. There had been an award for Designer of the Year from 1976 to 1990, originally focused on set designers but including an increasing number of commingled nominations for other design specialties through the years. The commingled single award was retired after the 1990 ceremony, with more granular awards introduced in 1991 for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, along with this Best Lighting Design award.
Winners and nominees 1990s Year Designer Production 1991 Jean Kalman Richard III and White Chameleon Alan Burrett Three Sisters Pat Collins The Illusion Paul Pyant The Wind in the Willows 1992 Mark Henderson Murmuring Judges and Long Day's Journey into Night Wayne Dowdeswell Edward II Jean Kalman The Night of the Iguana and Hedda Gabler Sumio Yoshii Tango at the End of Winter 1993 Howell Binkley Kiss of the Spider Woman Paule Constable The Street of Crocodiles Rick Fisher An Inspector Calls Jean Kalman A Midsummer Night's Dream 1994 Rick Fisher Hysteria, Machinal and Moonlight Wayne Dowdeswell Medea Terry Hands and Wayne Dowdeswell Tamburlaine the Great Brian Harris The School of Night 1995 Mark Henderson All his work during the year Rick Fisher The Cryptogram and Pericles David Hersey Glengarry Glen Ross and Oliver! Tina MacHugh Ghosts and Rutherford and Son 1996 David Hersey Burning Blue, The Glass Menagerie and Twelfth Night Mark Henderson Absolute Hell, La Grande Magia and Indian Ink Peter Mumford Richard II, Mother Courage and Her Children and Volpone Chris Parry A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Way of the World 1997 Chris Parry Tommy Mark Henderson John Gabriel Borkman David Hersey Martin Guerre Hugh Vanstone 'Art' 1998 Rick Fisher Chips with Everything and Lady in the Dark Paul Anderson The Chairs Howard Harrison The Fix Hugh Vanstone Hamlet 1999 Hugh Vanstone The Blue Room and The Unexpected Man Paule Constable Amadeus and Uncle Vanya Mark Henderson Britannicus and Phèdre David Hersey Oklahoma!
2000s Year Designer Production 2000 Mark Henderson Plenty, Spend Spend Spend, Suddenly, Last Summer, The Forest, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Real Thing and Vassa Howard Harrison Private Lives, Sleep With Me and The Tempest Donald Holder The Lion King Peter Mumford Collected Stories, Richard III, Summerfolk and The Merchant of Venice 2001 Hugh Vanstone The Cherry Orchard and The Graduate Howard Harrison To the Green Fields Beyond and The Witches of Eastwick Mark Henderson All My Sons Paul Pyant Hamlet 2002 Mark Henderson A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Playboy of the Western World Howard Harrison Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Tales from Hollywood David Hersey My Fair Lady and South Pacific Tim Mitchell Henry IV Peter Mumford Hamlet and Private Lives 2003 Peter Mumford The Bacchae Paule Constable Play Without Words David Hersey The Coast of Utopia Paul Pyant A Streetcar Named Desire 2004 Hugh Vanstone Pacific Overtures Simon Corder Hitchcock Blonde Howard Harrison Ragtime 2005 Paule Constable His Dark Materials Howard Harrison Mary Poppins Jean Kalman Festen Paul Pyant All's Well That Ends Well 2006 Paule Constable Don Carlos Rick Fisher Billy Elliot Howard Harrison Guys and Dolls Hugh Vanstone Mary Stuart 2007 Natasha Chivers and Mike Robertson Sunday in the Park with George Neil Austin Thérèse Raquin Jean Kalman The Crucible Kenneth Posner Wicked Hugh Vanstone Spamalot 2008 Howard Harrison Macbeth Paule Constable War Horse Kenneth Posner Hairspray Paul Pyant The Lord of the Rings 2009 Paule Constable The Chalk Garden Neil Austin No Man's Land Piaf Paule Constable Ivanov
2010s Year Designer Production 2010 Mark Henderson Burnt by the Sun Kevin Adams Spring Awakening Jon Clark Three Days of Rain Mark Henderson ENRON 2011 Neil Austin The White Guard Paule Constable Love Never Dies Mark Henderson After the Dance Hugh Vanstone Deathtrap 2012 Bruno Poet Frankenstein Howard Harrison Anna Christie Hugh Vanstone Ghost Matilda 2013 Paule Constable The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Paul Anderson The Master and Margarita Lee Curran Constellations Mark Henderson Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2014 Tim Lutkin and Finn Ross Chimerica Paul Pyant and Jon Driscoll Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Paule Constable The Light Princess Peter Mumford Ghosts 2015 Howard Harrison City of Angels Jon Clark King Charles III Paule Constable and David Plater Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies Jan Versweyveld A View from the Bridge 2016 Mark Henderson Gypsy Neil Austin The Winter's Tale Natasha Chivers Oresteia James Farncombe People, Places and Things 2017 Neil Austin Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Lee Curran Jesus Christ Superstar Natasha Katz The Glass Menagerie Hugh Vanstone Groundhog Day2018Howell BinkleyHamiltonPaule ConstableAngels in AmericaFolliesJan VersweyveldNetwork2019Jon ClarkThe InheritanceNeil AustinCompanyHowell BinkleyCome from AwayLee CurranSummer and Smoke
2020s Year Designer Production2020Paule ConstableThe Ocean at the End of the LaneNeil AustinRosmersholm Howard Hudson& Juliet Bruno PoetUncle Vanya 2021 Not presented due to extended closing of theatre productions during COVID-19 pandemic2022Andrzej Goulding and Tim LutkinLife of PiNeil AustinFrozenIsabella ByrdCabaretTim LutkinBack to the Future: The Musical2023Jessica Hung Han YunMy Neighbour TotoroNatasha ChiversPrima FacieLee CurranA Streetcar Named DesireTim LutkinThe Crucible2024Jack KnowlesSunset BoulevardJon ClarkDear EnglandStranger Things: The First ShadowPaule ConstableGuys and Dolls2025Paule Constable & Ben JacobsOliver!Howard HudsonNatasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812Starlight ExpressAideen MaloneFiddler on the Roof2026Roland Horvath & Aideen MaloneInto the WoodsRobbie ButlerPunchJon ClarkEvitaJoshua PharoKenrex
Multiple Wins
6 wins Paule Constable (2 consecutive) Mark Henderson
3 wins Hugh Vanstone
2 wins Neil Austin Howell Binkley Rick Fisher Tim Lutkin
See also Tony Award for Best Lighting Design
References
External links