Are you a theatre-lover? Do you know your Shakespeare from your Stoppard? Are you on first name terms with the capital’s ushers? If so, you could see an entire year of theatre absolutely free as a Laurence Olivier Awards judge.
Each year the Laurence Olivier Awards enlists 10 members of the theatregoing public to join with theatre professionals to help choose those productions, performers and practitioners worthy of receiving London theatre’s most prestigious accolade.
As we move into the autumn of 2010, the organisers of the Laurence Olivier Awards are looking towards 2011 and are once again recruiting theatregoers to join the team who will help choose the Laurence Olivier Award winners of 2012.
Panellists, who must be older than 18 and live within easy reach of London, will receive free tickets for the huge variety of productions to be judged throughout the year and an invitation to the glamorous, exclusive 2012 Awards Ceremony.
Would-be judges can apply to sit on one of four panels, running the rule over theatre, opera, dance or the shows staged at the Society of London Theatre’s affiliate venues, which include the Soho theatre, Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Stratford East. The application process includes writing a 150-word review of a new production seen in the last year and a full list of shows seen in the last 12 months.
The Laurence Olivier Awards are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to celebrate the achievements of London’s Theatreland in the previous year. The highlight of the London Theatre awards season, in 2010 winners included Rachel Weisz, Mark Rylance, Spring Awakening, Rupert Goold and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. The ceremony was streamed live online via Official London Theatre for the first time this year, drawing an audience of more than 100,000 viewers, while 58,000 votes were cast on Official London Theatre – by theatregoers who could not be part of the official judging panel – to crown Wicked as the first winner of the Laurence Olivier Audience Award for Most Popular Show.
Further information about how to apply to become a Laurence Olivier Award judge can be found in the Olivier Awards section of Official London Theatre, in leaflets available from any West End theatre, by emailing awards@solttma.co.uk or by sending an SAE to Awards Office, The Society Of London Theatre, 32 Rose Street, London WC2E 9ET. The closing date for applications is 26 November 2010 with interviews taking place in early December.
MA