Lyndsey Turner has been crowned this year’s Best Director at the Olivier Awards with MasterCard for her stunning work on Chimerica.
Turner directed Lucy Kirkwood’s ambitious drama at the Almeida Theatre before it transferred into the West End following a hugely successful sell-out run at the Islington venue.
A story that can only be described as a play of epic proportions, Turner’s tight and compelling direction took audiences from mystery to politics, love story to thriller, ensuring the piece never lost pace or confused as it crossed continents and generations.
Directing a company including Stephen Campbell-Moore, Benedict Wong and Claudie Blakley in the piece about a photojournalist obsessed with a photo he took during the Tiananmen Square protests, Turner also worked with a talented design team to create an enlivening and unique theatrical experience.
The thrilling results led to an outpouring of acclaim for the director with The Guardian calling Chimerica “dazzlingly well-staged”, while Time Out praised her work as boasting “film-like fluidity”.
The Headlong co-production has already won a Critics Circle Award the for first time Olivier Award winner. Turner triumphs in a female dominated category that also included Maria Friedman for her directorial debut with Merrily We Roll Along, The Scottsboro Boys’ Susan Stroman and Richard Eyre for fellow Almeida hit Ghosts.