2012 Olivier Award Winners Announced

The 2012 Olivier Awards, representing the best of London theatre over the last twelve months, were presented in a glittering ceremony at London's Royal Opera House Sunday, April 15th.

In the lighting category, the award went to Bruno Poet for his work on Frankenstein at the National's Olivier Theatre. A central part of his design was a dramatic wedge-shaped light bulb ceiling made up of 3,100 assorted light bulbs driven from just over 1,000 dimmers allowing the creation of spectacular waves of light over the heads of the audience. White Light was proud to be involved with creating this effect, working with the designer, and the staff at the National.

In the other design categories, Peter McKintosh won the best costume design award for Crazy For You at Regent's Park -- also named best musical revival -- while set designer Rob Howell and sound designer Simon Baker led the long line of awards won by Matilda The Musical, the acclaimed show also collecting the best new musical award, best director award for Matthew Warchus, best theatre choreographer for Peter Darling, best actor in a musical for Bertie Carvel, and the best actress in a musical award which was presented to the quartet of children who alternate the show's title role.

Other performers collecting awards included Sheridan Smith, best performance in a supporting role for Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Nigel Harman awarded best performance in a supporting role in a musical for his part in Shrek, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller who share the best actor award having shared the title role in Frankenstein, and Ruth Wilson named best actress for her performance in Anna Christie at the Donmar Warehouse, the production also named best revival. The best new play award was presented to Collaborators at the Cottesloe Theatre.

Other awards were presented to Desh, named best new dance production; to Edward Watson whose performance in The Metamorphosis at the Linbury Studio was named outstanding achievement in dance; to Derren Brown for his show Svengali at the Shaftesbury, named best entertainment; and to English National Opera who won best new opera production for Castor And Pollux and were also given the award for outstanding achievement In opera for the "breadth and diversity of its artistic program." The Theatre Royal Stratford East received the outstanding achievement in an affiliate theatre award for Roadkill, while long-running favorite Les Misérables received the BBC Radio 2 Olivier audience award.

The full list of winners plus videos and other news from the ceremony can be found at the URL below.

This year, White Light supplied equipment to Matilda, Frankenstein, One Man Two Guvnors, Shrek, Betty Blue Eyes, Crazy for You, Les Misérables, South Pacific and The Wizard of Oz, as well as other long-running hits such as Chicago and War Horse.