Headley, CURIOUS INCIDENT, KISS ME KATE All Nominated For 2013 Olivier Awards - Full List Inside!

The nominations for the Olivier Awards with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - were announced today (Tuesday 26 March 2013).

The National Theatre's production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time leads the list with eight nominations, followed by the toe-tapping new musical Top Hat receiving seven, and the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre's revival of Sweeney Todd in close competition with six. Other stand-out nominations include The Audience and Kiss Me, Kate receiving five each, and Constellations, The Bodyguard and Twelfth Night with four.

This year's list of Olivier nominees is as star-studded as ever and theatregoers can enjoy many of this year's Olivier nominees performing currently in the West End including Helen Mirren and Richard McCabe in The Audience, Heather Headley and Debbie Kurup in The Bodyguard, Leigh Zimmerman in A Chorus Line, Luke Treadaway in The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, Rupert Everett in The Judas Kiss, James McAvoy in Macbeth and Kristen Scott Thomas in Old Times. Billie Piper, Helen McCrory, Imelda Staunton, Hannah Waddingham, Michael Ball, Tom Chambers, Adam Garcia, Mark Rylance, Rafe Spall and Will Young are just a few of the other talented actors and actresses joining the illustrious line-up.

The highly anticipated shortlist for the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award - the only Olivier Award voted for by the public and which received a record 65,000 votes this year - is Billy Elliot The Musical, Matilda The Musical, The Phantom Of The Opera and Wicked.

New writing is at the forefront of this year's nominations, leading the way across many categories from The Effect,Constellations and This House to Cinderella (at St James's Theatre) and Goodnight Mr Tom.

Dance nominations are split between The Royal Ballet and Sadler's Wells, with notable opera nominations including three out of four nominations for English National Opera for Best New Opera Production, and The Stage Management Teams at ENO London Coliseum and the Royal Opera House nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

As previously announced, former Olivier Award winners Gillian Lynne CBE and Michael Frayn are to be honoured with Special Awards for their outstanding contributions to theatre.

The nominations were announced by Olivier Award winners Ruth Wilson and Elaine Paige on Tuesday 26 March at 11.30am live on the BBC Radio 2 Ken Bruce show. The live broadcast was part of a special event at London's May Fair Hotel featuring a performance from last year's seven-time winner, Matilda The Musical.

The star-studded Olivier Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 28 April, hosted byHugh Bonneville and Sheridan Smith. The ceremony will be live on BBC Radio 2 from 6.30pm with the award announcements as they happen and also exclusive red carpet interviews with the stars as they arrive before the big night. A full television highlights package will also be broadcast on ITV later in the evening.

Theatre-lovers are invited to gather at the BBC Radio 2 Stage in Covent Garden Piazza from 4pm on the day for a free Olivier Awards celebration featuring live performances from several top West End shows - including the four shortlisted BBC Radio 2 Audience Award nominees - as well as special guests. Awards-themed fun on offer will include make-up demos courtesy of MAC, styling tips from Chester Barrie and cocktail making lessons with Radisson Edwardian.

BEST REVIVAL

Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Apollo
Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios
Old Times at the Harold Pinter
Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo

MASTERCARD BEST NEW PLAY

Constellations by Nick Payne at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's
The Audience by Peter Morgan at the Gielgud
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Simon Stephens at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
This House by James Graham at the NT Cottesloe & the NT Olivier

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Paul Chahidi for Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo
Richard McCabe for The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre
Adrian Scarborough for Hedda Gabler at the Old Vic Theatre
Kyle Soller for Long Day's Journey Into Night at the Apollo Theatre

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Sweeney Todd designed by Anthony Ward at the Adelphi
The Audience designed by Bob Crowley at the Gielgud
Twelfth Night designed by Jenny Tiramani at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo
Top Hat designed by Jon Morrell at the Aldwych

XL VIDEO AWARD FOR BEST SET DESIGN

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Bunny Christie & Finn Ross at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Top Hat designed by Hildegard Bechtler at the Aldwych
Wild Swans designed by Miriam Buether & Wang Gongxin at the Young Vic
The Bodyguard designed by Tim Hatley at the Adelphi

WHITE LIGHT AWARD FOR BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

The Master & Margarita designed by Paul Anderson at the Barbican
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Paule Constable at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Constellations designed by Lee Curran at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's
Sweeney Todd designed by Mark Henderson at the Adelphi

BEST ACTOR

James McAvoy for Macbeth at the Trafalgar Studios
Luke Treadaway for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Mark Rylance for Twelfth Night at Shakespeare's Globe & the Apollo
Rafe Spall for Constellations at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's
Rupert Everett for The Judas Kiss at Hampstead & the Duke of York's

BEST SOUND DESIGN

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time designed by Ian Dickinson at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Sweeney Todd designed byPaul Groothuis at the Adelphi
Constellations designed byDavid McSeveney at the Royal Court & the Duke of York's
Top Hat designed by Gareth Owen at the Aldwych

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE

Caroline Horton for You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy at the Bush theatre
Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd for You Me Bum Bum Train, presented by Theatre Royal Stratford East
The production of Red Velvet at the Tricycle theatre
The season of new writing at the Royal Court Upstairs

BEST NEW DANCE PRODUCTION

Aeternum, by the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
A Streetcar Named Desire by Scottish Ballet at Sadler's Wells
Cacti, at Sadler's Wells, choreographed by Alexander Ekman

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

ILL-Abilities company in Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells
Lez Brotherston for the set and costumes for Sleeping Beauty, New Adventures at Sadler's Wells
Marianela Nunez for Aeternum, Diana & Actaeon and Viscera, The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House

BEST DIRECTOR

Jeremy Herrin for This House at the NT Cottesloe & NT Olivier
Marianne Elliott for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Simon McBurney for The Master And Margarita at the Barbican
Stephen Daldry for The Audience at the Gielgud

BEST ACTRESS

Billie Piper for The Effect at the NT Cottesloe
Hattie Morahan for A Doll's House at the Young Vic
Helen Mirren for The Audience at the Gielgud
Kristin Scott Thomas for Old Times at the Harold Pinter

BBC RADIO 2 AUDIENCE AWARD

Billy Elliot the Musical
Matilda the Musical
The Phantom of the Opera
Wicked

BEST ENTERTAINMENT AND FAMILY

Cinderella at the St James Theatre
Goodnight Mister Tom at the Phoenix Theatre
Hansel and Gretel at NT Cottesloe
Room on the Broom at the Lyric Theatre

BEST NEW OPERA PRODUCTION

Billy Budd, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Caligula, English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Einstein On The Beach at the Barbican theatre
La Traviata, English National Opera at the London Coliseum

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN OPERA

Bryan Hymel for his performances in Les Troyens, Robert Le Diable & Rusalka at the Royal Opera House
Edward Gardner for his conducting of The Flying Dutchman and Billy Budd for English National Opera
Music Theatre Wales for In The Locked Room/Ghost Patrol at the Linbury, Royal Opera House
The Stage Management teams at English National Opera's London Coliseum and at the Royal Opera House

BEST THEATRE CHOREOGRAPHER

Bill Deamer for Top Hat at the Aldwych
Scott Ambler for Chariots Of Fire at Hampstead & the Gielgud
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo
Stephen Mear for Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL

Adam Garcia for Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Debbie Kurup for The Bodyguard at the Adelphi
Leigh Zimmerman for A Chorus Line at the London Palladium
Sian Phillips for Cabaret at the Savoy

BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL

A Chorus Line at the London Palladium
Cabaret at the Savoy
Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Alex Bourne in Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Michael Ball in Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi
Tom Chambersin Top Hat at the Aldwych
Will Young in Cabaret at the Savoy

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Hannah Waddingham in Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic
Heather Headley in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi
Imelda Staunton in Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi
Summer Strallen in Top Hat at the Aldwych

BEST NEW MUSICAL

Loserville at the Garrick
Soul Sister at the Savoy
The Bodyguard at the Adelphi
Top Hat at the Aldwych

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Janie Dee for NSFW at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Anastasia Hille for The Effect at the NT Cottesloe
[Cush Jumbo] for Julius Caesar at the Donmar Warehouse
Helen McCrory for The Last Of The Haussmans at the NT Olivier
Nicola Walker for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the NT Cottesloe & the Apollo