1981 Laurence Olivier Awards
Winners and nominees from the Laurence Olivier Awards.
1981 Laurence Olivier Awards
Note: Award winners appear on a red background.
| Category | Nominee | Show |
|---|---|---|
| Actor of the Year in a Musical | Michael Crawford | Barnum |
| Actor of the Year in a Musical | Wayne Sleep | Cats |
| Actor of the Year in a Musical | Brian Blessed | Cats |
| Actor of the Year in a Musical | Henderson Forsythe | The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas |
| Actor of the Year in a New Play | Trevor Eve | Children Of A Lesser God |
| Actor of the Year in a New Play | Edward Fox, James Grout | Quartermaine's Terms |
| Actor of the Year in a New Play | Karl Johnson | Television Times, RSC |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | Daniel Massey | Man And Superman |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | Warren Mitchell | The Caretaker |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | David Suchet | The Merchant Of Venice |
| Actor of the Year in a Revival | John Wood | The Provoked Wife |
| Actor of the Year in a Supporting Role | Gwen Watford | Present Laughter |
| Actress of the Year in a Musical | Sylvia Kumba Williams | One Mo' Time |
| Actress of the Year in a Musical | Carlin Glynn | The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas |
| Actress of the Year in a Musical | Patricia Hodge | The Mitford Girls |
| Actress of the Year in a Musical | Petula Clark | The Sound Of Music |
| Actress of the Year in a New Play | Elizabeth Quinn | Children Of A Lesser God |
| Actress of the Year in a New Play | Eileen Atkins | Passion Play |
| Actress of the Year in a New Play | Janet Dale | The Accrington Pals |
| Actress of the Year in a New Play | Maggie Smith | Virginia |
| Actress of the Year in a Revival | Rosemary Harris | All My Sons |
| Actress of the Year in a Revival | Penelope Wilton | Man And Superman |
| Actress of the Year in a Revival | Sinead Cusack | The Maid's Tragedy |
| Actress of the Year in a Revival | Margaret Tyzack | Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? |
| Actress of the Year in a Supporting Role | Sinead Cusack | As You Like It |
| Actress of the Year in a Supporting Role | Gwen Taylor | Harvest |
| Actress of the Year in a Supporting Role | Brenda Bruce | Romeo And Juliet |
| Comedy of the Year | John Wells | Anyone For Denis? |
| Comedy of the Year | Dario Fo | Can't Pay? Won't Pay! |
| Comedy of the Year | Tom Stoppard | On The Razzle |
| Comedy of the Year | Nell Dunn | Steaming |
| Comedy Performance of the Year | Angela Thorne | Anyone For Denis? |
| Comedy Performance of the Year | Donald Sinden | Present Laughter |
| Comedy Performance of the Year | Rowan Atkinson | Rowan Atkinson In Revue |
| Comedy Performance of the Year | Georgina Hale | Steaming |
| Designer of the Year | John Napier | Cats |
| Designer of the Year | Eileen Diss | Measure For Measure |
| Designer of the Year | Carl Toms | The Provoked Wife |
| Designer of the Year | Saul Radomsky | Tonight At 8.30 |
| Director of the Year | Trevor Nunn | Cats |
| Director of the Year | Peter Wood | On The Razzle |
| Director of the Year | Harold Pinter | Quartermaine's Terms |
| Director of the Year | Donald McWhinnie | Translations |
| Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre | Alice Krige | Arms And The Man |
| Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre | Eric Peterson | Billy Bishop Goes To War |
| Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre | Catherine Hall | Naked Robots |
| Most Promising Newcomer of the Year in Theatre | Jeremy Nicholas | Three Men In A Boat |
| Musical of the Year | Cy Coleman, Mark Bramble | Barnum |
| Musical of the Year | Vernon Bagneris | book |
| Musical of the Year | Trevor Nunn, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Richard Stilgoe | Cats |
| Musical of the Year | various | music and lyrics |
| Musical of the Year | Larry King, Peter Masterson | The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | The Royal Opera | Les Contes D'Hoffman |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | The Royal Opera | Lulu |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | The Royal Opera | Samson Et Delilah |
| Outstanding Achievement in Opera | Die Frau Ohne Schatten | Welsh National Opera |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical | The Staging | Barnum |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical | Gillian Lynne | Cats |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical | Vernel Bagneris | One Mo' Time |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in a Musical | The Style And Design | The Mitford Girls |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Death And The Maiden | London Contemporary Dance Theatre |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Night Moves | Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Dances Of Albion | The Royal Ballet |
| Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Forgotten Land | The Stuttgart Ballet |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Bryony Brind | The Royal Ballet's Dances of Albion |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet | Ashley Page | The Royal Ballet's Isadora |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Opera | Helen Field | The Cunning Little Vixen |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Opera | Anne Mackay | The Gypsy |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Opera | David Wilson, David Johnson | The Lighthouse |
| Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Opera | Claire Powell | The Royal Opera's Les Contes D'Hoffman |
| Play of the Year | Mark Medoff | Children Of A Lesser God |
| Play of the Year | Peter Nichols | Passion Play |
| Play of the Year | Simon Gray | Quartermaine's Terms |
| Play of the Year | Brian Friel | Translations |
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