Dame Monica Mason News

A newly commissioned portrait of former ballerina and Director of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, by artist Saied Dai has been unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery, London, it was announced today.

Gillian Lynne CBE, 87, has had the title of Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) conferred upon her in the 2014 New Year's Honours List for her services to Dance and Musical Theatre.

It wasn't until Frederick Ashton undertook a new creation of the ballet that it finally became an international hit. He referred to it as his 'poor man's Pastorale,' a lovely reference to Beethoven's symphony where things go from simplicity to thunderstorms and back to normalcy and contentment with the world. He commissioned The Royal Opera House conductor, John Lanchberry, to orchestrate a new score that, while recalling French culture and manners (it did begin as a French ballet after all), is firmly rooted in an English sensibility

All the winners, updated as it happens.

The winners of the most prestigious event in the UK theatrical calendar, the 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard, were announced tonight (15 April 2012) at the Royal Opera House as part of a glamorous and star-studded night of entertainment from the West End's finest talent.

The 36th Olivier Awards welcomed the United Kingdom's biggest stars tonight, April 15, at the Royal Opera House in London. See photos of Matthew Warchus, Tim Minchin and Bertie Carvel with Sophia Kiely, Eleanor Worthington Cox, Kerry Ingram and Cleo Demetriou, winners of Best Actress in a Musical for Matilda the Musical, plus Ruth Wilson, Jonny Lee Miller, Zach Braff, Susannah Fielding, Peter Darling, John Berry, Hayley Atwell, Dan Stevens and more in the winners room below!

We're live in London for this year's Olivier Awards!

The 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard will offer a star-studded night of awards and exclusive entertainment at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 15 April hosted by West End stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. The list of presenters includes Hayley Atwell, Douglas Booth, Zach Braff, Jim Carter, Tom Chambers, Tyne Daly, Jack Davenport, Agyness Deyn, Jonathan Edwards, Susannah Fielding, Vittorio Grigolo, Lenny Henry, Ronan Keating, Katherine Kelly, Harry Lloyd, James McAvoy, Natascha McElhone, Laurie Metcalf, Elaine Paige, Dan Stevens, Sir Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Kara Tointon, Will Young, Zoe Wanamaker, Jodie Whittaker and Barbara Windsor with a few more surprises on the night.