The Olivier Awards with Mastercard are Britain’s most prestigious theatre awards, and with this year’s nominations announcement finally revealed, it’s time to reflect on what some of last year’s winners have got up to since their big win.
From heading to Broadway and receiving more awards, to acting on the silver screen and getting another Olivier Award nomination this year, here’s what just some of what the Olivier Award Winners 2018 are doing now!
Best Actress: Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
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Laura made a big impact in her role as Caitlin in The Ferryman. She not only took home a much-deserved Olivier award, but high star ratings and applause from many critics.
Laura’s performance was so good that it took her all the way to America, when The Ferryman transferred to Broadway in October of last year. She kept her role of Caitlin and wowed the American critics who called it a “heart-stopping performance,” (New York Times), “the throbbing heartbeat of the play” (Hollywood Reporter) and “superb” (Washington Post).
Best Actor: Bryan Cranston, Network
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You’d probably already heard of Bryan Cranston before he was on the West End stage. He’d achieved massive success in American TV hits like Seinfeld, Malcom In The Middle and Breaking Bad. So when it was announced that this four-time Emmy winner was starring in a stage adaptation of Network at the National Theatre, there were incredibly high expectations. But Bryan smashed those expectations to smithereens, winning an Olivier Award for his incredible performance as Howard Beale.
Since leaving our shores, Bryan has gone onto star in more TV and films, and even lent his voice on award-winning movie Isle of Dogs and the cartoon Family Guy. He also landed a role on a new TV show called “Your Honor”, where he will play a court judge who faces a moral dilemma when his son gets arrested.
Best Actress in a Musical: Shirley Henderson, Girl From The North Country
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Shirley Henderson received her first ever Olivier Award for her portrayal of Elizabeth Laine in Girl From The North Country.
Already a successful actress before performing in the show, Shirley had made a name for herself in film and TV. You may recognise her from iconic films like Trainspotting or her role as Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter film series.
Since winning her Olivier, Shirley’s successful career has only grown. This has included starring in the hit film, Stan And Ollie, where she worked alongside Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, playing Oliver Hardy’s wife, Lucille. She’s also been on TV in The ABC Murders, a show based on an Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels.
Best Actor in a Musical: Giles Terera, Hamilton
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Winning an Olivier Award for your first ever nomination is quite an achievement, and that’s exactly what Giles did last year. Giles won Best Actor in a Musical for his unforgettable performance of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, adding to the show’s six other wins that night. Giles stayed in his award-winning role until December 2018, when he passed the Burr costume over to Sifiso Mazibuko.
Giles recently presented the Olivier Award 2019 with Mastercard nominations announcement alongside another previous winner, Sheila Atim.
You can next see Giles in the West End revival of Rosmersholm, where he will play the role of Andreas Kroll. Giles joins a star-studded cast in this production, which includes Tom Burke, Hayley Atwell and Lucy Briers. The show will preview at Duke of York’s Theatre from 24 April, with official opening night on 2 May.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Bertie Carvel, Ink
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Bertie had previously won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the evil Miss Trunchball in Matilda The Musical, before winning this award for playing Rupert Murdoch in Ink.
After winning his Olivier, Bertie appeared in an episode of the hit show, The Crown, as well as narrating the Big Cats series on the BBC.
Just like Laura, Bertie is also soon to reprise his role on Broadway in April 2019.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Denise Gough, Angels in America
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No stranger to theatrical praise, Denise Gough had already thoroughly impressed both West End and Broadway audiences in People, Places and Things. So when she landed a role in the iconic (and quite long) show, Angels in America, critics knew they were likely to witness something special. And they weren’t wrong; they were witnessing an Olivier award-winning performance.
Just like her previous show, Denise had impressed so much that when the show transferred over to Broadway in 2018, they took her with them to reprise her previous role as Harper Pitt. She then went onto land a Tony nomination!
Her talents also took her to the big screen in 2018, as she appeared alongside Kiera Knightly and Dominic West in the film Colette, which is about the famous French novelist.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Sheila Atim, Girl From The North Country
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Sheila Atim received incredibly high praise for her portrayal of Marianne in Girl From The North Country. In fact, one critic described her performance as better than Bob Dylan himself!
Sheila had been a successful model, singer and actress before landing this role. But this was the first time she had ever received an Olivier Award nomination, and she went on to win it!
And it seems like Shelia’s diary has continued to be filling up, with several TV series under her belt (including Harlots and Bounty Hunters) as well as a screen adaptation of Twelfth Night. This year she’ll be appearing in the film Sulphur and White and well as the fantasy film, The Show. She’s also currently filming a new TV series called The Feed.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Michael Jibson, Hamilton
Hamilton won seven Olivier Awards last year, two of which went to leads within it; Giles Terera for his performance of Aaron Burr, and Michael Jibson for his hilarious portrayal of King George.
No stranger to the screen before his Oliver win (did you spot him as the factory foreman in the movie adaptation of Les Misérables!?), Michael has also been busy over the past year. Not only did he continue his reign of King George until December 2018, he also appeared in two TV miniseries (Trauma and The Alienist).
Michael also donned his finest royal garments for the first announcement for the Olivier Awards 2019.
Best Costume Design: Vicki Mortimer, Follies
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Vicki Mortimer’s incredible set design and elaborate costumes for Follies both received nominations at last year’s Olivier Awards. A worthy winner, Vicki had been responsible for creating costumes, 62 headdresses, and 129 pairs of tap shoes for Follies! Vicki’s shelf now has two Olivier Awards, as she’d previously won in 2008 for The Man Of Mode.
But Vicki is another busy West End woman, and she went onto make beautiful creations for a range of productions, including The Meeting (Chichester Festival Theatre), Wise Children (Old Vic) and When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other (National Theatre).
Best Sound Design: Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
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This was Nevin’s first ever Olivier Award win (and nomination), and he’s also gone onto have an incredibly busy year. He’s gone onto work on several other productions in the last year, including Tina – The Tina Turner Musical on the West End and The Cher Show on Broadway. His upcoming Broadway productions include Hadestown and a revival of Frankie And Johnny In The Clair De Lune.
Best Lighting Design: Howell Binkley, Hamilton
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Howell has been lighting up stages (literally) across the world for many years, and has won several awards for his spectacular work. Prior to winning this Olivier Award, Howell had also taken an Olivier home in 1993 for his lighting work on Kiss Of The Spider Woman.
Howell went on to work on two Broadway productions after his win last year; Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Ain’t Too Proud – The Life And Times Of The Temptations.
And it seems like the West End still can’t get enough of Howell either, as he’s up for an Olivier Award this year too, nominated for his lighting design on the uplifting musical, Come From Away.
Best Theatre Chorographer: Andy Blankenbuehler, Hamilton
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Hamilton’s choreography was widely praised for its graceful and elegant take of modern movements. A musical with almost continual songs, the show’s choreographer Andy certainly deserved to take home an Olivier Award last year for his incredible work.
Since taking home his first ever Olivier, Andy has returned to America to work on more productions. He went onto work on the Broadway production of the musical Bandstand and is currently choreographing the movie version of Cats.
Outstanding Achievement in Dance: Francesca Velicu, for her performance in English National Ballet’s production of Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre Du Printemps
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Taking home her first ever Olivier Award (from her first ever nomination) was a huge achievement for Francesca, but she certainly didn’t stop there.
Shortly after winning, she appeared as the principal roles of Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in the English National Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker at the London’s Coliseum.
She went onto be listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Art and Culture list for 2019.