Marianne Elliott will be celebrating tonight after being named Best Director at the Olivier Awards with MasterCard for her work on The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time.
The Associate Director at the National Theatre, where the stage adaptation of Mark Haddon’s much-loved book started life before transferring to the West End, won in a testing category that also included Jeremy Herrin (This House), Simon McBurney (The Master And Margarita) and Stephen Daldry (The Audience).
Elliott, the daughter of Royal Exchange founder Michael Elliott and actress Rosalind Knight, sat at the helm of the plaudit-pulling production, drawing together the many Olivier nominated facets of the show, which received eight nominations in total, to create a whole that won the hearts of critics and public alike with its touching story and breathtaking theatricality.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, which is currently playing at the Apollo theatre, tells the story of teenage Christopher who, though a talented mathematician, struggles with everyday life. When he discovers the lifeless body of a neighbour’s dog, he embarks on a mission to uncover its murderer, but reveals far more than he expected.
Speaking backstage after accepting her award, Elliott described the win as “extraordinary,” saying: “It’s a bit surreal. We really didn’t think we were out there to be a success. We were just trying to be really truthful and imaginative about how to tell the story. We were all working outside our comfort zones.”
Elliott can add the Olivier statuette to the Tony Award she won for her co-direction of another National Theatre hit War Horse. Though she received an Olivier nomination for that production, this is her first Olivier Award win.
