New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Tulsa's
Square 1 Theatrics has earned yet another set of coveted theatrical awards. The co-producers of
Memphis the Musical took home 2 Olivier awards on Sunday, including Best Sound Design for Gareth Owen and Best Theatre Choreographer for
Sergio Trujillo.
Other nominations included:
Best Costume Design - Paul T azewell
Autograph Sound Award For Outstanding Achievement In
Music -
David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Tim Sutton and the
Memphis Band
Best Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical - Rolan Bell
Best Actor In A Supporting Role In A Musical - Jason Pennycooke
Best Actor In A Musical - Killian Donnelly
Best Actress In A Musical - Beverley Knight
Best New Musical - Memphis
The Best Actress in a Supporting role Award was presented to
Angela Lansbury for her return to the London stage in Blithe
Spirit after an absence of nearly 40 years. This was her first-ever Olivier Award.
Kevin Spacey won the Olivier Special Award to recognize his ten-year tenure as artistic director at London's Old Vic Theatre, a position which he leaves this year.
Beverley Knight joined Spacey for a performance of "Bridge over Troubled Water" as the show's finale.
The Olivier Award winners were announced at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, central London on Sunday, April 12. The Olivier Awards, established in 1976 and named after Laurence Olivier, are Britain's most prestigious stage honors and commonly compared to Broadway's Tony Awards.
Memphis was this year's most nominated production.
Memphis premiered on October 23, 2014 in London's West End. The production continues to run at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
Memphis is the winner of four 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as four
Drama Desk Awards and four Outer Critics' Circle Awards.
Memphis first opened on Broadway in 2009 and ran until August 5, 2012, grossing over $104 million.
Square 1, formed by Jay Krottinger and Ryan Tanner in 2011, took home four Tony awards in 2013 for PIPPIN, including Best Revival of a Musical. PIPPIN also earned
Square 1 an Outer Critics Circle Award,
Drama Desk Award and
Drama League Award for their involvement in restaging Stephen Schwartz's 1972 musical.
This is the first international production for
Square 1, a Tulsa-based production company that has grown significantly since its inception. The company has produced two Broadway productions, including the acclaimed A Time to Kill and the Tony Award-Winning revival of PIPPIN. The production of PIPPIN began a national tour in Fall 2014.
A complete list of Olivier Award winners can be found at olivierawards.com.
