London's Laurence Olivier Awards Forges Broadway Links with Live Relay to New York | Playbill

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News London's Laurence Olivier Awards Forges Broadway Links with Live Relay to New York This year's Laurence Olivier Awards, being held at the Royal Opera House April 15 in association with MasterCard, are to forge closer Broadway links, with a reception to take place in New York attended by stars of the U.K. and U.S. theatre industries and a live relay of the show's broadcast to New York.

In London, there will also be a live show relay to Covent Garden Piazza. In addition, the nominations announcement is to be live streamed online March 15 on the Olivier website, www.olivierawards.com.

The Awards will be hosted by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, who are soon to also reprise their performances in the Chichester Festival Theatre production of Sweeney Todd in the West End.

In a press statement, the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, commented, "New York City and London share a long tradition of theatrical productions that have transferred from Broadway to the West End and vice versa, so it's a pleasure to welcome the Olivier Awards to our side of the pond in this very special way. It doesn't matter if you spell it theater or theatre; musicals and plays are a top attraction for tourists, and we look forward to hosting more than a million visitors from the United Kingdom in the coming year."

His London counterpart, Boris Johnson, adds, "I'm incredibly proud of the continuing success of so many British productions on Broadway, a tribute to the talent and quality to be found here. London goes centre-stage in this Olympic and Paralympic year, whilst the Olivier Awards put our superb theatre right in the spotlight. The special event being staged at this year's awards is a taste of the amazing things we have planned for a summer like no other and we look forward to welcoming millions of Americans to the capital, who can take advantage of our award-winning shows on sale throughout the Games and beyond."

Julian Bird, chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and executive producer of the Awards, has also commented, "This year's 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard will reflect a particularly star-studded year for London theatre, and the plethora of high calibre sell-out productions for which audiences have been queuing around the block. I am delighted we have been able to extend our celebrations to New York, and this connection is particularly apt in a year in which we are working closer than ever with VisitBritain and London & Partners to deliver a warm welcome to theatre audiences during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games." BBC Radio 2 is also partnering with the Olivier Awards on the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award, to launch on the Elaine Paige show on Feb. 5.

The Laurence Olivier Awards were established in 1976, and relaunched in 2011 with a new strategic partnership with MasterCard, the Olivier Audience Award supported by BBC Radio 2 and a live broadcast of the Awards Ceremony via the BBC Red Button.

For more information on the Olivier Awards visit www.olivierawards.com.

 
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