08/02/2011

Issued by Yor Theatre Royal 

Yesterday the nominations for this years Olivier Awards were announced and York Theatre Royal are up for not one but two of the UK's most prestigious awards in theatre.

Their production of The Railway Children has been nominated for Best Entertainment and Best Sound Design for its highly successful run at London's Waterloo Station. Opening last July the show proved so popular it extended until January 2011 and now is about to make its international debut in Toronto, Canada. Seen by over 165,000 people during its London run, the show was performed in a purpose built 1000 seat theatre on the old Eurostar tracks in collaboration with The Touring Consortium Theatre Company and supported by Welcome To Yorkshire.

The Laurence Olivier Awards were created in 1976, then called the Society of West End Theatre Awards, to recognise excellence on the London stage. They were rebranded in 1984 when Lord Olivier agreed to have his name associated with them. Winners of the 35th annual Olivier Awards will be announced on Sunday 13 March 2011.

This is a huge achievement for a regional theatre to gain such high acclaim. These nominations will allow York Theatre Royal to raise their ever growing profile further and bring the attention of the national theatre audience to the city of York. With their international reputation already spreading, this is an exciting year for the Theatre Royal.  To be nominated alongside the best in the business, and to be making an impact on the London theatre scene, it is clear to see this is a theatre with great ambition and confidence in the work they produce.

This is echoed in the ambitious season they already have planned for 2011, producing no less than eight in-house productions and transforming their main stage into the round for 7 months to host an exciting Ensemble Season. The theatre will have a rep company of 12 actors for the duration of the season that will perform a mix of classic texts, new adaptations and family shows. At the same time they will have their production of To Kill A Mockingbird (a co-production with The Touring Consortium) touring the UK until April and opening The Railway Children in Canada this May.

This is an exciting time for the organisation and one that sees the theatre's reputation as an innovative advocate for the arts grow within the industry and allow them to continue their commitment for imaginative and ambitious theatre projects.

 

ENDS