The Stage

Olivier Awards seeks public panellists

Published Friday 29 September 2006 at 17:10 by Alistair Smith

Members of the public are being sought to help judge this year’s Laurence Olivier Awards, the UK’s most prestigious theatrical accolades.

The Society of London Theatre, which organises and runs the Oliviers, is calling for 14 people to join next year’s judging panel.

Previous years have seen chemists, psychoanalysts, vicars, teachers, housewives and doctors - ranging from their early twenties to their seventies - on the panel, which is unique in that it is comprised of both professional and public panellists.

Applicants will be required to dedicate themselves to attending a vast array of productions staged throughout the year in London and considering each of these performances “with perception and clarity”.

In order to enter, each applicant must be over 18 and live within easy access of London. They must write a 150-word review of a production they have seen recently and they must also list all the productions they have seen in the last 12 months.

Anyone who wants to apply can pick up a leaflet from any West End theatre, apply online at www.olivierawards.co.uk, or they can request a form from SOLT via: awards@solttma.co.uk or 020 7557 6777 or send an SAE to Awards Office (P), 32 Rose Street, London WC2E 9ET

Closing dates for applications is November 17, with interviews taking place in early December. The awards year runs from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007.