The 39th Olivier Awards nominations announced

The Nominations for the 39th annual Laurence Olivier Awards have been announced today by actors James McAvoy and Lesley Manville at a private ceremony at the Rosewood Hotel.

The Young Vic Theatre took home the most nominations for a single venue, with 11 in total. It was an embarrassing year for The National Theatre who received only one nomination for a play - believed to be its worst record for over 40 years.

Performance awards favoured celebrities, with Dame Angela Lansbury nominated for her first Olivier, in the role of Madame Arcarti in the revival of 'Blithe Spirit'. Former Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger also received her first nomination, for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in 'Cats' at the London Palladium.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony held at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 12 April 2015.

Nominations.....

Best Actor
Richard Armitage - The Crucible at the Old Vic
James McAvoy - The Ruling Class at the Trafalgar Studios 1
Tim Pigott-Smith - King Charles III at the Almeida/Wyndham's Theatre
Mark Strong - A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic/Wyndham's Theatre

Best Actress
Gillian Anderson - A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic
Kristin Scott Thomas - Electra at the Old Vic
Imelda Staunton - Good People at the Hampstead/Noel Coward Theatre
Penelope Wilton - Taken at Midnight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
David Calder - The Nether at the Duke of York's Theatre
Richard Goulding - King Charles III at the Almeida and Wyndham's Theatre
John Light - Taken At Midnight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Nathaniel Parker - Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at the Aldwych Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Phoebe Fox - A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre
The Girls Playing Iris - The Nether at the Duke of York's Theatre
Angela Lansbury - Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre
Lydia Wilson - King Charles III at the Almeida and Wyndham's Theatre

Best New Play
King Charles III at the Almeida Theatre and Wyndham's Theatre
The Nether at the Duke of York's Theatre
Taken at Midnight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at the Aldwych Theatre

Best Revival
A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre
A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic
The Crucible at the Old Vic
My Night With Reg at the Donmar Warehouse and Apollo Theatre
Skylight at the Wyndham's Theatre

Best Director
Rupert Goold - King Charles III at the Almeida/Wyndham's Theatre
Jeremy Herrin - Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at the Aldwych Theatre
Josie Rourke - City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse
Ivo Van Hove - A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic/Wyndham's Theatre

Best Actor in a Musical
Jon Jon Briones - Miss Saigon at the Price Edward Theatre
John Dagleish - Sunny Afternoon at the Hampstead/Harold Pinter Theatre
Killian Donnelly - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Brandon Victor Dixon - The Scottsboro Boys at the Garrick heatre

Best Actress in a Musical
Gemma Arterton - Made in Dagenham at the Adelphi Theatre
Katie Brayben - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre
Tamsin Greig - Women on the Verge...at the Playhouse Theatre
Beverley Knight - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Rolan Bell - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
George Maguire - Sunny Afternoon at the Hampstead/Harold Pinter
Ian McKintosh - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych
Jason Pennycooke - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical
Samantha Bond - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre
Haydn Gwynne - Women on the Verge...Playhouse Theatre
Nicole Scherzinger - Cats at the London Palladium
Lorna Want - Beautiful: The Carole King musical

Best New Musical
Beautiful: the Carole King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre
Here Lies Love at the Dorfman Theatre
Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Best Musical Revival
Cats at the London Palladium
City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse
The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Miss Saigon at the Prince Edward Theatre

Best Entertainment & Family
Dance 'Till Dawn at the Aldwych Theatre
Hetty Feather at the Vaudeville Theatre
La Soirée at the La Soirée Tent

Best New Comedy
Handbagged at the Vaudeville
The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre
Shakespeare in Love at the Noel Coward Theatre

Outstanding Achievement in Music
The Orchestra of Beautiful: the Carole King Musical at the Aldwych
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim for Here Lies Love at the Dorfman
David Bryan, Joe DiPietro, Tim Sutton and the Band of Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Ray Davis for Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Best Theatre Choreographer
Jerry Mitchell - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre
Annie-B Parsons - Here Lies Love at the Dorfman Theatre
Josh Prince - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych
Sergio Trujillo - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre

Best Set Design
Bunny Christie - Made in Dagenham at the Adelphi Theatre
Es Devlin - The Nether at the Duke of York's Theatre
Rob Jones - City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse
Jan Versweyveld - a View From The Bridge at the Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre

Best Lighting Design
Jon Clark - King Charles III at the Almeida and Wyndham's Theatre
Paule Constable and David Plater - Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at the Aldwych Theatre
Howard Harrison - City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse
Jan Versweyveld - A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre

Best Costume Design
Rob Jones - City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse
Christopher Oram - Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies at the Aldwych
Paul Tazewell - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Alejo Vietti - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre

Best Sound Design
Tom Gibbons - A View From The Bridge at the Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre
Matt McKenzie - Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter Theatre
Gareth Owen - Memphis the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Brian Ronan - Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Aldwych

This Morning Audience Award
Billy Elliot the Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre
Jersey Boys at the Piccadilly Theatre
Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre
Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre

Outstanding Achievement In An Affiliate Theatre
Bull at the Maria at the Young Vic
Four Minutes Twelve Seconds at the Hampstead Downstairs
Juma Sharkah for her performance in Liberian Girl at the Royal Court
Tanya Moodie for her performance in Intimate Apparel at the Park Theatre and The House That Will Not Stand at the Tricycle Theatre

Best new Opera Production
Benvenuto Cellini at the London Coliseum
Dialogues Des Carmélites at the Royal Opera House
Die Frau Ohne Schatten at the Royal Opera House
The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg at the London Coliseum

Outstanding Achievement in Opera
Jonas Kaufmann and Juan Diego Flórez for their performances in La Donna Del Lago at the Royal Opera House
Richard Jones for direction of The Girl of the Golden West at the Coliseum
Royal Opera House and Early Opera Company for their affiliate programme at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and Roundhouse
Welsh National Opera Chorus for Moses und Aron at the Royal Opera House

Best New Dance Production
32 Rue Vandenbranden at the Barbican Theatre
Mats Ek's Juliet and Romeo at Sadler's Wells
Tabac Rouge at Sadler's Wells

Outstanding Achievement in Dance
Christopher Wheeldon for The Winter's Tale at Royal Opera House
Crystal Pite for her choreography in the productions of The Associates - A Picture Of You Falling, The Tempest Replica and Polaris at Sadler's Wells
Rocio Molina for Bosque Ardora at Barbican
The Elders Project as part of the Elixir Festival at Sadler's Wells