Olivier Award for Best Director to be renamed in Sir Peter Hall’s honour

The Society of London Theatre has announced that as of 2019, the Olivier Award for Best Director will be renamed in honour of Sir Peter Hall. 

The news comes as SOLT apologises for omitting Hall, who died last September aged 86, from the In Memoriam video tape at this year's Olivier Awards on Sunday. 

Hall founded the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1968, and was also director at the National Theatre for 15 years from 1973. 

In a statement, SOLT said: "Following the accidental omission of Sir Peter Hall from the In Memoriam section of Sunday's Olivier Awards, the Society of London Theatre apologises unreservedly for this serious error.

"In recognition of Sir Peter's phenomenal contribution to British theatre over many decades, and in close consultation with the Hall family, SOLT has taken the decision to rename the Olivier Award for Best Director the "Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director" from next year's ceremony and in perpetuity thereafter.

"SOLT is also reviewing the process by which people are included in the In Memoriam segment for future ceremonies."

SOLT has also been criticised by some, including Sir Matthew Bourne, for also omitting dancer and choreographer Scott Ambler from the section at Sunday's ceremony, although both Hall and Ambler appear in an updated version of the video which has now been uploaded to YouTube. 

At this year's ceremony, the award for Best Director was given to Marianne Elliott for her work on the epic two-parter Angels in America at the National Theatre, which has just transferred to Broadway. 

Photo courtesy David Levene