Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director
The Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director is an annual prize from the Society of London Theatre for outstanding directing in professional London theatre. It began in 1976 as the Best Director award within the Society of West End Theatre Awards. In 1984 the awards were renamed to honor Laurence Olivier. In 2018 the Best Director award was renamed to Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director, with the new name starting with the 2019 ceremony.
In 1991 the category was briefly split into Best Director of a Play and Best Director of a Musical, but these were retired in 1995 and the single Best Director award was reinstated. Robert Icke became the youngest winner at age 29 in 2016, a record previously held by Deborah Warner in 1988. So far only six women have won: Deborah Warner, Marianne Elliott, Lyndsey Turner, Miranda Cromwell, Rebecca Frecknall, and Eline Arbo.
As of 2025, the current holder is Eline Arbo for The Years.
Key facts:
- First awarded: 1976
- Location: England
- Presented by: Society of London Theatre
- Current holder: Eline Arbo for The Years (2025)
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:04 (CET).