50 Years of the Oliviers: Live at The Observer

Invited experts

Susannah Clapp

Theatre Critic

Paapa Essiedu

Kash Bennett

Society of London Theatre President

Dame Harriet Walter

Susannah Clapp

Theatre Critic

Kash Bennett

Society of London Theatre President

Paapa Essiedu

Dame Harriet Walter

Join us in The Observer newsroom for a special evening celebrating 50 years of the Olivier Awards - and The Observer’s enduring love affair with the stage. As this year’s official media partner of the Oliviers, we’re bringing the glitz, the glamour, and the drama of the West End’s biggest night of the year into our very own newsroom.

Our theatre critic Susannah Clapp, who has been writing about theatre for The Observer since 1997, will be joined by Society of London Theatre President Kash Bennett and two of Britain’s most acclaimed actors: Olivier Award‑winner Dame Harriet Walter - whose remarkable career spans stage and screen, and who recently published She Speaks! What Shakespeare’s Women Might Have Said - and Paapa Essiedu, a magnetic performer celebrated for Hamlet, Death of England and The Effect. He's a multi‑Olivier Award nominee, most recently for his role in Ivo Van Hove’s All My Sons. 

Together, we'll reflect on how London’s stages - and the conversations around them - have evolved over the past half‑century, exploring the stories, trends and voices that continue to make British theatre one of the country’s most thrilling creative arenas.

In true theatrical spirit, we’ll be conjuring a little stage magic in the heart of the newsroom. It’s a one‑night‑only performance you won’t want to miss.