Society of London Theater

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The Society of London Theater (SOLT) (in the early years still Society of West End Theater ) is an umbrella organization for theaters in London's West End . The non-profit organization was founded in 1908 and represents the interests of the owners, producers and managers of the most important commercial and subsidized theaters in London.

In addition to safeguarding the interests of all of its affiliated theaters, the company promotes the theater's reputation through activities such as the Laurence Olivier Award , TKTS ticket outlets, theater vouchers and a printed bi-weekly theater guide. In addition, with the “Official London Theater” it also operates a website with information and ticket sales.

Other activities include advertising initiatives to get new people excited about the theater, such as “Kids Week” and the “Official London Theater's New Year Sale”. She also runs events such as the Behind-the-Scenes, TheatreCraft and West End LIVE careers fair with Westminster City Council . SOLT also supports a number of charities such as “Stage One” and the “Mousetrap Theater Projects”.

Publications

The website "Official London Theater" ( Link ) offers information on current theater and musical performances in London, as well as the opportunity to purchase tickets.

In addition, a printed theater guide is published every two weeks, which announces all shows and news from the London theater scene. It has a circulation of 125,000 and is free to take with you to all theaters and tourist information points in the UK. Another theater brochure called "London Theater" lists all of the Company-sponsored performances in London and is published quarterly. Also in Braille and on Compact Disc .

Laurence Olivier Award

The Olivier Awards (or simply "The Olivier's") are an annual presentation honoring professional theater work. Originally called the Society of West End Theater Awards , it was renamed in 1984 in honor of British actor Laurence Olivier .

The awards are given annually in the categories theater, musical, dance and opera. The Olivier Awards are internationally recognized as the highest distinction in British theater, synonymous with the Broadway Tony Award and the French Molière Award . The winners receive a bronze statuette with Sir Laurence Olivier in his portrayal as Henry V in 1937. The prizes were awarded in various hotels and theaters in London and have been held at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden since 2012 .

The first award ceremony took place in December 1976 in the Hotel Café Royal . The winners, which included Alan Howard , Peggy Ashcroft , Penelope Keith and Jonathan Miller , have not yet received any of the iconic bronze statuettes. Their prices were specially commissioned blue Wedgwood urns, nicknamed "The Urnies".

Kids Week

Kids Week is an initiative to get young people excited about the theater and to introduce them to them. Every August, people under the age of 16 accompanied by a (paying) adult have free entry. There are also discounts for children. A variety of free theater workshops and activities related to theater are offered. The program has been very successful since its conception in 1998 and grew from the title week to the entire month of August. In 2012, Kids Week won 'Best Cultural Attraction' at the London Lifestyle Awards .

Official London Theater's New Year Sale

The New Year's offer of discounted theater tickets runs every year from January to mid-February. It was launched in 2001 as the Get Into London Theater and offers discounted tickets between £ 10 and £ 40 for all events.

West End LIVE

West End LIVE is a free event in Trafalgar Square featuring performances of West End musicals. The annual event is presented by SOLT and Westminster City Council with the support of the Mayor of London in celebration and promotion of London theater.

Stage One

Stage One is a SOLT supported charity that aims to support future theater producers. Stage One offers a structured training program to develop and support new theater makers, which includes workshops, scholarships, seed capital, internships and start-up investments.

The recipients of the first funding stage were successful productions such as Birdsong (2010), A Doll's House (2013), The Pajama Game (2014) and Avenue Q (2014).

Laurence Olivier Scholarship

The scholarship was introduced and named in honor of actor Laurence Olivier's 80th birthday in 1987. This is to support talented students in their final year at the drama school. As is so often the case in student life, the students are seldom able to take up paid work on the side due to the workload. The society therefore directs its offer to 20 drama schools to name two particularly talented students each who should benefit from the scholarship. Every June 40 students are invited to a committee of professional theater makers - usually producers and casting officers - and have to give a 10-minute performance. This also includes the recitation of a song and an interview. The scholarship is endowed with an amount of £ 7,500 each. Smaller sums of up to £ 1,000 are also awarded.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Society Of London Theater - About Us .
  2. ↑ Kids Week: Free Kids Theater Tickets Official London Theater (en) . In: Kids Week . 
  3. ↑ Get Into London Theater with Official London Theater's New Year Sale (en) . In: Get into London Theater . 
  4. ^ Stage One - About Us .
  5. ↑ Kate Youde: Larry, dear Larry! In Olivier's footsteps - News - Theater & Dance . In: The Independent . September 4, 2011. Accessed June 16, 2019.