Roundtable

A Conversation with Julian Bird,
The Executive Who Oversees    
The Olivier & UK Theatre Awards

Monday, June 12
6:00 PM

When this year's Tony Awards are presented on Sunday, June 11, a key member of the audience will be Julian Bird, an arts executive who oversees the two UK ceremonies that parallel America's most prestigious theatrical gathering. We've long been aware of the Broadway shows that derive from productions that originated in London. But many of us have been less conscious of the degree to which both scripts and talents with U.S. pedigrees attract British playgoers to West End venues.
   These collaborations require sensitive coordination, and a visit to Mr. Bird's bustling office in Covent Garden provides reminders of how crucial his efforts are as leader of both the Society of London Theatre, which operates the Leicester Square ticket office and administers the annual Olivier Awards ceremony, and UK Theatre, a theatrical management association that presents nationwide prizes each October in one of the City's most venerable settings, the 12th-century London Guildhall.
   Since 2014 that historic edifice has been the site of three presentations of the Gielgud Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts, a Shakespeare Guild trophy that dates back to a 1994 Folger ceremony on Capitol Hill, and one that has been bestowed several times in Manhattan venues such as The National Arts Club. This background became poignantly vivid a few months ago, when Vanessa Redgrave received the same honor that her late sister Lynn had been accorded at the NAC in 2003. Guild president John Andrews has been deeply involved in the festivities, and they will be among the topics to be addressed in what promises to be a memorable conversation with Mr. Bird.