The 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2016-2017 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 26 at the Elgin Theatre of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, hosted by acclaimed actor and musician Raoul Bhaneja, a Maple Blues Award winner and Gemini, Dora and Canadian Comedy Award nominee.
Soulpepper Hauls in 5 Awards to Lead General Theatre Division including Outstanding Production to Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts I, II, III)
Mirvish Productions and Yonge Street Theatricals Nab 3 Awards for Top Spot in Musical Theatre for Come From Away including Outstanding Production
The Theatre Centre Leads the Pack in Two Divisions: 2 for This is the Point with Ahuri Theatre in the Independent Theatre Division including Outstanding Production and 3 for what it’s like in the Dance Division including Outstanding Production
Tapestry Opera Leads Opera with 5 Awards for Rocking Horse Winner including Outstanding Production
Bad Hats Theatre Leads the Theatre for Young Audiences Division with 3 for Peter Pan including Outstanding Production
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are produced and presented by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and celebrate excellence in Toronto theatre, dance and opera. For the 2016-2017 season, 129 producing companies registered 210 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award and the Audience Choice Award, re-named the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award in honour of beloved NOW Magazine senior theatre writer Jon Kaplan, were given out.
The Theatre Centre leads the pack, taking home 6 Dora Awards over two divisions: 3 in the Dance Division (for Adelheid/The Theatre Centre’s what it’s like including Outstanding Production) and 2 in the Independent Theatre Division (for Ahuri Theatre/The Theatre Centre’s This is the Point, including Outstanding Production).
Following closely are both Soulpepper Theatre Company and Tapestry Opera, each with 5 wins. Soulpepper’s honours are spread over 4 shows and include Outstanding Production for Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts I, II, III) in the General Theatre Division. Tapestry’s honours are all for Rocking Horse Winner, including Outstanding Production in the Opera Division while the Canadian Opera Company tallies in with 4 awards, including Outstanding Performance – Female for Norma (Sondra Radvanovsky).
Mirvish Productions and Yonge Street Theatricals haul in 3 awards for Come From Away in Musical Theatre, including Outstanding Production. Bad Hats Theatre also tallies in at 3 for Peter Pan, including Outstanding Production in the Theatre for Young Audiences Division, as does Obsidian Theatre Company including Outstanding Direction in the General Theatre Division for “Master Harold” …and the Boys (Philip Akin).
Here are the details for each division
In the General Theatre Division, Soulpepper Theatre leads the division with 5 Dora Awards over 4 productions. The Last Wife earns 2: Outstanding Performance – Female to Maev Beaty and Outstanding Scenic Design to Yannik Larivée. Outstanding Production goes to Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts I, II, III), Outstanding Performance – Ensemble goes to Incident at Vichy and Outstanding Costume Design goes to Victoria Wallace for A Doll’s House.
Obsidian Theatre Company ties The Last Wife with 2 awards for “Master Harold” …and the Boys (in association with Shaw Festival), winning Outstanding Direction for Philip Akin and Outstanding Performance – Male for André Sills.
The other winning companies in this division each garner 1 award. Nick Green nabs Outstanding New Play for Body Politic, presented by Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Trevor Schwellnus racks up Outstanding Lighting Design for Alien Creature, presented by Theatre Passe Muraille. Nightwood Theatre (with Quote Unquote Collective) sees Mouthpiece win Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for sound design by James Bunton with music composed by Amy Nostbakken.
Special gifts were also awarded in the General Theatre Division. The Bluma Appel Community Trust continued its gift of a $5,000 prize for the 11th year in a row to the winning playwright of Outstanding New Play (Nick Green). And, for the third year in a row, the Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts provided a prize of $1,000 each to the recipients of the Outstanding Performance – Female and Outstanding Performance – Male (Maev Beaty, André Sills).
In Musical Theatre, David Mirvish and Yonge Street Theatricals lead with 3 Doras for Come From Away: Outstanding New Musical/Opera to Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Outstanding Production (produced by Junkyard Dog Productions, Jerry Frankel, Latitude Link, Smith & Brant Theatricals, Steve and Paula Reynolds, David Mirvish, Michael Rubinoff, Yonge Street Theatricals, Sheridan College, Allan Detsky and Rena Mendelson and Just for Laughs Theatricals) and Outstanding Performance – Female to Jenn Colella.
The Musical Stage Company and Obsidian Theatre Company co-production of Passing Strange earns Outstanding Performance – Male for Jahlen Barnes (bringing Obsidian Theatre Company’s tally to 3 in total). The Lemon Bucket Orkestra wins Outstanding Performance – Ensemble for Counting Sheep, which also wins Outstanding Choreography for Mark Marczyk.
In Opera, Tapestry Opera leads the pack, taking home 5 Dora Awards for Rocking Horse Winner (co-commissioned by Scottish Opera and Tapestry Opera): Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction to Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Outstanding Performance – Male to Asitha Tennekoon, Outstanding Performance – Ensemble and Outstanding Lighting Design to Michelle Ramsay.
Following closely is the Canadian Opera Company which takes home 4 awards over two productions: 3 for Norma – Outstanding Performance – Female to Sondra Radvanovsky, Outstanding Scenic Design to David Korins, Outstanding Costume Design to Jessica Jahn – and Outstanding Musical Direction to Johannes Debus for Götterdämmerung.
Celebrating its 11th anniversary, Bluma’s Indies bestows each of the winners in the Independent Theatre Division with a $1,000 cheque from the Bluma Appel Community Trust.
In the Independent Theatre Division, Ahuri Theatre/The Theatre Centre, The Company Theatre and Crow’s Theatre all tie for the lead with 2 awards each.
Ahuri Theatre/The Theatre Centre land Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance – Ensemble for This is the Point. Outstanding New Play goes to Ngozi Paul for Crow’s Theatre’s The Emancipation of Ms. Lovely which also earns Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for Waleed Abdulhamid and DJ L’Oqenz. The Company Theatre’s John nabs Outstanding Performance – Female for Nora McLellan as well as Outstanding Scenic Design for Shannon Lea Doyle.
Each of the other awards in this division are won by different companies and individuals. Outstanding Direction goes to Christopher Stanton for ARC’s Pomona. Outstanding Performance – Male goes to Robert Persichini for Coal Mine Theatre’s Superior Donuts. Lindsay Dagger Junkin nabs Outstanding Costume Design for Tough Jews, presented by The Spadina Avenue Gang while Outstanding Lighting Design goes to Michelle Ramsay (bringing her Dora haul to 2 this time out) and Jennifer Tipton for The Magic Hour (co-produced by The Theatre Centre and Jess Dobkin).
In the Theatre for Young Audience’s Division, Bad Hats Theatre heads the division with 3 Doras for Peter Pan: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction to Severn Thompson and Outstanding Performance – Ensemble.
Nightswimming’s Boys With Cars (presented in association with Young People’s Theatre) tallies in second with 2 Doras for Anita Majumdar: Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Performance – Individual.
In the Dance Division, what it’s like leads with 3 Doras. Co-produced by Adelheid and The Theatre Centre (bringing TTC’s total to six, the most of any company), its honours are: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Performance – Ensemble and Outstanding Lighting Design to Simon Rossiter.
DanceWorks closely follows with 2 wins: Outstanding Original Choreography for Ylem (3 Eggs Ago) to Lina Cruz (DanceWorks / Throwdown Collective / Lina Cruz | Fila 13 Productions) and Outstanding Performance – Female for Kittly-Bender to Jennifer Dallas.
Michael Caldwell earns Outstanding Performance – Male for Crave presented by Kaeja d’Dance. Benjamin Barrile wins Outstanding Sound Design / Composition for Compania Carmen Romero’s Jacinto.
The Outstanding Touring Production category (open to General Theatre and Musical Theatre) goes to 887, created by Robert LePage, presented by Canadian Stage.
Other Awards:
The Silver Ticket Award is bestowed upon an individual who has excelled in their career while also nurturing the development of Canadian theatre. It was presented to highly regarded arts manager Jane Marsland who has been involved in Toronto’s theatre community for close to five decades. She has managed arts organizations since 1970 and was General Manager of the Danny Grossman Dance Company from 1982 to 1999. Since 1999, she has been an arts consultant and community builder, benefiting both the organizations she has worked with as well as the arts-loving public.
TAPA’s Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, co-sponsored by NOW Magazine and Yonge-Dundas Square, was also handed out. The public was invited to vote online from a list of Outstanding Production nominees in all divisions, or choose their own favourite. Presented with a commemorative plaque, the Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award winner is Come From Away, produced by Junkyard Dog Productions, Jerry Frankel, Latitude Link, Smith & Brant Theatricals, Steve & Paula Reynolds, David Mirvish, Michael Rubinoff, Yonge Street Theatricals, Sheridan College, Allan Detsky & Rena Mendelson and Just for Laughs Theatricals.
For the winner’s list and more info, visit www.tapa.ca.
About Dora Mavor Moore Awards
The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are administered by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). In addition to the Doras, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: the city-wide arts app TOnight “a box office in your pocket”; Toronto.spacefinder.org; Toronto’s Official Theatre Guide; hipTIX, offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29; city SPECIAL, offering free tickets to newcomers and marginalized communities; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program – TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca
