The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) announced the nominees for the 45th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Presented by the Romano D’Andrea Foundation, the awards will be given to the winners at a gala on June 30.
Actor Peter Fernandes — who is nominated for an Outstanding Performance Dora Award, the second of his career, for Fat Ham (Canadian Stage) — will host the event at Meridian Hall.
Toronto performing arts fans can become part of the show by voting on the annual Jon Kaplan Audience Choice Award, named for long-time theatre writer, here. Fans can choose from the Outstanding Production nominees, or even write in their own choices, with voting until midnight on June 23.
Ancillary Awards
Ancillary awards were given out during the media event.
- Juan Jaramillo as this year’s recipient of the Christine Karcza Disability Leadership Award, with emerging Disability leader Ralitsa Rodriguez also honoured;
- Adina Herling Davids as this year’s recipient of the Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award, given to an outstanding arts administrator. The related prize, the Victor C. Polley Protégé Award, was awarded to Marketa Tokova.
- Prop maker Sophie Moynan was awarded this year’s Pauline McGibbon Award, given to an outstanding emerging theatre artist in various disciplines.
- Guild Festival Theatre was awarded the Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant of $25,000 to recognize advances in theatrical design and the promotion of environmental sustainability in live theatre. GFT will use the funds to provide a shuttle bus from the nearest train and bus stations to the venue, along with a theatrical experience that will prep riders for the show they’ll see.
And the nominees are….
The judges, who come from the performing arts and media communities, sifted through 225 nominations in 43 gender-inclusive award categories, and across seven divisions. A total of 81 shows from 59 registered companies have been nominated for awards.
Here are some of the nominees for this year’s awards in the general, independent, musical theatre, theatre for young audiences, opera, dance, and touring divisions.
General Theatre Division
Outstanding Production
- FLEX (Crow’s Theatre and Obsidian Theatre Company)
- Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
- Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
- Rosmersholm (Crow’s Theatre)
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Canadian Stage)
Outstanding New Play
- Mahabharata: Part One: Karma: The Life We Inherit by Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
- Mahabharata: Part Two: Dharma: The Life We Choose by Miriam Fernandes and Ravi Jain (Why Not Theatre presented by Canadian Stage)
- Table for Two by Akosua Amo-Adem (Soulpepper Theatre Company and Obsidian Theatre)
- There is Violence and There is Righteous Violence and There is Death, or The Born-Again
- Crow by Caleigh Crow (Native Earth Performing Arts and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
- Trident Moon by Anusree Roy (Crow’s Theatre and National Arts Centre English Theatre)
Independent Theatre Division
Outstanding Production
- A Case for the Existence of God (Coal Mine Theatre)
- Big Stuff (Baram and Snieckus Productions)
- Last Landscape (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
- Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) (CORPUS)
- People, Places and Things (Coal Mine Theatre)
Outstanding New Play
- Last Landscape by Adam Paolozza with The Company (Bad New Days in partnership with Common Boots Theatre)
- MONKS by Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján (Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján presented by The Theatre Centre)
- Mukashi, Mukashi (Once Upon a Time) by David Danzon (CORPUS)
- Performance Review by Rosamund Small (Outside the March)
- The Tempest: A Witch in Algiers by Makram Ayache (Shakespeare in the Ruff)
Musical Theatre Division
Outstanding Production
- A Strange Loop (The Musical Stage Company, Soulpepper Theatre Company, Crow’s Theatre, and TO Live)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Young People’s Theatre)
- Life After (Yonge Street Theatricals, David Barnett, Cynthia Stroum, Grove Entertainment, Thomas Swayne, Jake Epstein, Chilina Kennedy, and Goodman Theatre)
- The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Shifting Ground Collective)
- The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres)
Outstanding New Musical/New Opera (shared by the two divisions)
- La Reine-garçon by Julien Bilodeau (Composer) and Michel Marc Bouchard (Librettist) (A Canadian Opera Company co-production with Opéra de Montréal)
- I Was Unbecoming Then by Lyndsey Bourne (Book and Lyrics) and Sam Kaseta (Music) (Downtown Theatre presented by the Next Stage Theatre Festival)
- The Wizard of Oz: The Toto-ly Awesome Family Musical by Matt Murray (New Book and Original Song Contributions) (Canadian Stage in association with the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres)
- Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White by Sean Mayes (Composer); HAUI (Librettist) (Canadian Opera Company, in association with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council)
- Sankofa: The Soldier’s Tale Retold by Titilope Sonuga (new Libretto), based on the original music by Igor Stravinsky (Art of Time Ensemble)
Opera Division
Outstanding Production
- Aportia Chryptych: A Black Opera for Portia White (Canadian Opera Company, in association with the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council)
- Eugene Onegin (Canadian Opera Company production with all scenery, properties, and costumes constructed by the Metropolitan Opera Shops)
- La Reine-garçon (A Canadian Opera Company co-production with Opéra de Montréal)
- Madama Butterfly (Canadian Opera Company presents the Houston Grand Opera production)
- Wozzeck (Canadian Opera Company co-production with The Salzburg Festival, The Metropolitan Opera, and Opera Australia)
Outstanding Performance by an Individual
- Eri Nakamura in Madama Butterfly (Canadian Opera Company presents the Houston Grand Opera production)
- Evan LeRoy Johnson in Eugene Onegin (Canadian Opera Company production with all scenery, properties, and costumes constructed by the Metropolitan Opera Shops)
- Kang Wang in Madama Butterfly (Canadian Opera Company presents the Houston Grand Opera production)
- Kirsten MacKinnon in La Reine-garçon (A Canadian Opera Company co-production with Opéra de Montréal)
- Long Long in Faust (Canadian Opera Company co-production with Malmö Opera)
- Marnie Breckenridge in Jacqueline (Tapestry Opera)
Theatre for Young Audiences Division
Outstanding Production
- Alligator Pie (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
- The Assembly (Crossroads Theatre and Colouring Book Theatre)
- Patty Picker (One Four One Collective in association with The Assembly Theatre)
- Wicked Nix (Young People’s Theatre)
- Les Zinspiré·e·s : le nombre sublime (Théâtre français de Toronto)
Outstanding New Play
- The Assembly by Deivan Steele and Breanne Tice (Crossroads Theatre and Colouring Book Theatre)
- Patty Picker by Evan Bawtinheimer (One Four One Collective in association with The Assembly Theatre)
- Taking Care of Maman by Djennie Laguerre (Roseneath Theatre and Black Theatre Workshop)
- Wicked Nix by Paula Wing (Young People’s Theatre)
- Les Zinspiré·e·s : le nombre sublime by Sara Bulz, Ella Jade de Boer-Eldelekli, Rachel Darroch, Cindy Mujangi, Mohammad Elnakoury, Mia Liang, Angelina Trejos Castillo, Lara Arabian, Carolyn Fe, François Macdonald, and Merlin Simard (Théâtre français de Toronto)
Dance Division
Outstanding Production
- Big Time Miss (Rock Bottom Movement presented by Fall For Dance North)
- Contes pour la fin du temps (Citadel + Compagnie)
- everything i wanted to tell you (but couldn’t, so here it is now) (Citadel + Compagnie)
- Ophis (TRANSCEN|DANCE PROJECT)
- একসঙ – Akshongay (Citadel + Compagnie)
Outstanding Original Choreography
- Alyssa Martin, Big Time Miss (Rock Bottom Movement presented by Fall For Dance North)
- Jessie Garon, everything i wanted to tell you (but couldn’t, so here it is now) (Citadel + Compagnie)
- Lina Cruz, Tomato Blues (Older & Reckless) (Moonhorse Dance Theatre)
- Lucy Rupert, heartless (Citadel + Compagnie)
- yvonne ng, All that is between (Tiger Princess Dance Projects)
Outstanding Touring Production
- BOW’T TRAIL Retrospek (RD Créations presented by dance Immersion, in association with DanceWorks)
- GOBLIN: MACBETH (Spontaneous Theatre presented by Tarragon Theatre)
- HOME (Luminato Festival Toronto presents Geoff Sobelle)
- Wilma (Porta Teatro presented by Aluna Theatre’s RUTAS International Performing Arts Festival)
Good luck to all the nominees!
You’ll find the full list of nominees in all categories [HERE].
Get tickets to the June 30 gala (with early bird pricing until June 6) [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. Previously, she was a freelance writer with a specialty in culture and travel for three decades, and a creative writing instructor for Ontariolearn.
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