Matt Baram & Naomi Snieckus to Host 35th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards at Harbourfront Centre, 6/23

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) today announced the date, creative team and an exciting new venue for the 35th anniversary of the Dora Mavor Moore Awards which celebrate extraordinary Toronto talent in the performing arts. The award ceremony will take place on June 23 and, for the very first time, will be held at Harbourfront Centre. The new outdoor venue will offer additional seating for this consistently sold-out event under the stars at the WestJet Stage, a 1,300-seat outdoor concert venue covered by a transparent roof with open sides.

TAPA has also announced the artistic team for the Dora Awards. Last season's show was deemed one of the very best in its history. Dora Awards Producer Jacoba Knaapen is proud to announce that the creative team from 2013 returns for the special 35th anniversary show and will be co-hosted for the second year in a row by the deliciously funny Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, Second City alumni and founding Co-Artistic Directors of the three-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning improv company, The National Theatre of the World.

Acclaimed and award-winning theatre director, actor, writer Ed Roy takes the helm as director for the second time while playwright Chris Earle returns for the fourth time as writer for the show. Lighting and scenic design is by Andrea Lundy, who returns for her thirteenth consecutive year, while the Musical Director is Dora-winning composer Waylen Miki, on the roster for his second time.

Co-hosts Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus wowed the audience last year with their wit and improv chops. Both are Second City alumni and founding Co-Artistic Directors of the six-time Canadian Comedy Award-winning improv company, The National Theatre of the World. Baram and Snieckus have also won Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) for Best Improviser, male and female respectively. Baram and Snieckus co-created The Casting Room web series (L.A. WebFest, CCA winner).

Baram also plays Jonathan in CITY and CW's hit comedy series Seed, where he plays an insecure yuppie eternally struggling to win over his daughter's care and affection. Snieckus also earned a 2013 Canadian Comedy Award (Best Performance by a Female - Television) and ACTRA Award nomination for her regular series role in Mr. D, the achingly funny CBC TV hit comedy, and is a regular panelist on CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. She is the voice of Aunt Turtle on Franklin the Turtle. Her upcoming films include 12 Trees of Christmas and If You See Her.

As always, there will be a fabulous pre-show VIP Reception, this time held at Harbourfront Centre's Lakeside Terrace, just a few steps away from the WestJet Stage, from 5:00pm-6:30pm. Guests for this glamorous cocktail party will be greeted once again by Dora-nominated actor Colin Doyle and the award-winning Elley-Ray Hennessy, a veteran of stage, screen and radio. A magnificent Under the Stars After-Party will be held at the same venue.

The Doras are named for Dora Mavor Moore (1888-1979), a well-loved teacher and director who helped establish Canadian professional theatre in the 1930s and 1940s. Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto's performing arts industry, the Doras honour the creators of over 200 theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following Divisions: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Dance, Opera and Theatre for Young Audiences.

The nominees for the 2014 Dora Mavor Moore Awards will be announced at a press conference the morning of Monday, June 2 at 10:00am at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in the Main Lobby.
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: T.O. TIX - Toronto's Official One Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square and online at www.totix.ca; Toronto's Official Theatre Guide; hipTIX, offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 15 and 29; citySPECIAL; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca and www.totix.ca.

Harbourfront Centre is a Canadian charity operating the 10 prime acres of Toronto's central waterfront as a free and open public site. We celebrate the multiplicities of cultures that comprise Canada and enliven the city through the creative imaginations of artists from across the country and around the globe.
35th ANNIVERSARY DORA MAVOR MOORE AWARDS Toronto's Theatre, Dance and Opera Awards Monday June 23, 2014 Hosted by Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus 5:00pm-6:30pm Pre-Show VIP Reception at Harbourfront Centre's Lakeside Terrace, 235 Queens Quay West 7pm Dora Mavor Moore Awards Show at Harbourfront Centre's WestJet Stage, 235 Queens Quay West 10:30pm After-Party Under the Stars beside the lake at Harbourfront Centre Written by Chris Earle; Directed by Edward Roy; Musical Direction by Waylen Miki; Lighting and Scenic Design by Andrea Lundy; Produced by Jacoba Knaapen. TICKETS on sale June 2: $65. General Admission. Call the Box Office at 416-973-4000 For information visit www.tapa.ca.

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