2016 Dora Awards Held Monday; VIP Presenters Announced!

Jacoba Knaapen, Toronto Alliance or the Performing Arts (TAPA) Executive Director and Dora Mavor Moore Awards Producer, announced the VIP presenters today for the 37th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards, to be held on Monday, June 27 at Harbourfront Centre's open air Concert Stage (formerly WestJet Stage), a 1,300-seat venue covered by a transparent roof with open sides.

Hosted by the acclaimed actor Bruce Dow, a two-time Dora Award winner and veteran of the Stratford Festival and Broadway, the Dora Mavor Moore Awards celebrate Toronto's vibrant performing arts scene. 48 Dora Awards as well as the Silver Ticket Award and the Audience Choice Award will be handed out in a glittering ceremony honouring theatre, dance and opera artists and productions. An After-Party under the stars featuring party band Storm the Palace who play favourite dance hits of the 1980s winds up Toronto's biggest opening night of the year!

Among the VIP presenters at this year's awards ceremony are acclaimed actors Raoul Bhaneja, Carlos Gonzales-Vio, Nicky Guadagni (2015 Dora Award for Outstanding Peformance - Female), Jani Lauzon, Trish Lindström (2015 Dora Award for Outstanding Peformance, Musical - Female), Sarena Parmar; Director Community Relations at TD Bank Financial Group Alan Convery; in-demand voice-over artist Elley-Ray; props maker Fina MacDonnell (2015 Silver Ticket Award recipient); TheatreBooks co-founders Leonard McHardy and John Harvey; Artistic Directors Philip Akin (Obsidian Theatre), Beatriz Pizano (Aluna Theatre) and Arkady Spivak (Talk is Free Theatre); Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Executive Director Kathleen Sharpe; Harbourfront Centre Senior Artistic Associate for Dance LynAnne Sparrow, Toronto Dance Theatre Managing Director Andrea Vagianos and Stratford Festival costume cutter Jennifer Wonnacott (2016 Pauline McGibbon Award).

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD: TAPA's Audience Choice Award is co-sponsored by NOW Magazine and Yonge-Dundas Square. The public is invited to choose a winner and vote for their favourite show from the list of nominees for Outstanding Production or they can choose their own. The winner will be announced at the Dora Awards show ceremony and will receive a special plaque from NOW Magazine. Voting is now open and theatre and opera fans can cast their votes online at www.nowtoronto.com/doras up to midnight June 22.

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.

37th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards Toronto's Theatre, Dance and Opera Awards Monday June 27, 2016 Hosted by Bruce Dow At Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West
5:30pm-7:00pm Pre-Show VIP Reception at Harbourfront Centre's Brigantine Room in Bill Boyle Artport (formerly York Quay Centre) 7:30pm Dora Mavor Moore Awards Show at Harbourfront Centre's open air Concert Stage 10:30pm After-Party Under the Stars beside the lake at Harbourfront Centre

Written by Diane Flacks, Directed by Edward Roy, Musical Direction by Waylen Miki, Lighting and Production Design by Andrea Lundy, Produced by Jacoba Knaapen.

$104.00 General Admission Tickets for Awards Show & After-Party ($81.50 students, seniors, artsworkers). For tickets, call the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000 or visit tapa.ca. $20 After-Party Only Tickets can be purchased only onsite at the event beginning at 10:30pm. For $190 VIP Tickets (Pre-show VIP Reception, Dora Awards Show, After-Party), email Scott Dermody at scottd@tapa.ca. For information visit www.tapa.ca.

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: www.whatsontonight.ca, TOnight (an app for Toronto performing arts tickets), Toronto Theatre Guide, hipTIX (offering $5 tickets to students between the ages of 14 and 29), citySPECIAL (a ticket program for newcomers and at-risk youth), the Commercial Theatre Development Fund and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program - TRIP. For more information visit www.tapa.ca.

To post a comment, you must register and login.