The 35th Anniversary Dora Mavor Moore Awards for the 2013/2014 season were handed out in a star-studded ceremony in Toronto on the evening of Monday, June 23 at Harbourfront Centre's WestJet Stage, hosted by the hilarious Matt Baram and Naomi Snieckus, Second City alumni and founding members of the National Theatre of the World.
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 2013-2014 season, 143 producing companies (up 41 from last season's 102) registered 222 eligible productions. A total of 48 Dora Awards plus the Silver Ticket Award, and the Audience Choice Award were given out.
Canadian Stage and Soulpepper Theatre Company tie to lead the pack with each taking home 7 Dora Awards; Soulpepper with 7 in the General Theatre Division and Canadian Stage with 6 in Musical Theatre and 1 in General Theatre. In the General Theatre Division, Soulpepper Theatre Company's Of Human Bondage nabs 7 Doras including Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play (adaptation by Vern Thiessen), Outstanding Direction (Albert Schultz), Outstanding Performance-Ensemble and Outstanding Sound Design/Composition (Mike Ross). Lorenzo Savoini wins for both Outstanding Scenic Design and Outstanding Lighting Design. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's PIG scoops up 1 Dora for Outstanding Performance-Male for Bruce Dow, while Canadian Stage and Luminato Festival also earn 1 Dora each, Outstanding Performance-Female to Carly Street for Venus in Fur and Outstanding Costume Design to Ronnie Burkett for The Daisy Theatre, respectively).Continuing the tradition of Bluma's Indies, the winners in the Independent Theatre Division each receive a $1,000 cheque from the Bluma Appel Community Trust in addition to Dora Awards. In this division, Outside the March leads the way with 3 Doras with its Vitals nabbing 2 (Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Play toRosamund Small) and its co-production (with Convergence Theatre and Sheep No Wool) of Passion Play by Sarah Ruhl picking up Outstanding Performance-Ensemble. VideoCabaret picks up 2 Doras for Trudeau and the FLQ: Outstanding Performance-Male for Mac Fyfe and Outstanding Costume Design for Astrid Janson. Cahoots Theatre also earns 2 awards (Outstanding Scenic Design to Camellia Koo for The Wanderers and Outstanding Lighting Design to Michelle Ramsayfor Sister Mary's a Dyke?!). Outstanding Direction goes to Matthew Thomas Walker for Litmus Theatre's Birth of Frankenstein while Outstanding Performance-Female goes to Claire Armstrong for The Red One Theatre Collective's After Miss Julie. John Gzowski with Jacquie P.A. Thomas and the Ensemble snag Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for Theatre Gargantua's The Sacrifice Zone.
In the Dance Division, DanceWorks leads with 3 Doras, all from its with a trace program by firstthingsfirst productions: Outstanding Performance-Female to Kate Franklin for her performance in the dance work entitled Gotta Go Church and Outstanding Lighting Design to Simon Rossiter in the same piece, while Marc Boivinpicks up Outstanding Performance-Male for his performance in WOULD. Harbourfront Centre's World Stage for Ame Henderson/Public Recordings' what we are saying earns 2 wins: Outstanding Production and Outstanding Performance-Ensemble. (Harbourfront Centre's World Stage total tally is 3 Doras counting its win for Outstanding Touring Production for Yael Farber/Baxter Theatre Collective's Mies Julie). Louis Laberge-Côté nabs Outstanding Choreography for Šet même aprés(dance: made in Canada/ fait au Canada) and Dustin Peters takes Outstanding Sound Design/Composition for Malcolm (Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie). In the Theatre for Young Audience's Division, Young People's Theatre's Sultans of the Street wins all 5 Doras: Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Play toAnusree Roy, Outstanding Direction to Nina Lee Aquino, Outstanding Performance-Individual to Colin Doyle and Outstanding Performance-Ensemble. OTHER AWARDS:Videos