Lord of the Rings Tops Dora Awards Nominations

Nominations for the 2006 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, celebrating achievement in Toronto Theatre, were announced on June 6th at noon at the Bank of Montreal offices at First Canadian Place. Lord of the Rings ruled them all in terms of quantity. The epic musical version of the Tolkien fantasy classic received 15 nominations and was the front-runner in the General Theatre division.

The 3-and-a half-hour musical condensation of Tolkien's hobbits-and-elves trilogy is directed by Matthew Warchus. The Lord of the Rings also features music by A.R. Rahman (along with the Finnish group Varrtina), and the book and lyrics are by Shaun McKenna. Rob Howell's elaborate sets feature three interconnected turntables with 16 elevators; he also designed the costumes. The show is presented by Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz, in association with David and Ed Mirvish and Michael Kohl. Brent Carver is among the musical's stars.

"Recognizing the outstanding achievements in Toronto's performing arts community, the Doras honour the creators of over 200 theatre, dance and opera productions annually in the following categories: General Theatre, Independent Theatre, Dance, Opera and Theatre for Young Audiences...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. Each winner receives a bronze statue cast from an original by sculptor John Romano," state notes on the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts' website.

The Awards will be presented Monday, June 2 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto; they will be hosted by David Gale.

A partial list of Dora Awards nominations (in the General Theatre Division) follows. To view the complete list, visit this link.

Outstanding New Play

• d'bi.young (blood.claat – one womban story)
• Rosa Laborde (Léo)
• Short stories by John Steinbeck adapted for the stage by 'This is a Bird' (The Long Valley)
• Ronnie Burkett (10 Days on Earth)
• Niki Landau (Territories)

Outstanding New Musical

• Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus (The Lord of the Rings)
• David Finley (Snow White and the Group of Seven)
• Chris Craddock (book) & Aaron Macri (music & lyrics) (BoyGroove)

Outstanding Production of a Play

• blood.claat – one womban story (Theatre Passe Muraille)
• Our Town (Soulpepper Theatre Company)
• The Monument (Obsidian Theatre Company)
• A Beautiful View (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in association with da da kamera)
• Léo (Tarragon Theatre)

Outstanding Production of a Musical

• The Lord of the Rings (Kevin Wallace and Saul Zaentz in association with David & Ed Mirvish and Michael Cohl)
• Snow White and the Group of Seven (Ross Petty Productions)
• Bunnicula (Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People)
• Boygroove (Michael Rubinoff & Derrick Chua in association with BoyGroove Entertainment Inc.)
• Song & Dance (Song & Dance Limited Partnership in association with Diversified Productions Inc.)

Outstanding Direction of a Play

• Weyni Mengesha (blood.claat – one womban story)
• Joseph Ziegler (Our Town)
• Daniel McIvor (A Beautiful View)
• Nigel Shawn Williams (The Monument)
• Richard Rose (Léo)

Outstanding Direction of a Musical

• Matthew Warchus (The Lord of the Rings)
• Ted Dykstra (Snow White and the Group of Seven)
• Allen MacInnis (Bunnicula)
• Kenneth Brown (BoyGroove)
• Dennis K. Law (Heartbeat)

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role – Play

• Tom McCamus (Mathilde)
• Shawn Doyle (A Number)
• Sergio Di Zio (Léo)
• Ronnie Burkett (10 Days on Earth)
• Jeff Lillico (Our Town)
• Albert Schultz (Our Town)

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Play

• Yanna McIntosh (The Monument)
• Martha MacIsaac (The Wild Duck)
• Karen Robinson (Two Can Play)
• d'bi.young (blood.claat – one womban story)
• Christine Brubaker (The Amorous Servant)

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Principal Role Musical

• Seán Cullen (Snow White and the Group of Seven)
• Richard Binsley (Bunnicula)
• Peter Howe (The Lord of the Rings)
• Michael Therriault (The Lord of the Rings)
• Brent Carver (The Lord of the Rings)

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Principal Role – Musical

• Rebecca Jackson Mendoza (The Lord of the Rings)
• Louise Pitre (Song & Dance)
• Elena Juatco (Snow White and the Group of Seven)
• Corinne Koslo (Bunnicula)
• Carly Street (The Lord of the Rings)

Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role in a Play or Musical

• Gord Rand (The Innocent Eye Test)
• Evan Buliung (The Lord of the Rings)
• Ensemble (The Long Valley)
• Ensemble (Banana Boys)
• David Storch (Habeas Corpus)

Outstanding Set Design

• Michael Levine (Wozzeck)
• Shawn Kerwin (The Monument)
• Rob Howell (The Lord of the Rings)
• Dany Lyne (Rodelinda)
• Glen Charles Landry (L'Avare)
• Steve Lucas (blood.claat – one womban story)

Outstanding Lighting Design

• Michael Whitfield (Wozzeck)
• Bonnie Beecher (The Monument)
• Paul Pyant (The Lord of the Rings)
• Jan Komarek (The Long Valley)
• David Finn (Götterdämmerung)

Outstanding Costume Design

• Rob Howell (The Lord of the Rings)
• Judith Bowden (The Government Inspector)
• Nina Okens (L'Avare)
• Mo Xiao Min (Heartbeat)
• Astrid Janson, Julie Renton and Sarah Armstrong (Canadian Pacific Scandal)

Outstanding Sound Design/Composition

• John Gzowski (The Monument)
• Simon Baker (for Autograph) (The Lord of the Rings)
• Jan Komarek (The Long Valley)
• Thomas Ryder Payne (Designer) & Marcelo Puente (Composer) (Léo)
• Michael Laird (A Beautiful View)

Outstanding Musical Direction

• Richard Bradshaw (Wozzeck)
• Christopher Nightingale, A.R. Rahman and Värttinä (The Lord of the Rings)
• Bob Foster (Snow White and the Group of Seven)
• David Fallis (Orfeo)
• Richard Bradshaw (Götterdämmerung)

Outstanding Choreography in a Play or Musical

• Peter Darling (The Lord of the Rings)
• Wayne Sleep (Song & Dance)
• Yu Su Li (Heartbeat)
• Anita Majumdar (Fish Eyes)
• Kay Grigar (BoyGroove)

Outstanding Touring Production

• Exit(s) (Théâtre Français de Toronto in association with Théâtre la Catapulte and Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario)
• There's a Rabbit in the Moon (Harbourfront Centre)
• Henry the Fifth (Harbourfront Centre)
• Jimmy (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)